This Online Fitness Startup Is Community-first The Fittr app serves as a one-stop solution for all health and fitness guidance and related needs

Wellness and fitness brands took centrestage during the last year, thanks to the pandemic that locked people indoors and closed the doors to gyms.

With workout opportunities being restricted, people worldwide started looking for ways to feel healthier, happier, less stressed, and more in shape during these uncertain times. For many people, the answer was a fitness app or service that would allow them to remain active in their own homes.

Gym-goers pre-pandemic are now more curious than ever to explore the most innovative ways that can help them maintain their fitness routines and overall wellbeing even when fitness studios are closed. Turning to technology for improved workout experiences is a shift in consumer mindset. Instead of keeping these aspects limited to their gym sessions, workout enthusiasts want to know everything about their wellness, including how to keep working out, maintain a healthy diet, practice mindfulness, and get quality sleep, all using wellness and fitness technology.

From wearables to intelligent exercising equipment, fitness and diet training apps, virtual workout experiences, yoga apps, and personalized home gym experiences, all these things from the fitness tech sector were in great demand since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the growing popularity of fitness startups and their products and services, this fitness tech startup is seeming to get it right.

The fitness and wellness tech has over 94,000 startups that comprise of companies that provide solutions that helps consumers maintain their physical and mental well-being. This includes companies developing wearable devices like Fitbit, smart ring, and app for calorie calculators.

Fitness and wellness tech is one of the most active sectors for investors, with overall funding of $12.1 billion in more than 15,000 companies.

Fittr founder and chief executive officer Jitendra Chouksey told Entrepreneur India, "Fittr was a thought that started with a WhatsApp group in 2014 to help my friends get in shape. Fittr's other co-founders Sonal Singh, Jyoti Dabas, Rohit Chattopadhyay, and Bala Krishna Reddy joined me soon after and in 2016 with an initial investment of INR 90,000, we launched the platform. We were all like-minded people who wanted to provide a safe and judgment-free platform where one could learn, transform, inspire, and explore career opportunities in fitness."

In 2018, they launched the Fittr app with the aim to democratize fitness. Today, Fittr is successfully functioning as a tech-enabled community-first health and fitness platform headquartered in Pune. The company has been profitable since its inception and is one of the largest communities on Facebook with over 600,000 members.

Fittr is a community-first, coach-led brand that focuses on democratizing fitness. With a three million strong and inclusive community, the company has trained and transformed over 200,000 people, centered on the fact that "the journey towards fitness is as important as the destination'.

At Fittr, the principle of quantified nutrition is followed, which is a scientific and proven method for achieving life-long health and fitness. With the B2C freemium model, Fittr provides free access to a host of industry-standard diet and training tools, several other cutting-edge features, and a community of fitness experts and enthusiasts. Users can get personalized guidance, customized plans and weekly check-ups through Fittr's certified coaches by paying a small premium.

The philosophy underpinning Fittr revolves around fostering awareness and education around fitness and nutrition, alongside empowering its community members with the right knowledge, skills, and support to achieve their fitness goals.

"Our funding journey began in 2019 with Bollywood actor and fitness icon Suniel Shetty picking up a minority stake. In 2020, Fittr raised $2 million in pre-Series A funding from Sequoia Capital India's Surge, an accelerator programme for early-stage startups in India and Southeast Asia," Chouksey shared.

Recently, the company has raised its all-time high investment of $11.5 million in a Series A funding round co-led by Dream Capital and Elysian Park Ventures.

In the past five years of Fittr's operations, they have received over $13.5 million investment and look forward to participating in future funding rounds.

Fittr is an Indian-origin startup that is also operational in the US, UK, Australia, UAE, and Canada which accounts for 30 per cent of the company's userbase. As part of Fittr's next phase of growth, they are looking at expanding in new markets including North America and Singapore, and strengthening and further expanding their base in the US and UK market.

"At Fittr, we believe in coaching that delivers holistic fitness—for the body, mind, and beyond. In 2014 itself, understanding the different needs, we launched S.Q.U.A.T.S, a Facebook group based on the "Systematic Quantitative Unified Aesthetic Transformation System'. The group was started to help more people be a part of the fitness revolution with a safe space that is free of judgment. The Facebook community helped us, and others understand the specific requirements all of which can be addressed with Quantified Nutrition. Later, I created the fundamental training methodology and shared it through my book "Get Shredded' to prove that anyone can get fit with the knowledge of Quantified Nutrition. The fitness mantra underpinning Fittr is to educate and empower the end-user to transform and inspire others to get fit," he explained.

The Fittr app serves as a one-stop solution for all health and fitness guidance and related needs.

According to Chouksey, the fitness industry changed considerably when it embraced technology. There was a drastic push made towards digital transformation which saw fitness becoming accessible, affordable, and personalized. The entry of organized players in the market, rapid urbanization, rising awareness in the user mindset, deep smartphone and internet penetration, and high disposable incomes have given further impetus to digital adoption in the Indian fitness industry.

Currently, with the rapid disruptions in technology, the fitness industry is reorienting the focus of delivering fitness plans to its users in the format they prefer. Fittr's business model has always been supported by technology. They see themselves as a technology company with a passion for fitness and nutrition. Fittr application uses AI to create intuitive tools that map the entire fitness journey of a person. The app offers a full suite of easy-to-use tools such as Free Diet Tool, Free Training Tool, Body Fat Calculator, Macros Calculator, and many others.

The fitness industry is growing massively and has a lot of potential for existing and upcoming players. Multiple fitness brands work on tech-enabled fitness tools providing their users with holistic services all while at the comfort of their homes.

What sets Fittr apart from its competition is, quantifiable results, human touch and its community, the founder believes.

In the past three years, the company has seen exponential y-o-y growth.

Fittr aims to enter the list of startup unicorns and become the leading global social platform and marketplace for fitness coaching by educating and inspiring people to get fit. Along with strengthening the core services further, Fittr aims to create employment for more than 1,000 coaches in the next 12-18 months. As a long-term goal, they are working to make 50 million people fit and create 100,000 meaningful career opportunities in the fitness industry.