Pune Inc: Homegrown fitness app to use $11.5 million funding to go global, generate jobs

With $11.5 million in Series A funding beginning in September 2021, Fittr plans to grow its global presence and boost its platform offering sports nutrition, sports fitness and emotional wellness, paving the way to becoming a comprehensive platform. fitness. The organization, which has more than 650 trainers, aims to increase the number to more than 1,000 in 12 to 18 months. “Our workforce will become increasingly diversified to fit our vision of bringing health and fitness to the most people,” says Jyoti Dabas, co-founder of Fittr and CEO of INFS.

India’s fitness app market is estimated to grow to $1,532.82 million by 2027, according to media agency 360i. Data analytics company App Annie found that 71,000 new fitness and health apps launched in 2020, up 13% from the previous year. The lockdown, with gyms shuttered, people confined to their homes, and nursing anxiety about health and fitness, could be a possible explanation for people’s preference for online exercise platforms during the peak of COVID-19. Now that the pandemic has subsided and the recovery phase has begun (gyms, parks and clubs are open), how will companies like Fiitr adapt?

“When we started the company, our goal was to change millions of lives because it was said that 50 million people would be diabetic in India by 2030. Today, that number has been revised to 98 million. We are still trying to reach people with the right nutrition and fitness information, emphasizing that this does not mean deprivation or hardship. If other apps successfully engage people in fitness every day, we think it’s for the best. There is a market big enough for everyone to come play and raise awareness. Fitness is still a nascent market,” says Dabas.

Unlike gyms and trainers that prescribe extreme diet and exercise regimens, Fittr’s strength is that it offers “quantified nutrition” where a person eats their favorite food but in regulated amounts. The belief is that for people with lifestyle-related health problems, even a small change in habits has substantial health benefits. The app provides home exercise videos, science-backed information to combat misinformation, as well as guidance from fitness professionals certified by the Institute of Nutrition and Fitness Sciences. The app is also community based, ensuring that one person on their fitness journey isn’t struggling alone.

“When you are with people who think a certain way, it influences you. We need the physical thought community to grow. No one sees a fit person as an outcast, but a healthy lifestyle needs to be normalized,” says Dabas. “We are seeing change in the community but, in India, radical change is required,” she adds.

The business model has worked since Fittr started as a community of 10 to 12 people and a few trainers to post 48 percent growth over the past year and generate $14 billion in FY22. “This shows that digital aptitude is increasing. Covid has made people realize the importance of getting fit and that is where we come in for them. People are health conscious and there is great potential in the future of the fitness industry,” says Dabas.

Dabas adds that Pune remains one of their strongest bases. During the last year, the city represents about 8 percent of its customers. “It is the city of our birth, so we are emotionally attached to it. There are many community initiatives underway and we are rooted in the city,” says Dabas.