Today I’m joined by Avrum Elmakis, founder and CEO of CLMBR — a connected vertical climbing machine.    I this episode, we talk about launching a company during a pandemic, introducing a new piece of equipment to the connected fitness category, why CLMBR plans to target the commercial sector in addition to at-home, and how the company landed investors like Jay-Z, Pitbull, and Novak Djokovic.    More from Avrum   Avrum Elmakis is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at CLMBR. A serial entrepreneur, Avrum has founded and sold many successful businesses, and won EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2013. At CLMBR, he is responsible for leading a team of design, fitness and tech visionaries in creating the world’s most advanced climbing machine. He is also the owner of two Rise Nation climbing studios in Colorado and still serves as the chairman of the board of TDBBS, his business which scaled quickly into a behemoth in the pet industry. He is an avid skier and enjoys spending time with his wife and four daughters and loving the great state of Colorado.   More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a newsletter and podcast dedicated to the business of fitness and wellness.    Join industry-leading operators and investors by subscribing: http://insider.fitt.co  

Today I’m joined by John Burns, CEO of TB12.    TB12 is a health and wellness company founded by Tom Brady and his personal trainer Alex Guerrero.    In this episode, we talk about the company’s mission to help people perform better and live pain-free.    Building a business that encompasses physical locations, digital content, nutritional supplements, fitness equipment, and more.    And John talks about the company’s plans to develop an education and certification program for TB12 coaches.    More from John    John Burns is the CEO of TB12, the health and wellness company founded by 6-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady and co-Founder Alex Guerrero.  John is responsible for leading all aspects of the company’s operations and growth strategy. He has enjoyed a successful career in executive leadership and venture capital.  With a strong passion for entrepreneurship and brand building, he has served as Founder, Chairman, and/or CEO of multiple consumer companies. John has a particular interest in health, wellness, sports, and fitness. He serves, or has served, on the Boards of TB12, Spartan Race, Grillos Pickles, Yasso, and EverybodyFights. John received his undergraduate degree from Boston College and his M.B.A. from Babson College.   More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a newsletter and podcast dedicated to the business of fitness and wellness.  Join industry-leading operators and investors by subscribing: http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Jason LaRose, CEO of Equinox Media.    In this episode, we discuss the SoulCycle at-home bike and Variis by Equinox — the digital platform powering the content and connected fitness experience.    We talk about the role of the instructor, music, community, and programming in producing fitness content.    Then we look ahead to the return of exercising in person, and how Equinox will approach an omnichannel fitness environment.    Let’s get into it    More about Jason   Jason LaRose is the CEO of Equinox Media, a transformative on-demand platform offering access to the best brands in fitness. In his role, LaRose is responsible for leading strategy, growth and expansion for the company.   LaRose joined Equinox Media following more than 20 years of experience in brand, e-commerce, omnichannel retailing, and building communities in the digital and athletic spaces. Prior to Equinox Media, LaRose was President of North America for Under Armour where he spearheaded the company’s entrée into wearables and fitness tracking apps, expanded the Under Armour Connected Fitness platform, and established the global e-commerce business. In the earlier days of e-commerce and social media, LaRose served as an Associate Principal in the Consumer and Digital Practices at McKinsey & Company where he helped companies expand their brands into the digital space. LaRose also previously served as a board member at Shop.org and held numerous executive strategy and operating positions at Sears Holding Corporation and Express, LLC.   LaRose holds a B.S. from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Duke University.   More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

This week, we’re excited to bring you another edition of Startup Spotlight – a recurring series where we speak with early-stage founders working on fitness and wellness startups.   We usually focus on established companies, operators, and inventors — and we’ll continue bringing you those conversations most weeks. But, from time to time, we’re highlight companies at the beginning of their journey.   Today I’m joined by Lola Priego.    Lola is the founder of Base — where they’re using at-home blood testing to improve diet, stress, sleep, and brain fog.    In this episode, we talk about putting health in the consumer’s hands, targeting potential customers beyond the realm of biohackers, and how Lola was able to raise $3.5M with a team of only five employees as a first-time founder.    Let’s get into it.    More from Lola    Lola is the Founder and CEO of Base, the first health tracker that uses a data science app paired with at-home testing to help people feel better. Prior to founding Base, Lola was a software engineer at Amazon, Facebook and Instagram where she was focused on improving network performance. She later went on to be the Head of Engineering at a Khosla-backed startup within the lab industry space. Through her own personal health journey, Lola realized that a major discrepancy in the healthcare system is the lack of access to data around one’s health. She founded Base as a way to help people understand why they are feeling off with a data-driven approach. Base helps those users that can’t sleep, are fatigued, brain fogged or are looking for the optimal personalized diet.   Originally from Spain, Lola studied medicine for a year before transferring to engineering at the Technical University of Madrid. She then came to the United States to study at the Illinois Institute of Technology and received her Master’s Degree in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. In her free time, Lola started a project through the organization More than Me where she goes to Liberia and teaches girls to code with tablets that she uniquely designed to work offline.    Social: https://www.instagram.com/get_base/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lolitapriego Webpage: https://get-base.com/fitt for a 20% off discount    More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.     Website:  http://insider.fitt.co   ### A quick reminder before we get into today’s show — every Tuesday, we send a weekly newsletter filled with insights and analysts on the business of fitness and wellness. Join other decision-makers and industry operators, by subscribing at http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Brynn Putnam.    Brynn is the founder and CEO of Mirror — a connected fitness company that combines an interactive screen with on-demand workout content.    In July, lululemon acquired Mirror for $500M.    In this episode, we talk about Brynn’s motivation for starting Mirror and the genesis of the idea. What differentiates the company from the growing number of look-a-like products. How Brynn defines community in a digital world. And what factors led lululemon to ultimately acquire the company.    More from Brynn   Brynn Putnam is the founder and CEO of MIRROR, the nearly invisible, interactive home gym that streams live and on-demand fitness classes in a variety of genres.   For more than a decade, Brynn has been regarded as a pioneer of the fitness industry. First as a ballet dancer for the New York City Ballet, then as the founder and CEO of Refine Method, the acclaimed fitness studio in New York dubbed “Best New Workout” by New York magazine. Now, Brynn is applying her deep expertise in fitness, both as an accomplished entrepreneur and athlete, to transform the fitness industry again. Brynn graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Russian Literature and Culture and is based in New York City.    More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Byron Ling of Canaan Partners.    In this episode, we discuss Byron’s investments in companies like Mirror, Ro, Papa, and Uniform Teeth. His insights on building a consumer brand in the healthcare space. And what we should look out for as fitness, wellness, and healthcare converge.    About Byron    Byron is a Partner at Canaan focusing on consumer and digital health investing. His investments include Papa, Ro, Uniform Teeth, Kin Euphorics, and Bravo Sierra. He was previously an investor at Primary Venture Partners, leading investments in companies such as Mirror and K Health. Prior to venture capital, he was an early employee at Gilt Groupe, helping scale the flash sale e-commerce company from product-market fit through the growth stage. Byron holds an M.B.A. from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S. in Economics from Case Western Reserve University.   More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Nate Raabe, the Managing Partner at Rx3 Growth Partners.    In this episode, Nate tells us about partnering with Aaron Rogers to start Rx3. How the firm uses influencer investors to add value. And we learn about their investments in companies like Hydrow, Hims, Super Coffee, and CorePower Yoga.    About Nate    Nate is currently the managing partner at Rx3 Growth Partners, a consumer-focused influencer fund based in Orange County. Rx3 invests in both growing and established brands across the consumer space. Prior to Rx3, he was managing director of ROTH’s private capital group, where he was responsible for deal sourcing, valuation analysis, and distribution for private companies. Nate also acts as CIO for his family investments and is the managing partner for A&N Ventures. Prior to ROTH, Nate was a founding member of Sapheon where he spearheaded the private companies fundraising prior to its acquisition. He is on the Board of Directors for the San Diego Sports Innovators. Nate graduated from Santa Clara University with a BA in Finance.   More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

This week, we’re excited to bring you another edition of Startup Spotlight – a recurring series where we speak with early-stage founders working on fitness and wellness startups. We usually focus on established companies, operators, and inventors — and we’ll continue bringing you those conversations most weeks. But, from time to time, we’re highlight companies at the beginning of their journey. Today I’m joined by Zaw Thet, CEO of Exer.    Exer uses AI and computer vision to power its motion coaching platform.    In this episode, we talk about Exer Studio, the company’s Mac app that creates a leaderboard and captures workout stats for any virtual workout, without additional hardware. A partnership with Zoom that lets trainers easily layer Exer on top of their classes. And the company’s B2B2C model aimed at helping trainers better engage with their clients in a remote training environment.    More from Zaw   Zaw Thet is a veteran entrepreneur/investor who has been at the forefront of new technology and starting companies since the age of 19. He is currently the CEO and Co-Founder of Exer, on a mission to help millions of people move, train, and play better using the power of AI. Previously, Zaw was a Founding Partner at Signia Venture Partners focused on early-stage tech investing and on creating a new model of venture capital. He helped start Signia in 2012 and led investments across 3 funds.   Zaw was the founder and CEO of 4INFO, one of the first and largest mobile advertising platforms in the world. Business Week recognized him as one the "Mobile Barons" helping to shape the mobile ad industry since 2004. In 2011, Zaw was selected as one of ten entrepreneurs to serve on the United Nations Foundation's inaugural Global Entrepreneurs Council, where he is now an Emeritus Member of the board.   Zaw studied Political and Computer Science at Stanford, where he was a President's Scholar. He received his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was a Soros Fellow.   Exer: http://www.exerstudio.com & http://www.exer.ai/  @movewithexer  @zawthet  More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today, I’m joined by Deepen Parikh, a partner at Courtside Ventures.    Courtside is an early-stage venture firm focused on fitness and wellness, sports and media, and gaming.    In this episode, Deepen tells us about Courtside’s new $75M fund, the firm’s thesis as it related to fitness: including the reinvented gym, human performance, community, and personalized data. And we get into how he thinks about the team, business model, and market when evaluating an investment opportunity.    A quick announcement that we touch on this in the episode: Anthony & I are excited to be partnering with Courtside — where we’ll be working as advisors to the firm. So if you’re building a company in health, fitness, wellness, or sports categories, we’d love to hear from you. Send us an email: [email protected]   More from Deepen Deepen Parikh is a Partner at Courtside Ventures, a leading VC fund focused on early-stage companies across sports/digital media, fitness/wellness and gaming. Since launching Courtside Ventures in 2016, they've invested in 45+ companies, including Freeletics, Future.fit, Gainful, Silofit, Paceline, The Athletic, StockX, The Drone Racing League, Religion of Sports, Beam (acq by Microsoft), 100 Thieves, RecoverX, among several others.   He leads the funds investment focus across fitness, and wellness along with select investment in sports and digital media.    Sitting at the intersection of the rapidly growing entrepreneurial ecosystem and the broader sports technology industry, he was recognized as a 2018 Sports Business Journal Forty Under 40 recipient.   Previously, Deepen was a Partner at Interplay Ventures, an early-stage technology incubator and investor, where he was part of launching/building 15+ companies and investing in another 6 companies.   Deepen started his career as an Associate at UBS Financial Services and earned his BA in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park. He currently resides in New York City with his wife, Rakhi (who works at Major League Soccer) and his daughter Prem.   More on Courtside    Courtside Ventures is a leading early-stage VC fund, backed by several professional sports team owners, public media companies, global family offices and strategic individuals and athletes. They focus on investing across sports/digital media, fitness/wellness and gaming.    Across Fund I and Fund II (which they are in the process of closing), they've invested in 45+ companies, including The Athletic, StockX, The Drone Racing League, Religion of Sports, Beam (acq by Microsoft), Rebel (acq by Salesforce), Freeletics, 100 Thieves, Players Lounge, RecoverX, Future.fit, Gainful, Silofit, Paceline, among several others.    More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Nick Green, CEO of Thrive Market.    In this episode, we discuss:    Thrive’s business model that’s been described as Costco meets Whole Foods.  The importance of increasing access to healthy, high-quality foods.  How Nick was able to raise $250M after getting turned down by countless investors.  Why he says the company is just getting started.    About Nick   Nick Green is the co-founder and CEO of Thrive Market, an online market on a mission to make healthy living easy and accessible for every budget, lifestyle, and geography. For $60/year, Thrive Market members save 25% or more on a curated catalog of the world’s highest quality healthy and sustainable food, home, and beauty products. Each paid membership also sponsors a free one for a family in need and enables Thrive Market to ship every member order using carbon-neutral shipping from its zero-waste fulfillment centers. Since its inception in 2015, Thrive Market has grown to a community of over 800,000 paid members, each committed to the health and wellbeing of their families but also united around a vision for a healthier and more sustainable world.    More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today, I’m joined by L Catterton Managing Partners Michael Farello & Jon Owsley.   In addition to investments in consumer brands across almost every category, L Catterton has been heavily involved in the fitness space investing in Equinox, ClassPass, Peloton, Tonal, and many others.    In this episode, we take a deep dive into the future of fitness, including COVID’s impact on gyms and studios, the growth of connected fitness, and the potential for tech companies like Apple and Amazon to get involved.    More on today’s guests    Michael Farello    Michael is a Managing Partner of L Catterton’s growth fund, focusing on all aspects of the fund’s investment strategy and portfolio management.  Over the course of his career, he has served on the Boards of more than 30 companies, with a particular focus on health and wellness, technology and direct-to-consumer businesses.  In this capacity, he has focused on the companies’ growth strategies, acquisitions and marketing and has extensive experience on both compensation and audit committees.  He has served on the Boards of Vroom (NASDAQ: VRM), HomeChef (acquired by Kroger), Better.com, 98point6, ClassPass, Hydrow, Humann, and Pinarello among others.     Michael has worked in the consumer sector since the late-80s as a consultant, senior executive, and investor. Prior to joining Catterton, he held several executive positions at Dell where he led the company's consumer marketing and ecommerce business following a strategic role in the Office of the Chairman. Previously, Michael spent 12 years at McKinsey & Company, most recently as a Partner focusing on the consumer sector.   Mr. Farello earned an M.B.A. with distinction from the Harvard Business School and a B.S. with distinction in industrial engineering from Stanford University.   Jon Owsley    Jon is a Managing Partner of the L Catterton Growth Fund.  Prior to joining L Catterton, he was a consultant at The Parthenon Group, a strategy consulting firm based in Boston.  Prior to joining The Parthenon Group, Jon was a corporate attorney at Hale and Dorr (now Wilmer Hale) in Boston.  Prior to Hale and Dorr, he was the Assistant Brew Master at Otter Creek Brewing and was a college lacrosse coach.  Jon received a B.A, magna cum laude, from Middlebury College and a JD, with honors, from Cornell Law School.  Jon lives in Connecticut with his wife and three teenage daughters. More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

This week, we’re excited to bring you the first episode of Startup Spotlight – a recurring series where we speak with early-stage founders working on fitness and wellness startups.    We usually focus on established companies, operators, and inventors — and we’ll continue bringing you those conversations most weeks.    But, from time to time, we’re highlight companies at the beginning of their journey.    Today I’m joined by Cam Porter — the Founder and CEO of Core.    Core is making it easy for fitness instructors to create a branded digital experience across iOS, Android, and the web. The company’s content and client management tools help instructors launch and scale their business.    In this episode, we discuss the current state of digital fitness, the disconnect between fitness and health, empowering instructors to build an online business, and the challenges Core is working through to get a product to market.    A quick note on today’s episode, Anthony and I working with Cam and the Core team in an advisory role. We’re excited to play a small part in helping fitness instructors grow their businesses.    More from Cam   Cameron Porter is the founder and CEO of Core, the most recent incubation to come out of the NYC based venture studio, AlleyCorp, best known for its past incubations that include; MongoDB (MDB), BusinessInsider, Gilt Groupe, Zola, and many more. Prior to leading Core, Cameron worked as a Venture Architect at AlleyCorp where he helped to launch companies in spaces ranging from renewable energy food truck fleets to prescription digital therapeutics. His path the venture world was not a traditional one. Cameron dropped out Princeton when he was drafted into Major League Soccer. While playing professionally, Cameron also worked with the league’s front office as a software engineer. Through all of it, he has maintained a deep passion for how people relate to their bodies and hopes that his work can help people get a little closer to arete — fulfillment through the mind, body, and soul.   About Core: Core enables fitness instructors to launch, scale, and grow their business. To do this, Core provides a one-stop-shop for content and client management that powers the instructor’s own branded experience across iOS, Android, and web. You set the prices. You own the content. You own the customers. It’s your business powered by Core.   Learn more: https://www.core.fitness/   More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Randy Hetrick — the Founder and CEO of TRX.    In today’s episode, we discuss Randy’s journey from Navy SEAL to inventing the TRX suspension trainer. The company’s “triple threat” of innovative products, professional education, and fitness content. And why Randy believes TRX represents a more accessible approach to exercise than more expensive connective fitness options.    About Randy    Randy Hetrick is the founder and CEO of TRX Training, one of the world’s leading fitness brands. After graduating from USC, Randy attended BUD/S and began a 14-year career as a Navy SEAL. He completed multiple deployments, and his operational career culminated as a Squadron Commander of the SEAL’s elite special missions unit where he was tasked with leading the nation’s most crucial special operations missions. While on one deployment in Southeast Asia, Randy created the Suspension Trainer®–perhaps the most prolific piece of exercise equipment in history and later the first TRX product.   In addition to his role at TRX, Randy is also an investor and advisor to early-stage businesses, a speaker to organizations around the world, and a regular lecturer on leadership and entrepreneurship at his alma maters (USC & Stanford).    More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.     Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Jason Baptiste, CEO of STUDIO.    STUDIO is a smart hub for your home gym.    In this episode, we discuss STUDIO’s transition from a fitness app to connected hardware. How digital fitness companies can build community online. Business model innovation in the fitness industry. And whether or not gyms will go the way of movie theatres and arcades.    More from Jason    Jason is the CEO and co-founder of STUDIO, the smart hub for your home gym.  STUDIO is the one immersive screen that connects to all your home gym equipment to take fitness classes from instructors you love with a community that uplifts you. STUDIO is financially backed by investors including Huami (NYSE:HMI), the world's largest wearable maker, and LifeFitness, the world's largest manufacturer of commercial fitness equipment.  Prior to STUDIO, Jason was the CEO and founder of Onswipe, the world's largest mobile publishing platform, before it was acquired in 2014.  Jason is also the author of "The Ultralight Startup", a book on entrepreneurship professionally published by Penguin Random House.  Jason has also been recognized by Forbes and Inc. as a 30 under 30 CEO.   STUDIO, the smart hub for your home gym, is the one immersive screen that connects to all your home gym equipment to take fitness classes from instructors you love with a community that uplifts you. STUDIO is financially backed by investors including Huami (NYSE:HMI), the world's largest wearable maker, and LifeFitness, the world's largest manufacturer of commercial fitness equipment. STUDIO was founded by Jason L. Baptiste and Nathaniel McNamara and is headquartered in New York City.   Learn more: https://www.trystudio.com/     More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.

Today I’m joined by Lionel Conacher — Managing Partner at Next Ventures.    Next Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in companies focused on human optimization across sports, fitness, and wellness.    In this episode, we talk about how Lionel teamed up with Lance Armstrong to start the firm. Emerging opportunities in hydration, AI, and skin sensors. And why companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google are entering the health and fitness space.    More on Lionel   Lionel Conacher is a life-long multi-sport athlete and outdoorsman and proud member of Canada’s first family of sport. His financial experience spans senior positions in public companies in both Canada and the US, investment banking, and most recently private equity. He understands what it takes to create a highly successful start-up having co-founded Westwind Partners Inc., a specialized Canadian institutional investment bank. As Chief Executive Officer, Lionel grew Westwind to $100 million in revenues over 5 years after which it was sold to Thomas Weisel Partners (TWP) for $145 million. Post-sale Lionel served as President of TWP until the sale of TWP to Stifel Financial in 2010. For 7 years prior to co-founding NEXT VENTŪRES, Lionel was a Senior Advisor and Operating Partner at Palo Alto based private equity firm, Altamont Capital Partners, LLC. He currently sits on the boards AMP Human Inc., Kinetyx™ and DXL Group (NASDAQ: DXLG). Lionel is also actively involved in various non-profits including serving as a Trustee of SFMOMA, Council for Canadian American Relations and Surf Canada.   More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Keith Nowak, CEO of Ten Thousand.    Ten Thousand is an athletic apparel brand for men.    In this episode, we talk about how Keith’s athletic background and experience working venture capital inspired him to start the company. His laser focus on building an industry-defining brand for guys. And how they’ve managed to grow quickly while also achieving profitability.    More from Keith   Keith Nowak is the co-founder and CEO of the New York-based men's activewear brand, Ten Thousand. Prior to launching Ten Thousand in early 2017, Keith spent three years leading Seed and Series A investing for a family office into over 50 companies across consumer, software, healthcare, and digital media, including early investments in Everlane, Warby Parker, and Classpass. Before that, Keith founded and co-founded a number of early-stage tech startups. Outside of the office, Keith is passionate about fitness and spends his time training for marathons and Ironman triathlons, or in a CrossFit box.    More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Holly Maloney.    Holly is the Managing Director at General Catalyst    In this episode, we discuss Holly’s focus on growth-stage investments in the fitness and wellness space, why General Catalyst led Tempo’s $60M Series B, and Holly’s “Management, Market, Model” framework for evaluating deals.    Get to know Holly:    Holly Maloney is a managing director at venture capital firm General Catalyst. She works with GC’s Executives-in-Residence (XIRs) to create a new business or identify an existing growth- stage business to accelerate their trajectory and transform with them. Her portfolio of investments includes Allego, Teamworks, Tempo, The Predictive Index, and SonderMind. Prior to joining GC, Holly was a principal at Guidepost Growth Equity (FKA: North Bridge Growth Equity), working closely with companies such as WP Engine and Dyn [acquired by Oracle (NYSE: ORCL)]. Outside the office, Holly is very active (running, hiking, biking, exploring) and is a novice surfer. Holly received a BA in Economics from Bowdoin College.   More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Josh Augustin.    Josh is the CTO of Tempo —  a smart home gym that uses computer vision to track your form in real-time.    In this episode, we discuss the company’s origin story as a product designed to be used in the gym. How they pivoted to at-home fitness. The recent $60M funding round that valued the company at $250M. And the future of the connected fitness category.    Get to know Josh:    Josh Augustin is the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Tempo since 2014. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Josh attended Columbia University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. At Columbia, he worked as a researcher in the Robotics and Computer Graphics labs, studying robotic cloth perception and manipulation among other topics. In 2014, Josh was a software engineering intern at Pixar Animation Studios and was later accepted into startup accelerator Y-Combinator’s prestigious Winter 2015 class along with his Co-Founder, Moawia Eldeeb. Josh was recently honored on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for Consumer Technology.   More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Mike Maser.    Mike is the CEO of Big Sky Health, the company behind the fasting app Zero, Oak, a mindfulness app, and Less, an app for mindful drinking.    In this episode, we discussed Mike’s experience starting FitStar and selling it to Fitbit. How his personal battle with cancer led him to fasting and, ultimately, becoming CEO of Zero. And we talk about his plans to turn Big Sky Health into a platform for science-backed longevity products.   About Mike    Mike Maser is the CEO and founder of Big Sky Health, the parent company of wellness apps Zero, Less, and Oak. Formerly the CEO and co-founder of FitStar, and over 2 decades of executive leadership experience at companies including Electronic Arts, Digg, AOL, and Fitbit, Mike has rich experience in the tech and health startup spaces. His work at Big Sky Health blends this knowledge with a personal passion: helping people live longer, healthier lives. When Mike isn’t helping millions of users on their wellness journeys, you can find him and his dog, Hank out on the trails in Big Sky, Montana."   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.     Website:  http://insider.fitt.co  

Today I’m joined by Matt Taylor, CEO of Tracksmith   In this episode, we talk about what it takes to build a brand from the ground up, using storytelling to cultivate community, and Matt’s ambition to make Tracksmith a generational company.    Let’s get into it.    About Matt:    Matt Taylor is a runner. From high school track meets to racing cross country and steeplechase at Yale, Matt learned to relish the challenge of competition and the delayed gratification inherent in the sport. After graduating, Matt began his career in the sports industry. From his first role at IMG, Matt moved towards more running-focused positions, ultimately serving as PUMA’s Global Head of Marketing for the Running, Training and Fitness categories. He’s also the co-creator of Usain Bolt’s signature iPhone game.  Though deeply immersed in the business of running, Matt became increasingly frustrated with the industry’s slow pace, lookalike products and “everyone gets a medal” mentality that diminished the reverence for personal achievement in favor of watered-down fitness messaging. So he set out to create Tracksmith: an independent running brand built on a deep love of the sport. Launched in 2014, Tracksmith has been recognized by outlets like Runner’s World, Competitor, the Wall Street Journal, WIRED and more for “further defining what running apparel can be” and for its “anti-Nike” approach to marketing. Based out of the Trackhouse in Boston, MA, Tracksmith crafts products, stories and experiences for the amateur runner.   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Dayton Miller, Managing Partner at Boulder Food Group.    In this episode, we talked about investing in better-for-you brands, breaking into food and beverage, the four variables Dayton looks for in a startup, and where the category is heading next.    About Dayton:    Dayton previously co-founded Function, a venture-backed health and wellness beverage company, which Dayton built from idea-conception to $20 million in retail sales until its acquisition by Sunsweet Growers, Inc. Prior to Function, Dayton was an executive in the strategy group at The Walt Disney Company where he worked for over seven years focusing on mergers & acquisitions and operating strategy. Dayton began his career as an analyst in investment banking and spent time as a management consultant for Bain & Co. Dayton serves on the Board of Directors for the Harvard Business School Alumni Association of SoCal and also serves on the Leadership Council of the Fulfillment Fund, an LA non-profit focused on underprivileged youth and education. Dayton was born and raised in Baltimore, MD where he attended McDonogh School. Dayton received his BA from Vanderbilt University and his MBA from Harvard Business School.   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Bill Shufelt, CEO of Athletic Brewing   Athletic Brewing makes non-alcoholic craft beer. Back in March, the company closed a $17.5M Series B funding round.   In today’s episode, we talk about the rise of mindful drinking, making non-alcoholic beer cool, and how Bill was able to raise money from 60 angel investors for a pre-product, pre-revenue company.    About Bill Schuflet >>    Bill Shufelt is the founder of Athletic Brewing Company - the first brewery in the country dedicated entirely to non-alcoholic craft beer. After spending 12 years in the hedge fund world, healthy lifestyle changes and a love of endurance sports and adventure led him to leave alcohol behind. Along with co-founder and head brewer John Walker, they have set out to revolutionize decades-old stigmas around non-alcoholic beer by making great beer for modern, healthy & active adults. After opening their doors in 2018, Athletic's flagship beers are available nationwide on their website athleticbrewing.com. Bill is married to an incredible gardener and plant-based chef further driving his passion for high-quality fuel and healthy eating. Bill grew up in CT, attended Middlebury College, and now splits his time between breweries in San Diego, CA and Stratford, CT. More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Paul F. Austin.    Paul is the founder of The Third Wave — a resource for safe and responsible use of psychedelics.    In today’s episode, we discussed where psychedelics fit in the broader wellness industry, the shift from industrialized medicine to personalized medicine, and what the “Equinox of psychedelics” might look like.    More from Paul >>    Paul F. Austin is an entrepreneur, public speaker, and educator. He has founded two companies in the emerging psychedelic space, The Third Wave and Synthesis.   Within The Third Wave, Paul leads a team of creatives, engineers, and coaches to develop a comprehensive educational platform that serves the psychedelic ecosystem.   Currently, The Third Wave offers in-depth psychedelic guides, online courses, and 1-on-1 coaching.   Because of his pioneering work at the intersection of microdosing, personal transformation, and professional success, Paul has been featured on the BBC, Forbes, and Rolling Stone.   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, L’Catterton, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Josh Clemente, the Founder of Levels — a metabolic fitness company.    In today’s episode, we talked about continuous glucose monitoring and using Levels to unlock real-time feedback on lifestyle choices, like what you eat, how you exercise, and the quality of your sleep. We also discussed Josh’s plan to make metabolic fitness mainstream in hopes of tackling diabetes, obesity, and chronic ailments.    About Josh Clemente >>    Josh, Founder of Levels, is a mechanical engineer and CrossFit-L2 trainer. At SpaceX, he led a team to develop life support systems that sustained astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley on their May 2020 trip to the International Space Station aboard Dragon Endeavor: the first new crew-carrying spacecraft since 1980. Josh has also spent time designing and building Hyperloop technology and leading engineering for a company providing vehicle-based rescue systems for emergency response teams. Josh enjoys the outdoors, functional fitness training, technology, coffee, and restoring motorcycles.   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, L’Catterton, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Jason Feldman.    Jason is the CEO of Vault Health — a performance healthcare company helping men optimize their well-being.    In today’s episode, we talked about the barriers preventing men from accessing care, the difference between telehealth and online pharmacies, the company’s pivot to COVID testing, and why Jason believes men’s health is just the beginning for Vault.    More from Jason >>    Jason Feldman is the Co-Founder and CEO of Vault Health - a fast-growing startup providing specialized healthcare for men and their manhood… at home. Vault makes it easy for men to get the specialized care they need and to perform on the level they strive to achieve. Before founding Vault, Feldman was Head of Prime Video Direct, Amazon’s self-service marketplace for studios, distributors and content creators to make their content available on Prime Video in over 200 countries. In his prior leadership role at Amazon, Feldman led Global Innovation and Global Vendor Management, expanding Amazon’s retail reach around the world. A long time senior leader in retail and consumer products, Feldman helped build brands, innovate new e-commerce distribution platforms and retail format portfolios for L’Oreal, Hanesbrands and Home Depot. He studied international communications and has a Master’s in Public Administration from The George Washington University. Feldman is a father to 17 year old triplets and lives in New York.

Today I’m joined by Nate Forster.    Nate is the CEO of NEOU, a platform for streaming and on-demand fitness.    In this episode, we talked about how NEOU plans to become the Amazon of fitness, including its digital platform, a 20,000 square-foot production hub in New York City, and content partnerships with a growing number of fitness instructors and brands.    Let’s get into it.    More from Nate >>    Nate Forster is a former professional tennis player turned entrepreneur. Nate started his career in hospitality and transitioned into the health and wellness industry in 2010. At the start of his entrepreneurial career, he was an operating partner at dek23 and b.e.d. nightclubs in Miami, in which he brokered the sale of both businesses.  In 2010, he became the owner and operator of the first Reebok-partnered CrossFit gym and by 2014, he was the largest CrossFit affiliate owner globally with 15 locations. Nate is now the co-founder and CEO of NEOU, a digital fitness platform that helps fitness influencer and workout brands scale to a larger audience. The mission of NEOU is to bring consumers the best of all types of fitness, health + wellness concepts and trainers to anyone in the world at anytime.

Today I’m joined by PJ Nestler.    PJ is the Director of Performance at XPT Life — a performance lifestyle system developed by Laird Hamilton and Gabby Reece.    In this episode, we discussed the breath, movement, and recovery methods used at XPT. The rise of the high-performance lifestyle. And how XPT has used retreats, coaching certifications, and its consumer app to grow the brand.    More from PJ >>    PJ is a human performance specialist with over 13 years of experience preparing top athletes from the UFC, NFL, and NHL for competition. Outside of training top athletes, Coach PJ is devoted to education, sharing his knowledge and experience with the purpose of elevating the fitness profession. He is currently the Director of Performance for XPT Life where his role entails researching & developing educational curriculums around XPT’s Breathe-Move-Recover pillars and teaching certification programs for health & fitness professionals around the world.   https://www.xptlife.com/   https://www.instagram.com/coachpjnestler More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.     Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Mark Gainey.    Mark is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of Strava, a global community of athletes with more than 50M members.    In this episode, we discussed Strava’s business model, including freemium access and paid subscriptions, the company’s focus on putting the athlete first, and Mark’s plan to make Strava a multi-generational company.    More from Mark >>    Mark has been building successful companies for 20+ years. He currently serves as the co-founder and executive chairman of Strava, a global community of athletes. Founded in 2009, millions of athletes have joined Strava for the competition and camaraderie found in tracking and sharing their fitness activities. Mark also co-founded Kana Communications, an enterprise CRM firm, in 1996 and served in various capacities, including CEO, president, and chairman. He has offered his expertise to a wide array of companies over the years, joining the boards of Alter-G, BoardVantage, Daum, Clari, and Coaching Corps. Mark holds an AB from Harvard University.

Today I’m joined by Fritz Lanman the CEO of ClassPass.    In this episode, we talk about why the company changed its business model and pricing over the years. The opportunity for growth in areas like corporate benefits, wellness experiences, and streaming workouts. What makes ClassPass worth $1B. And Fritz’s plan to take the company public.    Let’s get into it.    More from Fritz >>    Fritz Lanman is the CEO of ClassPass and previously served as Executive Chairman. He has been involved with the company since 2013 when he led both the Seed and Series A financing. In addition to his role at ClassPass, he is an active angel investor who backed Square, Pinterest, Wish and several other companies. Before ClassPass, Fritz founded Livestar, Verst and Doppler Labs and worked in Product Management and Corporate Strategy at Microsoft.   Website: https://classpass.com/   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Carl Daikeler, the co-founder and CEO of Beachbody,    In today’s episode, we discussed the evolution of at-home fitness, transitioning from VHS tapes to streaming content, the role and criticism of multi-level marketing, and building a billion-dollar-a-year business.    More from Carl >>    Carl Daikeler is co-founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Beachbody, LLC. In his pursuit to maintain his own health and fitness, and find a solution for the growing obesity epidemic, Daikeler and his co-founder Jon Congdon created Beachbody in 1998. Since then, the California-based company has redefined in-home fitness with top fitness and weight-loss solutions such as Beachbody® On-Demand, P90X®, 21 Day Fix®, Body Beast®, and INSANITY®, as well as the breakthrough health shake, Shakeology®.    Daikeler's focus is to help people achieve their goals and lead healthy, fulfilling lives. Through the Team Beachbody® Coach Network, his aspiration is to create the largest community of health and fitness-related peer support in the world.    So, in 2007, Beachbody became the first networking marketing business focused on a holistic approach to fitness and weight loss, turning customers into brand ambassadors. Offering the most innovative, results-oriented programs and skilled, motivational trainers, Beachbody's approach to fitness has not only gained the attention of millions of satisfied customers but also crossed $1 billion in annual sales in 2014. Daikeler has over 30 years of extensive product marketing experience, including every aspect of the direct response business, from creating products to advertising, media buying, operations, international distribution, and general management.    More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Marc Zionts.    Marc is the Executive Chairman of Precision Nutrition — a leader in nutrition coaching and education.    In today’s episode, we talk about the company’s focus on behavior change, the decision to develop software tools to help nutrition and health coaches automate their business, and the importance of deep health to overall well-being.    Let’s get into it.    More from Marc >>    Marc Zionts, an executive, athlete, and environmentalist and has been successfully leading companies since 1987. Zionts is currently the Executive Chairman and Board Member of Precision Nutrition, a BV Investment Partners portfolio company.   Zionts earned his Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Zionts is also an Independent Board Director for TEOCO and Friends of the Earth, a Washington D.C. based environmental group.   Zionts is happily married for 30 years and has 4 nice and kind adult children. Besides enjoying spending time with his family, Zionts is an environmentalist and avid outdoorsman and an accomplished criterium, cyclocross, and velodrome bicycle racer.   Precision Nutrition: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Tobi Pearce the CEO of SWEAT.    Along with his wife Kayla Itsines, Tobi and the team at SWEAT are building the world’s largest female fitness community.    In this episode, we talked about his journey from personal training to creating a digital platform. We also discussed customer acquisition and retention as it related to growing SWEAT’s user base. And Tobi shared his thoughts on fitness in a post-COVID-19 world.    Let’s get into it.    More from Tobi >>    Tobi Pearce is the Founder and CEO of SWEAT, a global technology company in the health and fitness industry and home to the largest online female fitness community of more than 50 million women globally.   Pearce has leveraged his personal training background and his knowledge in business and technology to reach global markets, and ultimately provide a world first health and fitness app for women in more than 155 countries.   SWEAT is currently one of Apple's largest grossing apps in its Health and Fitness category.   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Andrew Dudum.    Andrew is the founder and CEO of hims & hers — a telemedicine company offering a modern approach to healthcare.    The company has raised nearly $200M in funding and its last public valuation was north of $1B.    In today’s episode, we talked about the disruptive potential of telemedicine, the difference between wellness and healthcare, how hims & hers was able to launch an FDA approved at-home test for COVID-19, and Andrew’s plan to become a public company worth more than $20B.     More from Andrew >>    Andrew Dudum is the Founder and CEO of Hims & Hers, a direct-to-consumer health and wellness company that provides access to medical-grade products and preventative solutions via telemedicine.    Andrew is a serial entrepreneur. Previously he co-founded Atomic, a venture-builder in San Francisco backed by Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen, and is an active Angel Investor and Advisor to over two dozen startups. He co-founded Ever.com in 2013, one of the top iOS productivity apps across 95+ countries, and earlier in his career, led product at Tokbox.com through their acquisition by Telefonica. In 2007, he founded Lendforpeace.com, the first non for profit micro-lending platform for the Middle East. Andrew attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.   hims: https://www.forhims.com/   hers: https://www.forhers.com/     More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Gilad Jacobs.   Gilad is the founder of NormaTec Recovery— a leader in recovery and compression technology. NormaTec was recently acquired by Hyperice where Gilad will serve as the Chief Innovation Officer.    In this episode, we talked about how NormaTec got started, how the Hyperice partnership came together, and the role data and personalization will play in the future of performance.    Let’s get into it.    More from Gilad >>    Gilad Jacobs is the founder of NormaTec Recovery and current Chief Innovation Officer at Hyperice, a global leader in fitness and sports technology. Through close work with professional athletes in the NBA, NFL, Olympic, and IRONMAN triathlon community, he pioneered the development of a compression patented science that helps athletes recover faster. Jacobs is an entrepreneur in the field of athlete recovery, whose work has led to a revolution in athlete training and recovery protocols.   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.     Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Trent Ward.    Trent is the CEO of FORME Life — a new connected fitness company combining a Mirror-like display with the strength training elements of Tonal.    In today’s episode, we discussed FORME’s design-forward product, their approach to content and talent, and how the idea of omnichannel fitness is transforming the industry.    Let’s get into it.    More from Trent & Forme Life >>    Trent Ward is the founder and CEO of FORME Life. He realized first-hand that a busy lifestyle makes it challenging to get to the gym, and so in the middle of a successful finance career, he shifted focus to develop the most complete at-home fitness studio he could conceive. He also realized he did not have experience to do that, so Trent sought to surround himself with virtuosos in every aspect of product and brand development. He partnered with renowned designer, Yves Béhar, to ensure an exceptional aesthetic and user experience. He teamed up with legendary personal trainer, Harley Pasternak, to establish a best-in-class content model for optimal physical results. He tapped the minds of NASA engineers to generate gravity-free resistance solutions for strength training. After more than four years, countless prototypes and a lot of hard work from a world-class team, Trent is thrilled to bring FORME Life to market. He looks forward to fitting his workouts into his schedule now that there’s no longer a good excuse for skipping the gym.    More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Paul Bowman.  Paul is the CEO of Wexer — a leader in digital fitness focused on connecting gyms with members anywhere. In today’s episode, we talked about personalizing digital fitness offerings, how COVID-19 is accelerating the shift to omnichannel fitness, and how AR and VR will impact the industry.  Let’s get into it.    More from Paul & Wexer >>    Paul Bowman is a passionate fitness industry professional who serves as CEO of Wexer, the global leader in the world of virtual fitness.   His passion is never more evident than when discussing Wexer’s company mission: to make world-class exercise accessible to more people through the use of technology – at the same time ensuring traditional fitness operators remain at the very heart of this experience.   Paul spearheads this mission based on a clear understanding of health club operations, having previously worked for Virgin Active and Gymbox, as well as in partnership with many other operators during his time at children’s activity specialist Fit for Sport.   In his former life as an elite athlete, Bowman was a member of the New Zealand National Volleyball team, winning several regional and international titles. He remains dedicated to fitness and sport and contributes actively as both a writer and a speaker. www.wexer.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/wexer-world-of-exercise-/ https://twitter.com/wexervirtual   More from Fitt Insider >>  Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Sadie Lincoln.  Sadie is the co-founder and CEO of barre3.  In today’s episode, we talked about building an authentic community, why the fitness industry isn’t working, and Sadie’s thoughts on the future of barre3, including the role of technology, private equity, and strategic partnerships.  Let’s get into it.    More from Sadie >>    Sadie Lincoln is the co-founder and CEO of barre3, a fitness company focused on teaching people to be balanced in body and empowered from within. Starting in 2008 with the flagship studio in Portland, Oregon, barre3 has grown to include more than 140 franchise studios powered by female entrepreneurs, plus an online-workout streaming-subscriber base in 98+ countries. What started as a workout has blossomed into a full-blown movement made up of millions of people focused on body positivity, being empowered, and redefining what success in fitness means.   Sadie is on Inc.'s Female Founders 100 list, has been featured on NPR's How I Built This, and speaks regularly on the topics of mindful leadership, the power of body wisdom, and the movement to redefine what success in fitness means. Beyond running her company and being a global spokesperson, Sadie still enjoys teaching barre3 classes to many of her founding clients in her hometown of Portland, Oregon.   Website: https://barre3.com/   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Abby Coleman.    Abby is the CEO of Territory Foods, a healthy meal delivery service offering personalized meals prepared by local chefs.    In today’s episode, we talked about Abby’s experience at Amazon, how Territory Foods uses data to improve its platform, and how she plans to scale the company’s meal delivery platform.    Let’s get into it.    More from Abby >>    Abby is the CEO of Territory Foods, a chef-prepared pre-made meal delivery service that creates nutritionist-approved menus tailored to support various dietary preferences and regional market tastes. Territory Foods uses data science to identify emerging eating patterns and anticipate the food needs of its customers, optimizing retention and driving personal variety at scale.    Prior to Territory Foods, Abby was the CEO of a Type II Diabetes meal plan and behavior change start-up. Previously, she spent three years at Amazon, most recently as Vice President of Marketing and Strategy at Quidsi, a $600M specialty retail subsidiary.    More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.      http://insider.fitt.co More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.    http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Marco Crespo.    Marco is the Global Chief Commercial Officer at Gympass.    In today’s episode, we talked about Gympass’s three-sided marketplace, why the company won’t pursue a direct-to-consumer model, and how they’re innovating in response to COVID-19.    More from Marco >>    Marco Crespo is the Global Chief Commercial Officer of Gympass, where he is responsible for overseeing strategic operations, partner relationships and sales in all markets. Prior to this role, Marco served as US CEO, where he was responsible for operations in the U.S. Marco has over 10 years of executive experience, having worked for companies such as The Boston Consulting Group, Procter & Gamble and Ayrton Senna Foundation. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering from UNICAMP and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Marco is an enthusiast for entrepreneurship and enjoys playing tennis and squash, spinning and running.   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.    http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Dan Gluck.    Dan is a Managing Partner at PowerPlant Ventures —  a venture capital firm investing in better-for-you, plant-based food companies.    In today’s episode, we talked about Dan’s experience founding Healthwarrior and selling to Pepsi, emerging categories within plant-based foods like dairy, functional ingredients, and personalized nutrition, and why we’re still in the early stages of plant-based foods remaking our food system.    More from Dan >>   Dan is a Managing Partner at Powerplant Ventures, a Venture Capital fund investing in emerging consumer food & beverage, foodservice and food-tech companies. Powerplant provides capital, strategic guidance and operating expertise to visionary teams leading disruptive plant-centric brands. The firm is on a mission to re-architect the global food system by advancing world-changing companies that deliver better nutrition in more sustainable and ethical ways.       Prior to Powerplant Ventures, Dan was the Co-Founder and Board Chairman of Health Warrior, a plant-based superfood company. Within the first year of launching, Health Warrior’s Chia Bar was the #1 best-selling new bar in the natural channel. Dan was involved in all aspects of the business, including ideation, incubation, financing, scaling, and it's eventual exit to Pepsi in 2018.  Today Health Warrior is a nationally recognized brand and is on a mission to make radically convenient, real food and positively influence the health habits of Western civilization.   Prior to diving into entrepreneurship, Dan spent 15 years working on Wall Street as a Partner at a large investment management firm. Dan has experience investing in a breadth of companies, up and down the capital structure, and across the globe from the United States to Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Asia.   When Dan is not investing, he can be found on the trails of Northern California mountain biking and trail running. Dan is a 2X Ironman, marathoner, and celebrated his 40th birthday by competing in a 24-hour Spartan Race in Iceland. He is also a proud 2X dad.   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.      http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Aly Orady.   Aly is the founder and CEO of Tonal, the world’s most intelligent home gym.    In today’s episode, we discussed Aly’s plan to build a platform around strength training, how COVID-19 is impacting the fitness industry, and how personalization could transform at-home fitness.    More from Aly >>    Aly Orady is the CEO and Founder of Tonal, the world's most intelligent fitness system and the first truly personalized approach to strength training.    A 20-year silicon valley veteran, engineer and serial entrepreneur, Orady started his career at Hewlett-Packard’s Computer Systems Laboratory designing super-computers, followed by technical leadership roles at a series of startups, including Kealia, Inc. Armed with an M.S.E.E. from Stanford, and a B.Eng. from McMaster University, Orady founded Pano Logic, where he served as the company’s Chief Technology Officer and oversaw core technology development, architecture, and patents, as well as functional roles including product management, go-to-market planning, business development and manufacturing operations.    Orady has leveraged his extensive product and technology background paired with his own fitness journey and 70 lb weight loss to invent Tonal. His goal is to help enable people to lead healthier lives by providing them with the technology, guidance and support to effectively reach their fitness goal.    More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.      http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Alex Katz.    Alex is the founder and CEO of Two Chairs, a mental health startup providing access to in-person psychotherapy.    In today’s episode, we talk about destigmatizing mental health, the difference between wellness and healthcare, and why Two Chairs is focused on providing in-person therapy over purely digital services.    Let’s get into it.    More from Alex and Two Chairs >>  Alex Katz is the founder and CEO of Two Chairs, which provides high-quality psychotherapy at thoughtfully-designed clinics across the Bay Area."   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.      http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Jon Canarick.    Jon is the Managing Director at North Castle Partners, a leading private equity firm focused on the healthy living sectors.    In today’s episode, we discuss the evolving fitness landscape, why Jon doesn’t buy into the gympocalypse, and we explore North Castle's investments in Barry's, Echelon, Crunch Fitness, and more.    Let’s get into it.    More from Jon >>    Jonathan (“Jon”) Canarick is a Managing Director with 18 years of consumer private equity investment experience. Since joining North Castle in 2001, Jon has actively managed North Castle’s investments across a variety of Healthy, Active, and Sustainable Living sectors and across all job functions at North Castle.    Having started his career at NCP as an Associate out of investment banking, Jon has played a crucial role in the development of North Castle and many of its portfolio companies. Jon currently sits on the Board of Directors of Echelon Fit, CR Fitness, Encore Vet Group, Kettlebell Kitchen, The Escape Game, Barry’s Bootcamp, Brooklyn Boulders, Curves, Jenny Craig, Palladio, and SLT. Previously, Jon served on the Board of Directors of Mineral Fusion, gloProfessional, Flatout, International Fitness, Enzymatic Therapy, Performance Bicycle, Avalon and DDF and was actively involved in the Firm’s investment in Grand Expeditions.    Prior to joining North Castle, Jon worked in the Financial Sponsors Coverage and Leveraged Finance groups of Bear, Stearns & Co., where he executed leveraged buyout transactions and provided advisory services for financial sponsors. Jon earned a B.B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.      http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Matteo Franceschetti.    Matteo is the CEO of Eight Sleep, the sleep fitness company.    In today’s episode, we talked about how Eight Sleep is using AI, data, and temperature regulation to improve sleep. How Matteo plans to expand beyond the mattress to reinvent the entire sleep environment. And why Eight Sleep is often compared to Tesla.    Let’s get into it.    More from Matteo & Eight Sleep >>    Matteo Franceschetti has always been obsessed with performance. Athletic performance, business performance, and now sleep performance.  An athlete from a young age—he was a competitive ski racer in his native Italy and played tennis and raced cars on the European stage—Matteo has always been focused on winning, and on winning in record time. That drive to succeed propelled him from sports podiums to the top tier of the international legal world and to start two clean-tech companies on two continents, all before age 30. Not surprisingly, sleepless nights were a way of life.    It was Matteo’s quest for more restorative sleep, in fact, that led him to quit his previous life and launch Eight Sleep, a New York-based company dedicated to fueling human potential through optimal sleep, and to turning the bed into a seamless health platform for improved health, performance, and longevity. The path he took to becoming CEO of Eight Sleep, however, is as circuitous as the tracks he raced in his youth.   Twitter: @m_franceschetti Eight Sleep: www.eightsleep.com   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.    http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Rishi Mandal.    Rishi is the co-founder and CEO of Future — a digital personal training service that connects users with human coaches to create custom workout plans.    In today’s episode, Rishi and I talked about the power of high-touch personal coaching, Future’s commitment to retention, and creating a constellation of experts in your life.    More from Rishi >>    Rishi is the co-founder and CEO of Future (www.future.fit), which is backed by Kleiner Perkins and Founders Fund. Future is an online personal training experience that pairs clients 1:1 with their own world-class coach. Rishi was previously the CEO of Sosh (acquired by Postmates) and a product leader at Google. Prior to tech, Rishi was an astrophysics researcher at NASA and Stanford University.   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.    http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Aarti Kapoor.    Aarti is an investment banker at Goldman Sachs covering Consumer & Retail clients, including high-growth health, wellness & lifestyle companies.    In today’s episode, Aarti and I discussed the evolution of the wellness market, the filters she uses to access deals, and the impact of digital and connected fitness on the future of the industry.    About Aarti >>    Aarti Kapoor covers Consumer & Retail clients at Goldman Sachs in the Investment Banking Division in New York. While active across all major industry verticals, Kapoor specializes in covering high-growth health, wellness & lifestyle companies – an area in which she has received significant recognition from publications spanning Forbes (“30 Under 30”), Business Insider (“Rising Stars of Wall Street”), Bloomberg, Yahoo! Finance, espnW, and more. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Kapoor spent 9 years in Consumer & Retail investment banking at Moelis & Company, after starting her career at Citigroup in New York. Kapoor graduated with a BA Honors in Economics from Harvard University. Outside of the office, Kapoor is a fitness & wellness junkie, foodie and travel enthusiast.   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.      http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Nate Bosshard.    Nate is a consumer-oriented brand builder. Most recently, he was on the founding team at Tonal where he served as the CMO. But he’s also held roles at Burton, North Face, Nest, and GoPro.    In today’s episode, we talked about building an authentic network, taking a brand from zero to one, and how timing, adversity, luck and failure impact success.    It’s a wide-ranging conversation with a ton of unique insights that I think you’ll find valuable.    Let’s get into it.    More from Nate >>      Nate is an Entrepreneur, investor and brand builder of iconic, category-defining, multi-billion dollar consumer brands.  His superpower is brand creation, positioning, and go-to-market strategy. He's lead brand platform development and positioning, marketing strategy and planning, and consumer acquisition and engagement both on and offline.    He has been a marketing leader at every stage of company growth.  Nate has lead and re-positioning heritage brands through changing market dynamics, ridden the IPO rocketship, experienced being inside of a company acquisition and integration, and has witnessed spectacular company implosion and failure first hand. Nate has built and co-founded a company from scratch, helped raise hundreds of millions of venture capital, worked inside a blue-chip VC firm as a partner and personally angel invested in 30+ companies.  Separate of his bay-area entrepreneurial adventures he is an owner of the largest independent beverage co-packer in the country and has stakes in dozens of community banks in the midwest.    More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.    http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Ally Davidson.    Ally is the co-founder and co-CEO of Camp Gladiator.    In today’s episode, I talked with Ally about scaling Camp Gladiator from one class to 4,000 locations, increasing access to fitness, and the role of community and technology have played in growing the business.    I had a great time chatting with Ally and I hope you enjoy listening.    Let’s get into it.  More from Ally and Camp Gladiator >>    Ally Davidson, the co-founder and co-CEO of Camp Gladiator, has a passion for fitness and creating a one-of-a-kind, life-changing experiences for both campers and trainers. Ally was a collegiate athlete and graduated with an honors degree in exercise physiology and sports science from Texas State University. After becoming Grand Champion on the NBC TV show American Gladiators in 2007, she used the unique opportunity as a platform to launch Camp Gladiator. Ally was the first CG Trainer and grew the team from one trainer to over 1000 certified partner trainers nationwide. She has impacted more than 350,000 lives to date. In 2016, she was awarded EY Entrepreneur of the Year and won “Fittest CEO” in 2016 and 2017 in Austin Fit Magazine. https://campgladiator.com/ https://www.facebook.com/CampGladiator/ https://www.instagram.com/campgladiator/ https://twitter.com/campgladiator More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, lululemon, Peloton, Beyond Meat, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing at http://insider.fitt.co.