Exclusive: Chat-based social fitness startup FitCircle gets pre-Series A funding

Zywie Ventures Pvt Ltd, which runs well-being assessment and group fitness platform FitCircle, has raised an undisclosed amount in pre-Series A funding from Webaroo co-founder Beerud Sheth and angel investor Ravi Mantha.

FitCircle will use the money raised to improve its technology platform, expand customer acquisition and on board more fitness experts, co-founder Aarti Gill told Techcircle.in.

FitCircle arranges community-based fitness programmes for individuals and corporate groups. It allows users to chat with nutritionists and health experts. The startup provides daily workout challenges and enables users to track their activities through their smartphones. Users can buy fitness products recommended by experts. FitCircle members avail full body workout sessions at various locations across Mumbai.

It counts corporates such as P&G, Medtronic and Nielsen among others as clients.

FitCircle was founded by Aarti and Mihir Gadani in 2013. Aarti, who studied at IIT Roorkee and INSEAD, worked with CapitalOne and Credit Suisse before launching FitCircle. Gadani holds an MBA from Welingkar Institute of Management.

Several digital health and fitness related ventures have attracted investments in the recent past. GOQii Inc, a wearable fitness band maker, raised $13.4 million (Rs 90 crore) in Series A funding led by global venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA) recently. Personal fitness coach app Orobind had raised series A funding few months ago. In June, health and fitness app HealthifyMe secured an undisclosed amount in funding from a group of individual investors.

Last month, gymnasium chain Talwalkars Better Value Fitness Ltd picked up 19 per cent stake in health and fitness centre discovery site GymTrekker Fitness Pvt Ltd for an undisclosed amount.