Swedish and Romanian investors launch fitness startup in Romania

Fitpass, a new startup that makes it easier for fitness enthusiasts to connect with gyms and studios around them, was recently launched in Romania. Fitpass is managed by its Swedish founders Gustaf Kornias and Björn Östberg, and their Romanian partners Daniel Luca and Ciprian Hetea. It currently collaborates with more than 80 fitness centers and sports associations in Bucharest, and the number should increase in the future. Moreover, although the service is available only in Bucharest at this time, the management plans to expand it other large cities in Romania shortly. "Compared to other European countries, in Romania sporting activities are not very popular, given that less than 1% of the population do sports regularly. We believe that the Romanian market has enormous potential for growth, and we believe that the prices we offer and the variety of activities will inspire Romanians to have active lifestyles," said Gustaf Kornias, CEO Fitpass. The clients can purchase a subscription online, which will give them easy access to the network of gyms in Bucharest, said Daniel Luca, CTO Fitpass. The members can choose from several classes, including Yoga, Pilates, dance, crossfit, kangoo jumps, and aerobic. "In the future, we plan to simplify as much as possible the online experience for our users, giving them the opportunity to book classes directly from the app and to receive notifications based on their favorite activities. We’re also considering the possibility to synchronize their training with their friends’ workout program, in the app," said Björn Östberg, CPO Fitpass. Fitpass offers three types of monthly subscriptions, with prices that start from RON 139 (some EUR 30), for a basic subscription with access to 8 classes per month, and reach RON 229 (EUR 51) for an everyday subscription. Besides the online services, the startup also offers companies the possibility to get personalized subscriptions for their employees. According to Gustaf Kornias, the startup is expected to reach a few thousand members in the first year of operation. The website has an English version, but not the app. However, its founders plan to add that as well. The app is available for Android and iOS users. Benefit Seven, a Romanian startup launched in 2011 by Romanian entrepreneurs, has a similar service called 7card. The service, which had 10,000 subscribers in 2015, is used by many local companies as an added benefit for their employees. French group Sodexo bought a 20% stake in this company earlier this year. The local fitness market is dominated by World Class, a network of fitness clubs owned by Polish private equity fund Resource Partners. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com