SPORTL, a pay-as-you-train fitness booking platform, launched today on iOS and Android after closing a £250K pre-seed round backed by industry professionals.
The platform lets users book classes across multiple studios with no membership or subscription. For gyms, it's a new demand channel aimed at filling underutilised capacity without discounting their core offering or cannibalising existing members.
The platform launches with 50 London studios including Common Bond, Boom Cycle, Triyoga, Barrecore, Reformcore, RFRM, TrainYard, Revolt Cycling, Manor, and Reformer Collective, after speaking to over 300 gyms ahead of launch.
Amica Shoreditch founder Tony Chin on the problem SPORTL is solving:
"Users who access our classes through ClassPass don't want a membership because they already have one. We're only losing money. If we converted every ClassPass member we would have thousands of pounds, however we often make nothing and have to turn away our own members. We look busy, but we're struggling."
The round included Kevin Hewitt, former EMEA Chairman of FTI Consulting, who joins as Chairman of the Board, James Hardy, ex-Deliveroo and co-founder of Bioniq, and HealthStack founder Jamie Hearne, who also participated as an investor.
Kevin Hewitt on the opportunity:
"SPORTL is bridging a real gap in the market where spare gym capacity meets the need for spontaneous demand. The early traction has been impressive, and I'm proud to be part of what Matt and Ryan are building."
Ryan Lovelock on the launch:
"My co-founder Matt and I spent the last year walking the streets of London, sitting down and talking first hand with gym owners and managers to understand what is missing in the industry. Our mission is to work alongside gym owners, giving them the flexibility and transparency they deserve from a booking platform."
Two early hires have been made to support growth: Lucy Gray as Marketing Manager and Sean Sevant as Partnerships Manager, who brings nearly a decade of sales experience from David Lloyd Leisure.
The pre-seed investment will support expansion into other UK cities and fund further senior hires as the team builds out. New features are also in the pipeline once the core product is established.
For now the focus is London, getting the studio relationships solid and the product right.
Download on iOS or Android at sportl.co.uk
