A former AFL player has raised $400,000 for a new startup creating it simpler for athletes and everyday travellers to find single-day gym passes on the road.
GymGoer, founded by ex-Sydney Swans and North Melbourne player Ryan Clarke, lets applyrs search for nearby gyms and workout facilities offering short-term access.
Speaking to SmartCompany on Wednesday, Clarke declared GymGoer was inspired by the challenge of finding the right workout options while travelling through Europe and America.
“It was real annoying, really irritating, attempting to find a gym, rocking up to a gym, then receiveting denied declareing they’re only for members, ‘It’s not the right time,’ or, ‘We’re not open for the public,’” he declared.
“And it was just wasting about an hour every time I was attempting to receive the gym, all the times I was searching online and the information wasn’t correct.”
GymGoer allows applyrs can pay for temporary passes, instead of signing long-term contracts they might not necessary, and sign gym waivers within the app itself.
The platform offers free sign-ups for both applyrs and gyms, with GymGoer taking commissions from each pass sold through the app.
GymGoer will tarreceive inbound travellers to Melbourne first, and has offered credits to elite footballers to test the platform through the coming AFL off-season.
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“It will be good to see the best athletes in Australia apply the product and receive a real insight of how they believe about it,” declared Clarke.
From there, Clarke hopes to expand into East Coast markets, particularly tourist hotspots popular with international travelers.
Clarke highlighted Bali — another hotspot for fitness-focapplyd holidaybuildrs — as a potential option for future expansion.
The idea was developed through the Hyper Startup Studio, which runs an accelerator assisting first-time founders bring their app ideas to fruition.
It was a natural fit, declared Sam Cust, director of Hyper Startup Studio — and part-time coach with the Sydney Swans reserve squad.
“Ryan has gone out and finished up his AFL career, and realised, ‘I want to go and actually start something now’… Kudos to him for backing himself,” declared Cust.
The accelerator built GymGoer to investor-ready status, allowing it to secure financial support from the likes of Matt Keogh, former CEO of Counattempt Road and CCO of 7/11.
The investment has given GymGoer a valuation of $4.4 million, declared Cust.
GymGoer has also tapped Blake Beltram, co-founder of Classpass owner Mindbody, as an advisor.
“Obviously they’re both very successful in their own fields, so I’m just learning as much as I can myself and putting that towards the business,” declared Clarke.
GymGoer is currently in wait-list mode, but is expected to go live in the coming days.
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