Social fitness app makes it easy to find local fitness and wellness events and connect with others
SweatPals, an app that connects users to local fitness and wellness events, community, and like-minded people, has raised $3 million in a funding round led by a16z Speedrun and Pear VC.
The startup crowdsourced funding on Wefunder earlier this year and raised $800,000 in its final funding round.
“Fitness is one of those rare spaces that brings people from all walks of life together,” SweatPals founder and CEO Salar Shahini wrote in a LinkedIn post announcing the latest investment. “Our platform is designed to cultivate genuine and meaningful connections—centered around the unifying power of fitness.”
Shahini launched the app after struggling to connect in a new country and facing language barriers. Then he joined his first running club, where he says something magical happened. In an interview with Canvas Rebel, Shahini described how joining the club was transformative.
“The usual social barriers fell away and I found myself surrounded by people who were as passionate about health and wellness as I was,” he told the publication. “In these spaces, everyone, no matter their background or where they come from, is welcomed with open arms. That sense of community, that feeling of being part of something bigger than myself, is what I crave. It was through these experiences that I realized the powerful role fitness and sport can play in bringing people together. ”
He then decided to create a platform for people to “find their tribe” through fitness, which also provides fitness and wellness creators with tools like ticketing, group chats, and event hosting to create community.
The platform is easy to use; just type in an area to generate a list of upcoming live and virtual events, such as rooftop yoga and social hours in Denver, free online guided world peace meditations, pickle ball events in Tampa, Wednesday night runs and drinks in Chicago and beyond. Users can also search for specific activities (running/walking, yoga, drop-in games, strength training, mindfulness, biking, dance, water and hiking) and filter for free activities or activities within their budget.
“When we launch Sweat partner “Eighteen months ago we were deeply inspired by the ‘cold start problem’ and the incredible market we admired,” Shahini wrote on LinkedIn. “Now with 16z partners, growth experts and inspiring author Andrew Chen, it felt like a complete moment. “
Earlier this year, Adidas and Bumble teamed up to make it easier for Bumble users to find workout friends and combat “fitness intimidation.”
