South African fitness class finding app FitKey has expanded to Johannesburg on the back of securing a funding round last month, with plans to expand to further new cities in the next few months.
FitKey connects users to a range of geo-located fitness and exercise classes at different locations without the need for them to be locked into a contract.
Disrupt Africa reported last month the previously self-funded startup had received pre-seed investment from Cape Town-based angel investor Justin Stanford to allow it to scale its offering across the country.
The first part of that expansion has now been completed, with FitKey having secured 55 studio partners in Johannesburg in addition to the 42 it already has in Cape Town. It is currently offering 1,122 class options per week, with more added every day, and planning further expansion into Pretoria, Durban and Port Elizabeth in the next few months.
“We are very excited to be in Johannesburg, as it represents the largest community of fitness enthusiasts and those on their journey to become fit and healthy in South Africa,” FitKey co-founder Evan Walther told Disrupt Africa.
“For the business it represents the next step to really delivering on our ideal to be able to help all South Africans discover the fitness life that makes them happy.”
The arrangement between Stanford and FitKey put the startup in an “optimum position” to build the business and scale. The round is oversubscribed and FitKey has raised enough capital to reach breakeven.
FitKey was born after Walther partnered with Josh Shimkin, now chief operating officer (COO). The platform works through users paying a monthly membership fee – currently ZAR250 (US$20) but likely to go up to around ZAR500 (US$40) once FitKey comes out of beta.
The user then downloads the app on iOS or Android, and is able to scroll through the calendar and search classes based on type, location and time of day. The user can then book the class through the app, and is not required to pay anything extra to attend the class. However, there is a maximum of three classes per month per studio.
