Flexia, the at-home Pilates start-up, announced a $4 million seed round led by ADvantage, an early-stage VC fund investing in tech companies involved in sports, fitness, health, and gaming. Other strategic investors in the round include Phoenix Capital Ventures, Techstars, and Calm Ventures.
“Pilates is a proven method of fitness that is universally accessible and has lasting impacts on health, wellness, and longevity. Studios, both as chains and independents, have built a large and growing base of deeply loyal users and we are convinced that the at-home delivery of that beloved Pilates experience on a reformer is destined to be the next frontier of connected fitness. In Flexia, we’re backing a profoundly passionate team armed with uniquely strong technical and engineering expertise, driven by a desire to create a standout user experience,” said Alexander Bente, partner at ADvantage, who has joined the board as part of the financing round. Flexia aims to disrupt the traditional Pilates market, which has over 10M dedicated practitioners in the U.S. alone. Additionally, reformer classes were 2021’s fastest-growing studio experience in the US.
“I remain extremely bullish on the category of connected fitness, with prior investments in category leaders like Fight Camp (boxing) and Ergatta (rowing), and believe that Flexia will build the category leader in the Pilates vertical. Having worked closely with Kaleen and the team throughout their journey from concept through our Techstars Sports Accelerator last year, we know this is the right team to pull it all together and have been impressed by their progress to date,” said Jordan Fliegel, managing director, Techstars Sports.
Equipped with multiple sensors, the Flexia Reformer uses AI to provide real-time feedback and personalized recommendations to users to reach their fitness goals. The reformer is complemented with an online studio enabling users to stream content from Pilates instructors.
“We believe that mindful movement is integral to creating and sustaining an active lifestyle,” said Founder and CEO Kaleen Canevari. “Our goal for Flexia is to eliminate the common barriers of Pilates with our first-of-its-kind reformer and connected studio, utilizing the most innovative technology on the market to create a truly interactive experience.”
The Seed round has positioned Flexia to ship the first units to customers, expand its content library and further develop a personalized Pilates experience.
