Netpulse, Inc., the provider of personalized interactive media for fitness centers and active lifestyle consumers, announced the acquisition of Virtual Active, a San Francisco-based media company that produces exercise-focused, virtual reality products. As a part of the acquisition, the entire Virtual Active team will be joining Netpulse, also based in San Francisco, to develop the most engaging exercise media experiences available for active people.
With the acquisition, Netpulse expands its fast-growing platform which provides consumers worldwide with engaging content and data regarding their fitness experience. Netpulse has partnerships with seven of the leading commercial fitness equipment manufacturers, accounting for over 73% of global fitness equipment sales to health clubs. In addition, the Netpulse platform is available to consumers outside health clubs via mobile devices and home fitness products.
The Virtual Active team films and produces high-definition runs and rides through famous locations around the world. Shot from a first-person perspective, the films transport exercisers to trails and paths in breathtaking destinations like the Swiss Alps, Northern Italy, the Black Forest, Rocky Mountains, and famous cityscapes like Los Angeles, Chicago, Berlin, and Venice. Soon, exercisers will even be able to experience renowned events like classic cycling races and famous marathons around the world.
“Virtual Active's engaging content and propriety methods combined with Netpulse's patented technology creates an incredibly powerful platform that provides tremendous benefits to our OEM partners, health clubs, and exercisers,” said Netpulse CEO and Co-Founder, Bryan Arp. “With the Virtual Active acquisition, 2012 is going to be an explosive year of growth for us as we integrate sponsored events, social competitions, and other gamification elements into our interactive media solution.”
“We are extremely excited to be joining the Netpulse team,” said John Ford, president and founder, Virtual Active. “The broad distribution of the Netpulse platform means even more exercisers will experience the unique Virtual Active content, allowing us to do more with it than ever before.”
Mark Zabel, vice president, global marketing and product development, Johnson Health Tech, one of the largest manufacturers of commercial and home fitness equipment worldwide, said, “We have worked with Netpulse and Virtual Active separately to provide interactive media experiences on our products to the delight of our customers. We think this marriage is a perfect fit, and we are excited to see what they deliver next to drive further consumer engagement.”
