Vitruvian Adds $15M for Connected Strength Platform

Strength sells, but format and accessibility are key.

What’s happening: Aussie startup Vitruvian raised $15M from existing investors for its all-in-one strength training machine Trainer+.

Building on last year’s $15M Series A which fuelled US expansion, the funding backs a 2024 Vitruvian brick-and-mortar gym launch in Los Angeles and new app features across community, competition and coaching.

Word of Mouth

As strength training’s popularity grows, Vitruvian’s form factor is appealing, packing 200kg of adaptive resistance into a 38kg mobile machine.

Accessible to all fitness levels Trainer+ hits the sweet spot across B2C as a home gym, and B2B in health clubs, gyms and hotels. Leveraging its portability, pro sports teams in the NHL and NBA jumped on board spreading the word, as have celebrity trainers like Joshua Murillo, Rita Ora’s PT.

Such take-up aligns with Vitruvian’s founder Jon Gregory’s vision for product-led, results-driven growth.

“A dollar spent on a product is worth $10 spent on marketing. We are your typical product-led company. Build great products and your members will do your marketing for you.”

For context: Connected strength has struggled since COVID’s boom, while the core market remains US-centric.

• Following layoffs and legal disputes, Tonal boosted US access through a partnership with retailer Best Buy.
• After bagging ~$300M, Tempo downsized, while OxeFit added funds from footballer Harry Kane and caught the eye of pro sports teams.
• Arena, Vitruvian’s closest rival that delivers 90kg of resistance in a 24kg mobile gym package, pushes personalised coaching and pro sports tie-ups.

Europe-side, Freeletics’ STÆDIUM, smart dumbbells gamifying at-home strength training, ceased sales, citing economic and technical troubles. More lucrative, Technogym and EGYM see outfitting gyms with personalised, connected machines as the future of public health.

Looking ahead: Gregory believes Vitruvian is the “best-positioned fitness tech company in the world right now”, and looking at product offering and access, he could be right. With Europe’s B2C market still largely untapped, the category is there for the taking, so Vitruvian is moving in while making strides at home, the UK and US.