Mumbai-based Fitternity aims to be the Zomato for fitness
Born and brought up in Mumbai, Neha Motwani graduated from Narsee Monjee College with a Bachelors in Management Studies. After working in Axis Risk Consulting (Genpact), she pursued an MBA in Human Resources from Welingkar Institute. She worked with Aon Hewitt for over 3 years in human capital consulting specializing in performance management, business process re-engineering and talent assessment. But in between, the entrepreneurship bug bit her.
The idea behind Fitternity.com stems from Neha’s personal fitness journey and the intent to provide a complete solution to Indian fitness enthusiasts. According to her, a fitness enthusiast today faces four major pain points:
Lack of comprehensive info on fitness activities - Discovering information on workout, nutrition, sports etc. is cumbersome. Currently, the user relies on local search engines (like Just Dial) or word-of-mouth, being unsure of its reliability and validity. Also, the process of trials and figuring out the right option is taxing. Simply put, why shouldn’t there be a Zomato for fitness?
Scattered & unreliable fitness knowledge & advice - Fitness content available for the Indian fitness enthusiasts lacks credibility and relevance. It is not focused on the Indian audience, lacks practicality and does not come from a validated source (scientific studies/experts).
Lack of motivation & community connect - Connecting with like-minded people to work out with is the core problem I dealt with and couldn’t find any solution.
Unavailability of niche fitness products & services - Niche products and services in the fitness space are not readily available and there is confusion regarding what is suitable to your fitness goals.
This led to Neha founding Fitternity. Fitternity.com is a one-stop-destination for fitness enthusiasts looking to find and book fitness activities. It is supported by credible fitness content, community platform and an e-store.
“We see fitness market achieving an inflection point in a couple of years – it is this opportunity that we wish to exploit at Fitternity.com by being a marketplace to discover fitness options, connect with people, access credible content and buy products/services,” says Neha.
“We conducted an extensive market research exercise by meeting 600+ individuals in 5 metro cities. Based on this research we created the foundation of what Fitternity.com stands for: Preventive healthcare - fitness catering to EXERCISE (working out), EAT (eating right) and EXPLORE (mental wellbeing). The fitness discovery process was a huge problem and for that FINDER was conceptualized. We created a search engine that helps one find anything in fitness around their house and refine through some unique filters. Simultaneously, we collected in-depth information on all gyms, studios, trainers, nutritionists, and sports facilities etc,” she adds.
The team realized that credibility was the most critical issue. So they got experts on-board to validate content created by the internal editorial team. These volunteer experts have given them a great head-start on generating relevant and credible fitness content for the Indian user.
Fitternity identified two types of customer segments as its target group:
a. Those who want to stay fit but don’t have the right resources.
b. Those who are already into fitness but yearn for more (workouts, events, and services).
The customers are in the age group of 18 – 25 years & 26 – 45 years staying in metro, tier I and tier II cities.
“Our core offering is the FINDER – a marketplace that makes fitness discovery easier. It is currently the only fitness focused platform that provides detailed information like photos, videos, rate cards, and user reviews on all fitness related services. Gym owners, trainers & nutritionists use Fitternity.com to market themselves and attract new customers,” Neha claims.
To ensure complete customer solution, Fitternity offers booking trials over the phone and ensures best deals, combos, and niche products are provided to the end-customer.
The team - Chaitanya Padi, an IIM-C graduate, heads technology for Fitternity. Jayam Vora heads Business Development. Content is written and managed by the editor, Yooti Bhansali. Mitesh Agaria heads marketing at Fitternity.
Fitternity revenue model and numbers
The startup has three ways of revenue generation:
a. Through classifieds listing fee from fitness service providers who list for brand awareness and lead generation
b. Advertising and promotion programs for service partners
c. E-commerce – revenue from sale of products and services (Fitternty houses 20,000 products & services in the health & fitness space)
- Registered users on the website: Over 25,000 active members
- Revenue: Rs. 1 crore coming from the listings on the Finder platform & the e-store
- Projections: Rs. 12 crores in the next 1 year
In the pipeline for Fitternity
- A mobile app that provides all this information & more to keep you fit and on the go
- PAN India expansion of services
- Getting on board more communities to workout with
- Expanding the team & brand building through events
Moat strategy
“As of now, there are many e-commerce companies selling fitness products. Fitternity.com is the first and only fitness marketplace with the search engine that allows users to find, book and buy over 30,000 products and services,” says Neha.
Their MOAT strategy outlines the following:
- Growing the content vertical through UGC & covering health places (work, food, hotspots, etc.)
- Making FINDER handy/mobile (so that the user can get all the information at your finger tips)
- Listing communities & workouts which are offbeat (so that the user gets an engaging experience)
- Associating with health & fitness events and reaching out to more fitness enthusiasts
YourStory's take on the startup
According to reports, the Indian health & fitness market will reach Rs. 1 trillion by 2015. It is currently growing at 25% CAGR. Factors such as increasing young population with rising income levels; increased awareness of health and personal appearance, and seeking wellness solutions to meet lifestyle challenges -- will propel the growth even further.
This gives Fitternity a great opportunity to prove its business model. As more and more people want to stay fit & healthy, niche health sites will only grow in demand in the next few years.
Fitternity has over 500 B2B partners who have listed their services on the platform, and this number is growing exponentially. Gym owners and trainers are increasingly seeing Fitternity.com as a great platform to generate brand awareness and fill up empty seats/hours. In this light, Fitternity is well-positioned to become the ‘Zomato for Fitness’ that it wants to be.
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