Cult.fit acquires TREAD; forays into smart fitness hardware for at-home workout vertical

Cult.fit — Cure.fit's fitness and wellness platform — on Thursday said it has acquired Bengaluru-based connected fitness startup TREAD. TREAD had recently launched a smart fitness bike, and the acquisition will help cult.fit launch its hardware-at-home business vertical.

In a statement, the startup said the acquisition of TREAD is the first step towards launching a suite of smart fitness hardware products, including TREAD smart bikes, bench, etc.

As part of the deal, TREAD will continue to function independently, and its hardware IP with cult.fit’s digital content and computer vision tech will create an exciting experience for customers. Cult.fit will also help TREAD with tech, customer reach, and offline distribution.

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Shamik Sharma, Head of Digital Health, cult.fit, said: “We are excited to welcome TREAD and its team to the cult.fit family. Globally, the connected fitness market is on the rise, and we are committed to bringing the best innovation to our customers in India. We will soon offer a wide range of home fitness equipment to better serve the demand of at-home workouts.”

Founded in 2020 by Dinesh Godara, TREAD has developed a smart indoor connected fitness bike similar to Peloton and costs about Rs 59,900. The bike has social features like live workouts, leaderboards to compete with friends, etc., where users can compete with each other and participate in virtual tournaments.

In fact, they can also enjoy virtual locations like — a beach in Hawaii or the French Riviera Promenade — at the time of using the bike.

Dinesh Godara, Founder, TREAD, said, “With cult.fit, we will be able to significantly accelerate product development and reach more customers. We are launching a suite of connected fitness cardio and strength products. The TREAD One, a smart indoor exercise bike, is our first product, which will be followed by digital weight and resistance products and smart home gym kits. We have already received a lot of interest and several hundred customers have placed pre-orders.”