SPORTL, a London-based pay-as-you-train fitness booking platform, has launched today across app stores after closing a £250k pre-seed funding round backed by industry experts.
The investment round saw participation from notable strategic partners and investors, including Kevin Hewitt, former EMEA chairman of FTI Consulting, who will also join as chairman of the board for SPORTL.
Other investors include James Hardy, former Deliveroo executive and co-founder of Bioniq, the personalised supplements company, and recruitment entrepreneur Jamie Hearne.
SPORTL was co-founded by Matthew Austin and Ryan Lovelock to help anyone access gym classes in real-time.
This pre-seed investment will see SPORTL cement itself as a go to booking platform for fitness in London, before looking at its expansion across other major UK cities.
The funding will also see the roll out of new features once the initial product and offering has been established.
Ryan Lovelock, co-founder of SPORTL, said: “My co-founder Matt and I spent the last year walking the streets of London, sitting down and talking first-hand with gym owners and managers to understand what is missing in the industry, and if SPORTL could be the answer.
“Seeing SPORTL launch today and physically opening the app is a dream come true. Our mission is to work alongside gym owners, giving them the flexibility and transparency they deserve from a booking platform.
“We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built, and we can’t wait for SPORTL to become part of people’s everyday routines, helping them book classes on their terms, whenever it suits them.”
Commenting on his appointment and investment, Kevin Hewitt said: “SPORTL is revolutionising the fitness industry, bridging a real gap in the market where spare gym capacity meets the need for spontaneous demand.
“The early traction has been impressive, and I’m proud to be part of what Matt and Ryan are building. This is just the beginning, and I look forward to being part of the journey ahead.”
SPORTL has appointed two new critical hires as part of the investment round. Lucy Gray, a fitness influencer with over 12K followers, has been appointed as SPORTL’s marketing manager, and Sean Sevant as partnerships manager, who brings nearly a decade of sales expertise from David Lloyd Leisure.