Co-founders Jack Malin and Dave Rushton have announced their joint exit from gym software firm Membr.
The duo initially launched the business to help personal trainers manage their clients, payments, and fitness programmes all in one place.
Their joint departure comes two years after Manchester-based Membr was acquired by US global platform Xplor Technologies for an undisclosed sum.
With the help of angel investors back in 2014, Membr pivoted to become a cloud-based SaaS platform that enabled gym owners, and companies running multiple gyms sites, to manage all of its day-to-day operations in one place.
Malin said: “What started as a tool for my PT business went on to power thousands of gyms around the world.
“But more than the product, it’s the people I’ll always be grateful for.
“I’ve met some incredible individuals along the way – teammates, customers, partners and friends – many of whom I’ll stay friends with for life.
“I genuinely believe we built Membr with one of the best teams in the world. Talented, resilient, ambitious, and all-in when it mattered most.
“As a small team, we achieved more than anyone thought possible – and had a lot of fun along the way.
“There were defiantly some highs and lows but the journey took me to places I never expected to go and allowed me to experience things I never imagined I would – I’m incredibly proud of what we achieved together. Now I’m excited to see what comes next.”
Rushton added: “After nearly 15 years, this is where the Membr and Xplor chapter ends for me.
“It’s been epic solving those challenges along the way. From raw whiteboard sessions and messy product debates, to full launches, global expansion, and everything that comes with scaling a serious software business.
“We bounced off every wall we could find and still kept moving toward the end goal. It wasn’t always pretty, but we stayed focused. I’m incredibly proud of what we built, how we approached problems, and how we galvanised teams around solving them.
“To everyone who was part of it across the years and across the world, thank you.
“As for what’s next, I’m excited. And I wouldn’t bet against Jack Malin and I building together again at some point.”
At the time of Xplor Technologies’ acquisition in 2024, Membr’s fitness-focused management software platform was used by over 2,000 gyms in over 25 countries across four continents, working with fitness industry giants like Anytime Fitness, Life Fitness and JD Gyms.