Polish startup ForActive secures over $1.6M for fitness payment and comms app

ForActive, a Polish company developing a payments and communication app for independent sports instructors, has raised over $1.6 million in a Pre-Seed round.

ForActive helps independent service providers, such as gym, fitness, yoga, swimming, and dance instructors with payment collection and client communication.  

Collecting payments is a major challenge for sports instructors due to a fragmented market that includes enterprise solutions as well as peer-to-peer apps like PayPal or Venmo. 

Additionally, independent trainers face issues with overdue payments and late cancellations. 

ForActive addresses these problems by automating payments within the app, making fitness professionals financially sound, and their clients happy and focused on their fitness goals, rather than stressing about the transaction.

ForActive is also a communication platform, both between instructors and their trainees and sports enthusiasts themselves. Service providers can use a single tool to contact their clients without repeatedly copying and pasting the same messages across different apps and answering calls from trainees who missed important information. In addition, training group members can chat, thus creating communities of people with similar passions.

The company was founded by Maciej Biegański, a former VP Product & Head of UX at Booksy, an appointment booking software for the health & beauty industry. He also had training from diving and climbing instructors, allowing him to gain an insight into the challenges faced by his teachers:

” Our detailed market research revealed that the biggest challenge instructors face is dealing with payments. If clients are consistently late in paying or fail to pay altogether, it can cause financial strain and disrupt the trainer’s ability to manage their business and personal expenses. We aim to provide relief by giving them control over their finances.” 

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution for all industries. Sports and fitness coaching require developing and maintaining relationships, often not at an individual level but across groups of like-minded people. ForActive is a product addressing exactly these needs,” says Dawid Kowalski, VP Marketing at ForActive.

 ff Venture Capital and Movens Capital lead the funding, along with business angels, including Booksy co-founder Konrad Howard and Flyer One Ventures general partner Vital Laptenok. 

“Investing in ForActive, I was drawn by Maciej’s extensive experience gained from a decade at Booksy, deeply understanding the challenges of US service providers. Coupled with targeted market research revealing that over 52 per cent of US sports instructors struggle with payment collection.”

“This investment is a commitment to a venture poised to reshape the wellness and fitness industry with significant impact,” says Mariusz Adamski, Partner at ff Venture Capital.

According to Michał Olszewski, Partner at Movens VC:

“At Movens VC, we firmly believe in the power of investing in the right team, at the right time, for the right market.

Our decision to support ForActive with a substantial investment, even before their product launch, was made with confidence, thanks to the team’s deep industry experience and meticulous market preparation.”

The company will use the funds to develop the product and expand its presence in the US market.

Lead image: Maciej Biegański, Founder and CEO of ForActive. Photo: uncredited.