The UK’s PayasUgym, a startup that lets users search for and buy a discounted pass to a local gym, has raised a further round of funding: £1.6 million led by Albion Ventures and MMC Ventures, with participation by existing investors. Money it will use for marketing and to launch new products and services, including adding fitness class comparisons and bookings in the UK. This brings the total raised by the 2011 founded company to £3.5 million.
Aimed at customers who are looking to return to the gym — in the UK alone there are 12 million ex-gym members, apparently — as well as first-time gym goers and those who are away from their main gym membership, PayasUgym makes it easy to shop around and purchase gym access on a pay-as-you-go basis. Short term memberships span one day, one month to three months, and are offered at a discount compared to the price you would normally pay at the door. Users simply register with the site and then buy credit, which they top up akin to a prepaid mobile phone. Gyms and health clubs can be searched by locality, and passes are sent to a user by email or by phone via SMS.
PayasUgym says more than 1,700 health clubs are available on its site, giving rise to the claim of being the UK’s largest online gym network. It counts Virgin Active, Pure Gym, Energie and Hilton Livingwell as partners, and says its network provides access to 1 in 3 of all UK health clubs and gyms.
Previous backers in PayasUgym include Supremum Capital, and a host of unnamed private investors. Additional angel investors included in this latest round are Andy Phillips, founder of ‘Active Hotels’ (now booking.com) and current Chairman of Reevoo and YPlan); Karen Hanton, founder of Toptable; Olaf Siedler, founder investor in Toptable; Harm Tegelaars, founder of the Canons Health Clubs chain; and Mark Ferguson. Phillips will join the PayasUgym Board.