Fitt Insider

Today I’m joined by Jason Baptiste, CEO of STUDIO.    STUDIO is a smart hub for your home gym.    In this episode, we discuss STUDIO’s transition from a fitness app to connected hardware. How digital fitness companies can build community online. Business model innovation in the fitness industry. And whether or not gyms will go the way of movie theatres and arcades.    More from Jason    Jason is the CEO and co-founder of STUDIO, the smart hub for your home gym.  STUDIO is the one immersive screen that connects to all your home gym equipment to take fitness classes from instructors you love with a community that uplifts you. STUDIO is financially backed by investors including Huami (NYSE:HMI), the world's largest wearable maker, and LifeFitness, the world's largest manufacturer of commercial fitness equipment.  Prior to STUDIO, Jason was the CEO and founder of Onswipe, the world's largest mobile publishing platform, before it was acquired in 2014.  Jason is also the author of "The Ultralight Startup", a book on entrepreneurship professionally published by Penguin Random House.  Jason has also been recognized by Forbes and Inc. as a 30 under 30 CEO.   STUDIO, the smart hub for your home gym, is the one immersive screen that connects to all your home gym equipment to take fitness classes from instructors you love with a community that uplifts you. STUDIO is financially backed by investors including Huami (NYSE:HMI), the world's largest wearable maker, and LifeFitness, the world's largest manufacturer of commercial fitness equipment. STUDIO was founded by Jason L. Baptiste and Nathaniel McNamara and is headquartered in New York City.   Learn more: https://www.trystudio.com/     More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.

Today I’m joined by Lionel Conacher — Managing Partner at Next Ventures.    Next Ventures is a venture capital firm investing in companies focused on human optimization across sports, fitness, and wellness.    In this episode, we talk about how Lionel teamed up with Lance Armstrong to start the firm. Emerging opportunities in hydration, AI, and skin sensors. And why companies like Apple, Amazon, and Google are entering the health and fitness space.    More on Lionel   Lionel Conacher is a life-long multi-sport athlete and outdoorsman and proud member of Canada’s first family of sport. His financial experience spans senior positions in public companies in both Canada and the US, investment banking, and most recently private equity. He understands what it takes to create a highly successful start-up having co-founded Westwind Partners Inc., a specialized Canadian institutional investment bank. As Chief Executive Officer, Lionel grew Westwind to $100 million in revenues over 5 years after which it was sold to Thomas Weisel Partners (TWP) for $145 million. Post-sale Lionel served as President of TWP until the sale of TWP to Stifel Financial in 2010. For 7 years prior to co-founding NEXT VENTŪRES, Lionel was a Senior Advisor and Operating Partner at Palo Alto based private equity firm, Altamont Capital Partners, LLC. He currently sits on the boards AMP Human Inc., Kinetyx™ and DXL Group (NASDAQ: DXLG). Lionel is also actively involved in various non-profits including serving as a Trustee of SFMOMA, Council for Canadian American Relations and Surf Canada.   More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Keith Nowak, CEO of Ten Thousand.    Ten Thousand is an athletic apparel brand for men.    In this episode, we talk about how Keith’s athletic background and experience working venture capital inspired him to start the company. His laser focus on building an industry-defining brand for guys. And how they’ve managed to grow quickly while also achieving profitability.    More from Keith   Keith Nowak is the co-founder and CEO of the New York-based men's activewear brand, Ten Thousand. Prior to launching Ten Thousand in early 2017, Keith spent three years leading Seed and Series A investing for a family office into over 50 companies across consumer, software, healthcare, and digital media, including early investments in Everlane, Warby Parker, and Classpass. Before that, Keith founded and co-founded a number of early-stage tech startups. Outside of the office, Keith is passionate about fitness and spends his time training for marathons and Ironman triathlons, or in a CrossFit box.    More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Holly Maloney.    Holly is the Managing Director at General Catalyst    In this episode, we discuss Holly’s focus on growth-stage investments in the fitness and wellness space, why General Catalyst led Tempo’s $60M Series B, and Holly’s “Management, Market, Model” framework for evaluating deals.    Get to know Holly:    Holly Maloney is a managing director at venture capital firm General Catalyst. She works with GC’s Executives-in-Residence (XIRs) to create a new business or identify an existing growth- stage business to accelerate their trajectory and transform with them. Her portfolio of investments includes Allego, Teamworks, Tempo, The Predictive Index, and SonderMind. Prior to joining GC, Holly was a principal at Guidepost Growth Equity (FKA: North Bridge Growth Equity), working closely with companies such as WP Engine and Dyn [acquired by Oracle (NYSE: ORCL)]. Outside the office, Holly is very active (running, hiking, biking, exploring) and is a novice surfer. Holly received a BA in Economics from Bowdoin College.   More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Josh Augustin.    Josh is the CTO of Tempo —  a smart home gym that uses computer vision to track your form in real-time.    In this episode, we discuss the company’s origin story as a product designed to be used in the gym. How they pivoted to at-home fitness. The recent $60M funding round that valued the company at $250M. And the future of the connected fitness category.    Get to know Josh:    Josh Augustin is the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Tempo since 2014. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Josh attended Columbia University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. At Columbia, he worked as a researcher in the Robotics and Computer Graphics labs, studying robotic cloth perception and manipulation among other topics. In 2014, Josh was a software engineering intern at Pixar Animation Studios and was later accepted into startup accelerator Y-Combinator’s prestigious Winter 2015 class along with his Co-Founder, Moawia Eldeeb. Josh was recently honored on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list for Consumer Technology.   More from Fitt Insider    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Mike Maser.    Mike is the CEO of Big Sky Health, the company behind the fasting app Zero, Oak, a mindfulness app, and Less, an app for mindful drinking.    In this episode, we discussed Mike’s experience starting FitStar and selling it to Fitbit. How his personal battle with cancer led him to fasting and, ultimately, becoming CEO of Zero. And we talk about his plans to turn Big Sky Health into a platform for science-backed longevity products.   About Mike    Mike Maser is the CEO and founder of Big Sky Health, the parent company of wellness apps Zero, Less, and Oak. Formerly the CEO and co-founder of FitStar, and over 2 decades of executive leadership experience at companies including Electronic Arts, Digg, AOL, and Fitbit, Mike has rich experience in the tech and health startup spaces. His work at Big Sky Health blends this knowledge with a personal passion: helping people live longer, healthier lives. When Mike isn’t helping millions of users on their wellness journeys, you can find him and his dog, Hank out on the trails in Big Sky, Montana."   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.     Website:  http://insider.fitt.co  

Today I’m joined by Matt Taylor, CEO of Tracksmith   In this episode, we talk about what it takes to build a brand from the ground up, using storytelling to cultivate community, and Matt’s ambition to make Tracksmith a generational company.    Let’s get into it.    About Matt:    Matt Taylor is a runner. From high school track meets to racing cross country and steeplechase at Yale, Matt learned to relish the challenge of competition and the delayed gratification inherent in the sport. After graduating, Matt began his career in the sports industry. From his first role at IMG, Matt moved towards more running-focused positions, ultimately serving as PUMA’s Global Head of Marketing for the Running, Training and Fitness categories. He’s also the co-creator of Usain Bolt’s signature iPhone game.  Though deeply immersed in the business of running, Matt became increasingly frustrated with the industry’s slow pace, lookalike products and “everyone gets a medal” mentality that diminished the reverence for personal achievement in favor of watered-down fitness messaging. So he set out to create Tracksmith: an independent running brand built on a deep love of the sport. Launched in 2014, Tracksmith has been recognized by outlets like Runner’s World, Competitor, the Wall Street Journal, WIRED and more for “further defining what running apparel can be” and for its “anti-Nike” approach to marketing. Based out of the Trackhouse in Boston, MA, Tracksmith crafts products, stories and experiences for the amateur runner.   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Dayton Miller, Managing Partner at Boulder Food Group.    In this episode, we talked about investing in better-for-you brands, breaking into food and beverage, the four variables Dayton looks for in a startup, and where the category is heading next.    About Dayton:    Dayton previously co-founded Function, a venture-backed health and wellness beverage company, which Dayton built from idea-conception to $20 million in retail sales until its acquisition by Sunsweet Growers, Inc. Prior to Function, Dayton was an executive in the strategy group at The Walt Disney Company where he worked for over seven years focusing on mergers & acquisitions and operating strategy. Dayton began his career as an analyst in investment banking and spent time as a management consultant for Bain & Co. Dayton serves on the Board of Directors for the Harvard Business School Alumni Association of SoCal and also serves on the Leadership Council of the Fulfillment Fund, an LA non-profit focused on underprivileged youth and education. Dayton was born and raised in Baltimore, MD where he attended McDonogh School. Dayton received his BA from Vanderbilt University and his MBA from Harvard Business School.   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Bill Shufelt, CEO of Athletic Brewing   Athletic Brewing makes non-alcoholic craft beer. Back in March, the company closed a $17.5M Series B funding round.   In today’s episode, we talk about the rise of mindful drinking, making non-alcoholic beer cool, and how Bill was able to raise money from 60 angel investors for a pre-product, pre-revenue company.    About Bill Schuflet >>    Bill Shufelt is the founder of Athletic Brewing Company - the first brewery in the country dedicated entirely to non-alcoholic craft beer. After spending 12 years in the hedge fund world, healthy lifestyle changes and a love of endurance sports and adventure led him to leave alcohol behind. Along with co-founder and head brewer John Walker, they have set out to revolutionize decades-old stigmas around non-alcoholic beer by making great beer for modern, healthy & active adults. After opening their doors in 2018, Athletic's flagship beers are available nationwide on their website athleticbrewing.com. Bill is married to an incredible gardener and plant-based chef further driving his passion for high-quality fuel and healthy eating. Bill grew up in CT, attended Middlebury College, and now splits his time between breweries in San Diego, CA and Stratford, CT. More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, Apple, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co

Today I’m joined by Paul F. Austin.    Paul is the founder of The Third Wave — a resource for safe and responsible use of psychedelics.    In today’s episode, we discussed where psychedelics fit in the broader wellness industry, the shift from industrialized medicine to personalized medicine, and what the “Equinox of psychedelics” might look like.    More from Paul >>    Paul F. Austin is an entrepreneur, public speaker, and educator. He has founded two companies in the emerging psychedelic space, The Third Wave and Synthesis.   Within The Third Wave, Paul leads a team of creatives, engineers, and coaches to develop a comprehensive educational platform that serves the psychedelic ecosystem.   Currently, The Third Wave offers in-depth psychedelic guides, online courses, and 1-on-1 coaching.   Because of his pioneering work at the intersection of microdosing, personal transformation, and professional success, Paul has been featured on the BBC, Forbes, and Rolling Stone.   More from Fitt Insider >>    Fitt Insider is a weekly newsletter and podcast about the business of fitness and wellness.    From product launches and funding news to game-changing innovation, Fitt Insider provides listeners with insights and analysis on this ever-evolving industry.    Join your peers and colleagues from companies like Equinox, L’Catterton, Peloton, Goldman Sachs, Nike, and ClassPass by subscribing.   Website:  http://insider.fitt.co