Technology Today

With a lot of towns instituting shelter-in-place orders to restrict how people physically interact in order to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus, fitness has come into its own. In places where people are still allowed outdoors to exercise, we&ve seen an explosion of independent exercising like walking, running and cycling — often in conflict with each other, if my Facebook community board is anything to go by — to get the most out of being allowed outdoors.

And in cases where people are remaining indoors, figuring out exercise regimes within our four walls has become a way to stave off boredom, to offset the cessation of our normal gym or sports routines or just to stay in shape in our newly extra-sedentary lives. In that context, a startup called Aaptiv— a Netflix-style app-based business that connects people to a range of trainer-led indoor and outdoor fitness and wellness sessions that they can do on their own, usually without any special equipment — is today announcing that it has raised some funding from one of its big investors, Insight Partners, on the back of a recent surge in business. Founder and CEO Ethan Agarwal says the the number ofpeople using the service during the novel coronavirus outbreak has spiked, with organic traffic in the last month up 100% and engagement with content up 200%.

Aaptiv has now passed 30 million classes consumed on its platform (up from 22 million in May last year).

The company, like many startups, is not yet profitable but is coming close to breaking even. The new infusion of funding will be used to continue expanding a new Enterprise channel that Aaptiv recently launched to provide classes via API on other platforms.

Aaptiv partners include FitReserve, Weight Watchers and Audible (Amazon, owner of Audible, is one of Aaptiv investors), and the list is growing. We asked, but Agarwal said that Aaptiv is not disclosing the amount of the investment, nor its valuation. &I don&t want my company performance or success measured by those numbers,& he noted earlier today in an interview.

&It not how we are thinking about the company.& That could mean the round or valuation are not huge; or it could mean that they are so large that they would distract from the company product news, so not much to read into that.

Insight Partners& Thilo Semmelbauer, who sits on the board of the company, was equally quiet on the numbers. &Crossing 30 million classes is a big milestone, and we&ve been excited to see the interest from corporates increase substantially in recent months,& he told TechCrunch.

&The round is specifically for launchingAaptiv corporate offering to capitalize on such strong global interest.

As the company is nearing break-even we aren&t disclosing the figure at this time.& Insight earlier this month disclosed that it had raised a whopping $9.5 billion for a new fund, with a mission to support existing portfolio companies through these complicated COVID-19 times. For some more context, Aaptiv has raised more than $60 million to date, and in its last round — the $22 million Series C in 2018 that included Amazon — Aaptiv was valued at $200 million.

Last year, we noted that the startup was talking to potential acquirers to be sold for what we understand from a close source to be a &nine-figure& (hundreds of millions of dollars) price. It was, in fact, those M-A conversations that led the company to deciding to build the enterprise tier and walking away from a possible exit for now. &What was the point of selling if we could build a bigger business by making Aaptiv available to multiple companies,& said Agarwal. Agarwal said that now Aaptiv is getting inbound interest from &multiple verticals& for its B2B2C offering, including businesses that want to integrate Aaptiv into their employee wellness programs, companies whose core business model — for example, FitReserve providing carnets of passes for in-person fitness or related classes — has been completely stalled by the coronavirus, and others that might benefit from providing more fitness and wellness services to their users. The company started out life by connecting a network of trainers to users through a series of on-demand classes.

Last year, however, it made a small pivot of sorts when it launched an AI-based service called Coach that aimed to provide workouts and other suggestions more tailored to your specific abilities and interests and goals: not replacing the human trainers, but augmenting them. Along with that shift, Aaptiv laid off an unspecified number of trainers.

Today, it has 20 on staff, Agarwal said, and has no plans to change that model with a move into, for example, an all-AI platform, or building a fitness marketplace where any trainer could sign up to offer classes. &Part of the reason we are so successful is because it not that easy to create these classes,& he said.

&We, and the trainers, put a lot of time, effort and energy into building them.&





Unlimited Portal Access + Monthly Magazine - 12 issues-Publication from Jan 2021


Buy Our Merchandise (Peace Series)

 


Contribute US to Start Broadcasting



It's Voluntary! Take care of your Family, Friends and People around You First and later think about us. Its Fine if you dont wish to contribute and if you wish to contribute then think about the Homeless first and Feed them. We can survive with your wishes too :-). You can Buy our Merchandise too which are of the finest quality.

Debit/Credit/UPI

UPI/Debit/Credit

Paytm


STRIPE


Sky problems new due date - act now or lose out on Netflix and superior TV for free


'Hidden' discount code will get you cheapest LG 4K TV price – here's how to do it


Significant upgrade is pertaining to your iPhone soon - Apple confirms date all fans should know


I attempted a smart new vacuum that your existing Dyson can't match, should you switch


Argos shoppers rush to get cheap iPads but rare Apple deal comes with a warning


Check your Galaxy phone now - blockbuster free Samsung upgrade launches today


Sky TV offers you a MacBook at 'lowest ever' price in surprisingly good Apple deal


Fire TV Stick 24-hour countdown - exclusive upgrade is surprisingly cheap today


Warning for holidaymakers as expert shares potential hidden dangers of airport and train Wi-Fi


Warning as hardcore gamers ‘four times more likely to suffer' uncomfortable health issue


Sky offers you free TV and Netflix next month and that's not the only blockbuster treat


All UK Gmail and Yahoo users told to take action today or risk a very costly error


Save £280 on Samsung 4K UHD TV in Very Easter deal that's £60 cheaper than Amazon


Check your iPhone and update it now - Apple issues important alert to all users


Freeview problems essential alert - check your television now or miss out on totally free channel upgrade


Stunning Fire Max 11 deal rivals premium tablets from Samsung and Apple


Yahoo Mail down leaving users with email issues again - thousands hit by new glitch


Argos matches Amazon with uncommon AirPods deal and the low new price will amaze you


Samsung will give you a huge Galaxy S24 discount if you hand over busted old phone


Forget BT, Sky and Virgin Media - surprise competing deals you UK's 'fastest' broadband


Save ? 400 or get a complimentary Galaxy tablet with these Amazon and Samsung laptop computer offers


Google, Apple and Samsung phones drop to remarkably low costs thanks to unusual sale


Facebook and Instagram down: Thousand of users report issues including Messenger and app interruption


Get three months of Amazon music for free in deal that rivals Spotify and Apple


Argos shoppers dash to grab low-cost Samsung TVs utilizing special brand-new code - do not lose out


Samsung will release robust brand-new Galaxy phones today and the rate will surprise you


Freeview signs up with Sky with great brand-new complimentary channel showing up on your TV today


It's time to ditch your Fire TV Stick - ultimate way to stream gets more affordable


Tech company reveals prepare for 'quicker, better' human-like robotics that will utilize AI to get smarter


Galaxy S24 gets surprise price cut but Samsung's excellent discount code ends today


Kids are hiding iPhone messages with sneaky 'invisible texts' trick - but you can stop it


Apple's iPhone 15 is now surprisingly inexpensive if you ditch your existing mobile network


Ditch Netflix monthly subscription and watch for free thanks to unmissable Sky deal


Unique new way to watch TV comes to the UK next month - just don't look at the price


Don't update your Android phone right now - a cheaper alternative is coming soon


I reviewed the Thinkware F70 Pro and found it a diminutive dash cam with stealth on its side


Argos consumers rush to grab cheap Galaxy S24 smartphones thanks to brand-new Samsung code





54