Sweatpals is scaling the experience economy.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s happening: The marketplace for IRL fitness events secured $12M in a seed round led by Patron, a16z speedrun, and Kevin Hart\u2019s HartBeat Ventures.<\/p>\n
Be a pal. Connecting fitness-seekers to local experiences\u2014from cold plunges to run clubs and pickleball leagues\u2014Sweatpals pairs a consumer discovery app with management tools for gyms, instructors, and creators.<\/p>\n
One for all. Building the \u201cinfrastructure for human connection,\u201d co-founder and CEO Salar Shahini says the company will expand<\/a> from 24 to 36 cities by early 2026 while adding monetization tools for businesses and enhanced social features for users.<\/p>\n Networking. With 55% of younger generations pursuing fitness groups for social connection<\/a>, digital platforms are forming pipelines<\/a> for IRL gathering.<\/p>\n Eclipsing 1M clubs\u2014including a 4x YoY surge<\/a> in run crews\u2014Strava quietly entered event discovery with Races by Runna<\/a>. Meanwhile, Eventbrite\u2019s marketplace saw a 256% rise in thermal bathing and ~92% increase in \u201csoft clubbing\u201d<\/a> merging wellness, music, and sober socializing.<\/p>\n