ClassPass Raises $285 Million to Accelerate International Growth and Scale Corporate Program

L Catterton and the Apax Digital Fund Lead Series E Round

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Jan 08, 2020, 07:40 ET

NEW YORK, Jan. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ClassPass, the leading global fitness and wellness marketplace, today announced the close of a $285 million Series E investment. The round, which was led by L Catterton and Apax Digital, with additional participation by existing investor Temasek, follows the successful expansion by ClassPass into 28 countries and the signing of more than 1,000 leading employers into its corporate wellness program.

Founded in 2013, ClassPass pioneered the modern-day fitness and wellness marketplace. Today, ClassPass partners with more than 30,000 boutique studios, gyms and wellness providers, offering members access to the largest global network of wellness-inspired experiences. The investment will enable ClassPass, which now has over 650 employees across five continents, to continue rapidly scaling its proprietary reservation and booking technology across the globe. ClassPass's superior model and technology have made it the marketplace of choice for providers who leverage ClassPass' advanced machine learning capabilities to maximize their revenue and optimize utilization.

"We are motivated by the impact we've had on members and partners, including 100 million hours of workouts that have already been booked. This investment is a significant milestone that will further our mission to help people stay active and spend their time meaningfully," says Founder and Executive Chairman Payal Kadakia.

As part of the investment, Marc Magliacano, Managing Partner at L Catterton's Flagship Fund, and Daniel O'Keefe, Managing Partner at Apax Digital, will join the ClassPass Board of Directors.

"This fundraise is a reflection of our proven and sustained success in the U.S. and our rapid adoption internationally. In 18 months, we've scaled from 4 to 28 countries. Even in our recently launched European markets, our partners consistently call us their #1 driver of new customer reservations," said Fritz Lanman, ClassPass CEO. "Our goal is to be the brand of choice and clear leader in every country we enter. This investment will allow us to expand more rapidly within existing geographies, add more countries to our network, and scale our corporate program globally. Additionally, I am thrilled to welcome two new board members with incredible domain expertise in digital subscription businesses and the fitness industry more broadly."

L Catterton has deep experience working with leading fitness brands, including tech-enabled brands such as Peloton, Hydrow, and Tonal, as well as studio and fitness club brands, including Xponential Fitness, Equinox Holdings, Pure Barre, CorePower Yoga, Will's Gyms (China), and BodyTech (Latin America). Apax has significant experience helping digital marketplace and consumer subscription businesses scale globally.

"As an investor in a number of highly respected studio and fitness club brands, we have seen firsthand how ClassPass providers and members mutually benefit from the ClassPass relationship," said Mr. Magliacano. "ClassPass has continuously evolved its model to meet the changing needs of both partners and users. The ClassPass credits model, when combined with its A.I. tools, allows studios significant flexibility in monetizing their excess inventory and generates more revenue for studios than any other aggregator. We are confident that ClassPass is poised to grow into one of the most prominent wellness brands of the new decade and we couldn't be more excited to continue to partner with Fritz and his team."

"Apax has a long history of backing leading global marketplace businesses, and ClassPass is the tenth such investment to date. We've known the company since its early days and have been continually impressed by its global brand, attractive customer and studio value propositions, and history of explosive growth," said Mr. O'Keefe. "We are excited to leverage the Apax global footprint to help ClassPass continue to accelerate its international traction."

About ClassPass

Founded in 2013 by Payal Kadakia, ClassPass is the world's most flexible network of fitness and wellness experiences. Members gain instant access to over 30,000 pre-vetted global exercise studios, which offer diverse fitness options including yoga, cycling, Pilates, strength training, boxing and more. In addition to workouts, members can instantly book inspiring wellness experiences, such as massages, acupuncture and spa treatments. ClassPass simplifies the discovery process, using machine learning to provide catered recommendations to each member based on their goals and preferences. ClassPass also lifts the fitness industry, working directly with studio partners to merchandise their excess inventory, find new customers and generate new streams of revenue. Learn more at http://classpass.com.

About L Catterton

With approximately $20 billion of equity capital across seven fund strategies in 17 offices globally, L Catterton is the largest consumer-focused private equity firm in the world. L Catterton's team of more than 190 investment and operating professionals partner with management teams around the world to implement strategic plans to foster growth, leveraging deep category insight, operational excellence, and a broad thought partnership network. Since 1989, the firm has made over 200 investments in leading consumer brands. L Catterton was formed through the partnership of Catterton, LVMH, and Groupe Arnault. For more information about L Catterton, please visit www.lcatterton.com.

About Apax Digital

The Apax Digital Fund specializes in growth equity and buyout investments in high-growth enterprise software, consumer internet, and technology-enabled services companies worldwide. The Apax Digital team leverages Apax Partners' deep tech investing expertise, global platform, and specialized operating experts, to enable technology companies and their management teams to accelerate the achievement of their full potential. Over its more than 40-year history, Apax Partners has raised and advised funds with aggregate commitments of $50 billion. These funds provide long-term equity financing to build and strengthen world-class companies. For more information see: www.apax.com.

About Temasek

Temasek is an investment company with a net portfolio value of US $231 billion (S$313 billion) as of March 31, 2019. Our Temasek Charter roles as an investor, institution and steward shape our investment stance, ethos and philosophy, to do well, do right and do good. Our investment philosophy is anchored around four key themes: Transforming Economies; Growing Middle Income Populations; Deepening Comparative Advantages; and Emerging Champions. We actively seek sustainable solutions to address present and future challenges, as we capture investment and other opportunities that help to bring about a better, smarter and more sustainable world. Headquartered in Singapore, we have 11 offices around the world, including New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. For more information on Temasek, please visit www.temasek.com.sg.

Media Contacts:

For ClassPass

Mandy Menaker | [email protected]

For L Catterton

Andrea Rose / Julie Oakes / Andrew Squire
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
+1 212-355-4449

For Apax Digital / Apax Partners

Global Media: Andrew Kenny, Apax | +44 20 7 872 6371 | [email protected]

USA Media: Todd Fogarty, Kekst CNC | +1 212-521 4854 | [email protected]

UK Media: Matthew Goodman / James Madsen, Greenbrook | +44 20 7952 2000 | [email protected]

For Temasek

Paul Ewing-Chow | [email protected]

Aedan Lai | [email protected]