Leading Crunch Franchisee 'Undefeated Tribe' Partners with VMG Partners

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Oct 03, 2023, 12:23 ET

Strategic guidance from private equity and venture capital firm will accelerate the franchisee group's growth in the Crunch Fitness network

NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Crunch franchisee, Undefeated Tribe, announced its partnership with leading private equity and venture capital firm, VMG Partners, which backs visionary consumer and technology companies. VMG Partners will support the robust growth and strategic vision of Undefeated Tribe and its CEO, Tony Hartl.

"We welcome VMG Partners into the Crunch network and look forward to witnessing the new heights of success they'll accomplish with Tony Hartl's team," said Ben Midgely, CEO of Crunch Franchising. "Their industry insights and strategic guidance will be instrumental in continuing to drive the rapid growth of the Undefeated Tribe within Crunch."

The Undefeated Tribe currently operates 16 locations across Texas and Oklahoma, with plans to open more in the San Antonio area this year. The franchisee's partnership with VMG Partners will fast-track the Undefeated Tribe's already impressive growth, with the goal of opening 50 locations by 2025.

"We are excited for this historic moment in the fitness business. Our partnership with Crunch has been incredible since day one," said Tony Hartl, CEO of Undefeated Tribe. "We could not have chosen a better group of leaders than VMG. They understand that fitness is people-led, and they have heavy experience in marketing-forward brands. We're looking forward to the future of this incredible partnership."

"We've gotten to know Tony over the past several years," said McConnell Smith, Partner at VMG Partners. "He's an amazing leader and it was clear to us from very early that he was someone we wanted to partner with. With the momentum behind Crunch, the business Tony's built, and the team he's assembled, we feel very fortunate to have that opportunity."

Crunch is the fastest-growing full-size fitness franchise with a solid track record of club openings, including commitments to open an additional 1,000+ franchise locations. Offering the best value in the low-price gym segment, Crunch provides its more than two million members spacious, modern clubs, leading proprietary group fitness programming, the HIITZone™, a unique high-intensity interval group training program, top-notch personal trainers, and essential Relax and Recover areas.

Crunch is a gym that believes in making serious exercise fun by fusing fitness and entertainment and pioneering a philosophy of 'No Judgments.' Crunch serves a fitness community for all kinds of people with all types of goals, exercising all different ways, working it out at the same place together. Today, we are renowned for creating one-of-a-kind group fitness classes and unique programming for our wildly diverse members. Headquartered in New York City, Crunch serves two million members with over 450 gyms worldwide in 40 states, the District of Columbia, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Portugal, Puerto Rico, and Spain. Crunch is rapidly expanding across the U.S. and around the globe.

Undefeated Tribe Founded in 2018 by Tony Hartl, The Undefeated Tribe is one of the fastest growing franchises within the Crunch Fitness system. The Company currently operates locations in Texas and Oklahoma, with many more in development. In 2021 The Undefeated Tribe was selected as the Franchise of the Year for the Crunch Fitness system. The Undefeated Tribe was recognized as the top-performing franchise for its unique accomplishments and excellence in business performance, community service, and brand involvement.

VMG Partners is a leading private equity and venture capital firm focused on partnering with entrepreneurs and managers to support the growth and strategic development of transformative consumer brands and technologies. VMG currently invests through its Consumer and Technology funds. Since its inception in 2005, VMG has provided financial resources and strategic guidance to drive growth and value creation in over 60 companies.

SOURCE Crunch