Life Time has attracted more than 1.7 million non-member subscribers to its free LT Digital app, all without any marketing efforts—and the number is expected to reach three to four million by the end of the year, Life Time founder and CEO Bahram Akradi told investors this week. 

The high-end country club operator’s complimentary app was a key focus during its earnings call with investors on Thursday, where the company reported an 18.7% increase in revenue to $663.3 million for Q4 2024, and an 18.2% increase to $2.62 billion for the full year.

Life Time opened LT Digital to non-members last year, providing free access to on-demand fitness classes, nutrition and exercise programs, meditations, podcasts and more. Shortly thereafter, the club operator announced a partnership with Microsoft to launch L.AI.C, an AI-driven companion for members to answer basic questions about their home club, with broader plans to have it offer tailored workout programs and more. By the end of 2024, Life Time added 100 new on-demand classes on the app and introduced LTH, a line of supplements and wellness products.

While freebies often fizzle out, Life Time continues investing in its app for non-members, recently launching wellness challenges—one of which is a protein reset. 

Some free LT Digital subscribers will eventually convert to paying Life Time members, Akradi says, he remains focused on the bigger picture—as he alluded to connecting LT Digital to growing demand for LTH’s nutritional supplements. The product line is extensive—there are protein offerings, vitamins, pre-workouts, specialized kits and more. Consumers can shop by health needs or take a two-minute quiz to personalize their routine. 

On a personal note, Akradi shared with investors that he takes somewhere between 80 and 90 supplements a day. 

“With the month-over-month growth we’re seeing, we expect that business to be a billion-dollar revenue business in the years to come and the LT Digital with tens of millions of subscribers on it over the next four, five, six years—will become an easy, natural foundation for the people to find the LTH products and be able to just easily buy it. L.AI.C. will help them answer any questions they have about any products, coupled with the understanding of who they are and their activity levels.”

Akradi also indicated that a bigger reveal will come—perhaps in early August—regarding other asset-light opportunities that the brand has been working on for several years. Life Time plans to open 10-12 clubs this year and its second Miora clinic—focused on longevity and performance—will open next week.

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Onvy HealthTech Group has secured more than $2 million in a seed extension financing round that will fuel the expansion of its AI-based health coaching platform. 

Voloridge Health, LLC led the round. 

The Munich-based Onvy is in the business of precision wellness with its AI Health Coach app that integrates more than 320 wearables, environmental data, health sensors and behavioral data to make health recommendations and provide instant feedback on important metrics.

Last year, the startup was recognized by Statista and Newsweek as one of the world’s best digital health companies of 2024. 

Onvy founder and CEO Adrian Kochsiek is personally invested in advancing human health prevention, sharing on LinkedIn that he’s a cancer survivor and that his experience was the driving force in creating proactive solutions, beginning with his first startup, MitoCare. 

In one post on the career networking site, he noted that DNA doesn’t equate to destiny, writing, “your genes load the gun, your lifestyle pulls the trigger” – a notable phrase, as new research indicates that a range of environmental factors have a greater influence than genetics when it comes to aging and premature mortality.

“The future of health is real-time, hyper-personalized and AI-driven,” Kochsiek said. “Yet, the industry still relies on outdated, delayed and one-size-fits-all approaches. At Onvy, we are changing that. Our platform transforms raw health data into instant, tailored guidance—empowering users to take action when it matters most. With this investment, we are scaling AI-driven precision health to revolutionize how individuals and businesses engage with well-being.”

The new capital will also advance Onvy’s B2B endeavors in the “AI Health Coach-as-a-Service” realm and respond to rising demand, where corporate partners can increase customer engagement, retention and health outcomes with custom AI health solutions.

Competitive sports are also a target market for Onvy’s capabilities, where the platform can help athletes maintain peak performance, optimal recovery and mental fitness.

“AI is revolutionizing healthcare, and Onvy is at the forefront of this transformation with its cutting-edge approach to real-time health intelligence,” Voloridge Health co-founder David Vogel said. “By seamlessly bridging the gap between raw health data and real-world action, Onvy is shaping the future of precision health, setting a new benchmark for proactive, personalized health coaching. Their ability to turn complex biometric and behavioral data into meaningful, actionable insights enhances both individual well-being and corporate health strategies, delivering measurable outcomes for businesses and consumers alike. We are excited to support their journey as they scale.”

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Welltory, an all-in-one wellness app gearing up to launch AI-driven personalized health journeys and journaling prompts, has secured a spot on Deloitte’s 2024 Technology Fast 500, ranking #31 in the San Francisco Bay area and #202 in North America. 

The firm’s annual list acknowledges the crème de la crème of fast-growing tech companies in North America, selected based on their fiscal year revenue growth from 2020 to 2023 and ranked by percentage growth rate. The list includes entities from several sectors, including technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, fintech and energy tech.

The California-based Welltory, founded in 2016, has attracted 10 million users to its wellness app and reported 70% year-over-year revenue growth in 2024.

“Health and wellness in the 21st century must be more data-driven, personalized, and actionable than ever,” Welltory CEO Jane Smorodnikova said. “At Welltory, we’re building an ecosystem to drive this transformation, and Deloitte’s recognition validates our approach. The demand for meaningful, science-backed insights continues to rise, as demonstrated by Welltory’s user base and revenue growth, as well as the app’s 54% YoY increase in session time. We remain committed not only to providing advanced biomarker analytics but also to making insights truly actionable—helping millions of our users easily build great habits and improve their health and wellbeing.”

Last year, the wellness app launched several new tools: the Today Screen, an AI-powered dashboard that turns Apple Watch data into actionable insights, Sleep Flow, an AI-generated bedtime story feature and a sleep analysis tool for Apple Watch users.

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Pickleheads has bagged $2.5 million in a seed round for its platform that enables pickleball players to connect and organize games.

The raise comes as investors are bullish on the beloved sport that has captured the hearts of over 35 million Americans. 

Atlanta-based venture capital firm Overline led the seed round with Ardent, Oregon Sports Angels, Profluence Capital, Service Provider Capital and Network Ventures as additional contributors. The round also included more than 65 new angel investors, many of whom Pickleheads notes are pickleball devotees and brand advocates.

“Pickleball offers something we all need now more than ever — the joy of real-world connection,” Pickleheads CEO and co-founder Max Ade said. “It’s highly social, accessible to all ages, and a natural community-builder. That’s why we believe pickleball is destined to become the largest sport in the world.”

The rise of pickleball has been a boom for pickleball entrepreneurs and facilities that have added or expanded courts. However, as Pickleheads points out, the demand has led to players experiencing court shortages and long wait times. But Pickleheads is in the business of solutions, offering a directory so players can find nearby courts and games tailored to their skill level with its app. 

“Many players know Pickleheads as the go-to court finder, but we’re quickly evolving into a complete platform to power rec play,” Pickleheads’ chief operating officer and co-founder Brandon Mackie said. “Organizers can set up games, collect payments, run round robins and recruit from our network of local players.”

Overline managing partner Sean O’Brien noted that Pickleheads is revolutionizing the on-court experience for players.

“We couldn’t be more excited to support their vision,” O’Brien said. “We believe Pickleheads will become the go-to platform for pickleball players everywhere.”

The continued interest in pickleball has also led fitness and wellness platform ClassPass to partner with national indoor pickleball franchise Picklr, expanding access to courts and marking its first large-scale endeavor in the popular sport.

Beyond courts and reservation systems, pickleball products are also on the rise. Life Time has developed a patented pickleball ball, while Protalus has introduced the T-100, a specially designed insole that supports the ankle and heel to reduce stress on the feet and lower limbs.

Meanwhile, U.S. beach tennis brand Sexy Brand has unveiled a line of eye-catching, handcrafted pickleball paddles, all of which are approved by the USA Pickleball Association.

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MyFitnessPal, an OG in the food-tracking app space, has released preliminary data revealing that nearly 50% of its app subscribers who use the app daily achieved their weight loss goal (5%) within 16 weeks, with premium users logging a higher success rate (49.3%) than non-premium users (46.9%).

“Those who actively logged food in MyFitnessPal and engaged more frequently with the app were statistically more likely to reach their weight loss goal within four months,” said Dr. Zhaoping Li, professor of medicine and chief of the division of clinical nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles. “This finding underscores the role of consistent food tracking as a cornerstone of progress towards weight loss goals.”

As MyFitnessPal points out, committing in the early stages appears to pay off. According to the nutrition app’s internal data, MyFitnessPal found that those who logged their food at least four days within their first week were seven times more likely to make measurable progress toward their weight loss goals.

“Whether you’re just starting out or navigating a medically-supported program, MyFitnessPal offers the tools and insights to support you every step of the way,” MyFitnessPal CEO Mike Fisher said. “While weight loss can seem daunting, just logging one meal can be the start of success.”

Fisher was appointed CEO of the popular nutrition-tracking app last year.

The platform has also been shown to be effective in medical weight management programs, such as Australia’s Medmate, a telehealth company that integrates GLP-1 medication with a premium MyFitnessPal subscription. Those who tracked their food intake with the app were 32% more likely to stick to their GLP-1 treatment than those who did not track foods, and by the eighth week, 37% who tracked their meals remained engaged in the weight management program.

“These results underscore the importance of food tracking in enhancing adherence to complex medical treatments and fostering long-term behavior change,” Medmate CEO and medical director Dr. Ganesh Naidoo said.

MyFitnessPal recently released a new voice-to-text feature for premium members this month, making tracking nutrition intake even easier. The latest offering follows MyFitnessPal’s other tools, such as barcode and image-based meal scanning.

“At MyFitnessPal, we’re always looking for new ways to make nutrition tracking easier and less time-consuming for our members,” MyFitnessPal chief product officer Tim Holley said. “Voice Log is a big step forward in simplifying the experience. By making logging more intuitive, we’re helping our members stay focused on reaching their goals.”

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The global fitness app market size is projected to grow by $55.86 billion from 2024 to 2028, according to a new market report from Technavio, with health management, chronic diseases, and integrated video coaching platforms as key growth drivers.

While the fitness app space is particularly promising for its AI-driven personalization, convenience, affordability, and wearable tech integration, user engagement and retention pose a challenge for the competitive fitness app market, according to the global technology research and advisory company.

Notably, the integration of video into coaching platforms signals a shift toward more effective and engaging fitness experiences—a trend Technavio expects will significantly boost the market.

Major deals in the fitness app sector suggest Technavio’s projections are on track, with industry players already making moves to capitalize on the trend.

Virtual indoor training platform TrainingPeaks recently acquired cycling platform IndieVelo, giving endurance athletes the ability to find training plans, schedules, and structured workouts while allowing TrainingPeaks coaches to better assist users and build community reach with virtually hosted group rides and races. Meanwhile, AI-powered coaching app Coopah raised £1.5 million ($1.9 million) this fall in a seed funding round for its personalized training plan and AI-powered platform for runners.

SageHouse, an investment and advisory firm for fitness brands, also unveiled proof3 this year as a longevity-focused remote coaching platform that offers those 30 years and above personalized fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle plans. Brick-and-mortar brands, such as luxury athletic country club operator Life Time, added fitness and meditation classes to its complementary app. At the same time, SweatPals secured $3 million for its connection-building fitness app.

Technavio’s report can be found here.

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