The social fitness app makes it easy to find local fitness and wellness events and connect with others
SweatPals, an app connecting users to local fitness and wellness events, communities and like-minded people, has raised $3 million in a funding round led by a16z Speedrun and Pear VC.
The startup held a crowdsourcing round earlier this year on Wefunder and raised $800K in its last round.
“Fitness is one of the rare spaces where people from all walks of life can come together,” SweatPals founder and CEO Salar Shahini wrote in a LinkedIn post announcing the latest investment. “Our platform is designed to foster genuine and meaningful connections—centered around the unifying power of fitness.”
Shahini launched the app after struggling to connect in a new country and facing language barriers. He then joined his first run club, where he said something magical happened. In an interview with Canvas Rebel, Shahini described how joining the club was transformative.
“The usual social barriers fell away, and I found myself surrounded by people who were just as passionate about health and wellness as I was,” he told the publication. “These were spaces where everyone, regardless of their background or where they came from, was welcomed with open arms. That sense of community, of being part of something bigger than myself, was something I craved. It was through these experiences that I realized the powerful role fitness and sports could play in bringing people together.”
He then decided to create a platform that allows people to “find their tribe” through fitness — one that also provides fitness and wellness creators with tools such as ticketing, group chats and event hosting to create communities.
The platform is easy to use; simply typing in an area can generate a list of upcoming events both in-person and virtual, such as a rooftop yoga and social hour in Denver, a free online guided meditation for world peace, a pickup pickleball event in Tampa, a Wednesday night run and drinks in Chicago and more. Users can also search for specific activities (run/walk, yoga, pickup games, strength training, mindfulness, cycling, dance, water and hiking) and filter for free events or those within their budget.
“When we launched SweatPals 18 months ago, we drew deep inspiration from “The Cold Start Problem” and the incredible marketplaces we admire,” Shahini wrote on LinkedIn. “To now be partnering with Andrew Chen, a 16z partner, growth expert, and the author who inspired us, feels like a full-circle moment.”
Earlier this year, Adidas and Bumble teamed to make it easier for Bumble users to find workout friends and combat ‘Gymintimidation.’
