PushPress Secures $20M for One-Stop Solution for Gym Owners
One of the biggest fitness industry disruptors of 2024, PushPress is deepening gym engagement with its customer-first approach
Software platform PushPress, co-founded and led by former gym owner and software engineer Dan Uyemura, has raised $20 million in a Series B funding round that will advance PushPress to the next level, setting the stage for the software company to become the go-to platform for gym owners — a comprehensive, one-stop solution akin to an Amazon for fitness businesses.
Altos Ventures led the round, which included participation from StepStone and Mucker Capital. The funding will drive several key initiatives, including elevating member and mobile app experiences, as well as developing new products to help gym owners streamline every aspect of their business — enabling them to focus on their clients.
PushPress is in the business of solutions, and for good reason. Uyemura, who owned two different gyms over nine years, had a front-row seat to the challenges gym owners face, inspiring PushPress’ customer-first focus. Customer reviews, NPS scores, and feedback drive their approach, with their 2024 north star centered on deepening gym engagement — a commitment underscored by their recent ‘Customer Love’ themed company summit.
Uyemura channeled the frustrations he felt as a gym owner into a passion and is confident that PushPress can rewrite the script and rightfully restore power back to independent gym owners. By helping once fragmented single owners harness network effects and economies of scale, PushPress aims to give these owners the collective strength and resources they couldn’t efficiently achieve on their own.
“We are going to be able to help gym owners do what they want to do, and we really feel that we’re one of a couple of people in the industry doing it in defense of gym owners and with gym owners in mind,” Uyemura tells Athletech News. “The first part of our work is just getting the predators out of the equation — people who are owned by private equity or banks or payments companies who really don’t care about gym owners. And let’s bring that power back to the gym owner and let them work with us to build the perfect system with them. That’s what gets me up every day.”
The Series B is a major milestone for PushPress, advancing its mission to serve boutique gyms and fitness studios with rapid product innovation and unparalleled benefits. Unlike other mature offerings that prioritize profit over customer value, PushPress is committed to continuous, rapid product development — including free plans and insurance solutions to help gyms achieve sustainable growth. This investment allows PushPress to accelerate impactful solutions for gym owners in an underserved market even more rapidly.
“We’re truly a help-first company, and we believe that customer support and customer service is actually part of our product,” Uyemura continues. “I think that’s gotten away from a lot of people. If you think you’re selling coffee at a coffee shop, you’re wrong. You’re selling the ambiance, the music, the ability to study there, you’re selling so many more things than just the coffee. I think our industry is kind of like that, where customer support, education, and help — like how to actually use the software to make your business better — are actually the product. So we view everything through that lens.”
Artificial intelligence functionality will be a focus within the software, specific and targeted to gym owners. However, as Uyemura sees it, those in human personal service roles — such as personal trainers — will be the “most shielded” in the age of technology.
“In the next five years, I think AI will meaningfully make gym owners smarter and more efficient,” Uyemura predicts. “I think that the utopia for gym owners is just to be able to focus on their clients — like soft skills and the hard skills that make them a great trainer and get results for their gym members aren’t the same as being able to look at reports, run payroll — all the stuff you have to do to run a business.”
PushPress offers the ideal solution — allowing gym owners to return to the core concept of the fitness industry: building a community and serving clients.
“Hopefully the software gets to a point where it’s running your gym pretty much for you, or it’s co-piloting your gym with you,” Uyemura says. “You get to focus 80% of your attention where you want to.”
To learn more about PushPress, check out this episode of ATN’s Unscripted podcast where Uyemura discusses the role of technology in gym management, the importance of retention over acquisition, building a sustainable fitness business and more.
