Echelon Acquires Fortë As It Grows B2B & Enterprise Fitness Arm
The deal bolsters Echelon’s SaaS strategy to deliver scalable, personalized fitness solutions through Elevate, its new B2B division
Echelon Fitness has acquired Fortë, a B2B fitness streaming platform, as it expands into the commercial SaaS market and rebrands the division as Elevate by Echelon.
The deal comes as Echelon builds momentum beyond at-home fitness. Over the past year, the connected fitness equipment company has expanded its portfolio to include telehealth services through ActiveMD, recovery tools through Echelon Recovery, personalized fitness via Echelon AI and one-on-one live personal training with Echelon Coach.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Founded in 2015 and backed by the LA Dodgers, Billie Jean King Enterprises, and Elysian Park, Fortë provides hardware and software for gyms, boutique studios, influencers and sports organizations to build branded live and on-demand fitness content and has grown to more than 457,000 users across 39 countries. Its client roster includes UFC Gym and 305 Fitness, along with boutique brands like Power + Flow and Melt Method.
“At Echelon, our mission is to empower individuals and communities to live healthier, stronger lives by providing intelligent, accessible and personalized fitness and wellness experiences—anytime, anywhere,” Echelon Fitness CEO Lou Lentine said. “With Echelon’s proven U.S.-based technology team and Fortë’s innovative solutions, we can now combine our strengths to offer even more robust and reliable solutions for the enterprise customers.”
The acquisition also extends Echelon’s reach into AI-powered personalization.
“This acquisition also allows us to offer our embedded AI workout builder, developed in conjunction with AWS Gen AI Team, powered by generative AI models in Amazon BedRock, into thousands of gyms, plus providing customization and personalization for our enterprise partner,” Lentine said.
In May, John Santo, co-founder and Chief Product and Technology Officer of Echelon, stated that the company is already seeing early results from its AI efforts.
“AI allows us to get more granular, ensuring members are using the right equipment, engaging with the right content and getting the right experience for them,” Santo said. “This level of personalization is already transforming retention, with an initial studio analysis projecting a 7% increase in retention rates.”
Fortë’s platform also integrates with major member management systems, including ABC, Mindbody, Mariana Tek and Daxko.
“Our goal has always been to empower fitness brands to scale their impact through advanced, user-friendly technology,” Fortë founder and CEO Lauren Foundos said. “By joining forces with Echelon, we can extend this vision to even more global communities, benefiting from Echelon’s momentum, innovation, and unwavering commitment to personalized wellness.”
Advisors to the deal included Mo Iqbal, founder of SweatWorks, and Stewart Miller.