In a nutshell
- Polish ForActive, a company developing a payments and communication app for independent sports instructors, raised $1.6M in a pre-seed round.
- The round was led by the New York-based ff Venture Capital and Polish-founded Movens Capital, along with business angels, including Booksy co-founder Konrad Howard and Flyer One Ventures general partner Vital Laptenok.
- The company will use the funds to develop the product and expand its presence in the US market.
Their background story
ForActive, founded by Maciej Biegański, a former VP Product & Head of UX at Booksy, aims to help independent service providers in the health and beauty industry, including gym trainers, fitness coaches, yoga instructors, swimming coaches, and dance instructors, etc. The startup aims to address two challenges faced by these professionals: managing payments and facilitating effective communication with clients.
In addition, members of training groups can use the platform to chat with each other, thus creating communities of people with similar activities.
In their own words
“As societies have embraced sport and broadly defined physical activity as ways to live longer, happier, and healthier lives, they have also discovered it’s a platform for strengthening relationships and creating opportunities. This is especially noticeable in the US, filled with independent sports instructors. For many, sport is an opportunity for a brighter future, second only to top-tier education. Our detailed market research revealed that the biggest challenge instructors face is dealing with payments. If clients are consistently late in paying or fail to pay altogether, it can cause financial strain and disrupt the trainer’s ability to manage their business and personal expenses. We aim to provide relief by giving them control over their finances,” says Maciej Biegański, founder of ForActive.
Investor’s perspective
“At Movens VC, we firmly believe in the power of investing in the right team, at the right time, for the right market. Our decision to support ForActive with a substantial investment, even before their product launch, was made with confidence, thanks to the team’s deep industry experience and meticulous market preparation. The team at ForActive has demonstrated not only a profound understanding of the challenges faced by independent sports instructors in the US market but also the potential for significant market impact. We are pleased to have attracted such well-matched co-investors to the deal, who align closely with the company’s needs.” said Michał Olszewski, Partner at Movens VC.
