Bucharest-based wellbeing and fitness company Benefit Seven (7Card), which offers employees access to a network of sport and relaxation venues in over 50 cities, was acquired by global player Gympass, thus joining a network of over 50K fitness partners worldwide. This news comes after a decade of the project developing on the Romanian market and reaching over 1000 corporate clients.
Both 7Card and Gympass want to reinvent wellbeing, making it accessible to as many people as possible. With this acquisition, Gympass will continue its growth on the European market in Romania, as well as in Spain, and the UK. This news follows their latest investment round of almost €200M in June of last year.
“We’re very excited to be a part of Gympass’ journey, we have a very similar vision for the future and our clients and partners will no doubt see the benefits of us working together. Through this acquisition, we’ll reach new audiences and continue to grow, eliminating barriers to activity and promoting healthy habits,” Dan Moraru, Commercial Director at 7card, shared in the press release.
7Card was founded in 2012 by Andrei Cretu, Iulian Circiumaru, and Catalin Ivascu. Previously, Andrei Cretu had experience in management and consulting, while Iulian Circiumaru and Catalin Ivascu were in business communication.
In 2016, they sold 20% of their 7Card shares to Sodexo, a French-founded global integrator of different facilities for employees’ benefits, like food services, maintenance, childcare, and equipment management. Then, they sold 40% the next year and the rest the following year to the French group.
After the successful exit in 2019, Andrei and Iulian partnered up at V7 Capital, a start-up studio focusing on Romanian ventures. While Andrei also co-founded Pluria, which offers flexible workspaces as a service.
“There we go – proof that Benefit Seven (7Card) built in Romania had an impact and was a reference in Europe and beyond. This marks the start of the next growth chapter, one full of energy towards the common vision, that of making wellbeing universal,” shared Andrei Cretu, former co-founder and CEO of 7Card on LinkedIn.
From SaaS platforms for fitness professionals to nutrition apps that teach users how to eat healthy, to platforms that offer personalized workouts, the Romanian HealthTech vertical is in bloom. Read more about >>> Who’s who on the Romanian health and fitness startup map.
