PEAR Sports® Acquires Aaptiv to Advance Its Personalized Approach to Fitness & Wellness Programming for Consumers and Employers

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. AND FRANKLIN PARK, ILL. -- Today PEAR Sports® announced the acquisition of Aaptiv. Aaptiv is one of the most popular workout apps on the market, boasting nearly 13 million downloads and more than 36 million classes taken. Aaptiv is a natural fit with PEAR’s personalized, scientific approach to fitness and wellness digital coaching. The Aaptiv brand will continue operations and will benefit from the combined strengths of PEAR and Life Fitness.

PEAR plans to further the development of Aaptiv’s premium digital health and wellness content and fast-growing member community through two key initiatives. First, PEAR will strengthen the power of Aaptiv’s offerings by integrating PEAR® Training Intelligence®. This patented AI technology creates hyper-personalized, precision digital fitness and health plans using an individual’s biometric data, fitness level, and goals.

Additionally, PEAR will further its exclusive sales and marketing partnership with Life Fitness, the global leader in commercial fitness equipment, to expand the awareness of Aaptiv to consumers and employers. Life Fitness is well positioned to grow the Aaptiv community through increased investment, and the company plans to deliver more immersive content and connected fitness experiences to Aaptiv users by integrating their equipment expertise.

Brian Pitstick, PEAR VP & GM, Connected Fitness, said, “This strategic combination of industry leaders boosts our fitness community and empowers people to reach their health goals. PEAR will continue to drive innovation and engaging experiences to the Aaptiv product line while Life Fitness will use the power of their industry-leading equipment, global footprint and connected fitness strategy to increase user reach and enrich the product experience.”

Demonstrating commitment and confidence in this strategic partnership, Life Fitness made an additional equity investment in PEAR to further align interests and facilitate joint development efforts. Mike Vanacora, Life Fitness Senior Director of Corporate Strategy, added, “We are excited to expand our digital ecosystem with PEAR and Aaptiv. PEAR has been a powerful partner in helping us develop and offer connected fitness experiences to our customers. We see a strong opportunity to expand the Life Fitness community by extending our partnership and embracing the fantastic community Aaptiv has created.”

Zach Rabin, Aaptiv CEO, said, “The opportunity to join forces with PEAR and integrate their state-of-the-art AI technology to better serve and grow Aaptiv’s enthusiastic fitness community is beyond exciting. We look forward to working with the Life Fitness team to expand our go-to-market strategy, create unparalleled connected fitness experiences, and grow our awesome Aaptiv community.”

The hybrid fitness model, combining virtual and in-person experiences, is here to stay. This strategic acquisition and partnership is representative of the growing demand for intelligent hybrid fitness solutions. According to an article published in the World Economic Forum in September 2020, global downloads of fitness and health apps increased by 46%. Together with a growing awareness of health and wellness due to COVID-19, this trend of online fitness training is driving the market globally. Additionally, a recent Shortlister survey found that 57% of employers now place a higher priority on wellness as a business objective; mobile apps and mobile access are a priority.

Aaptiv provides a flexible user experience that allows consumers to work out when and where they prefer. In the future, this fitness journey will be more precise and personalized by PEAR Training Intelligence, and the Life Fitness presence in the home, gym and studio will allow consumers to easily cross over each environment.

Terms of this acquisition and partnership agreement were not disclosed.

About PEAR
PEAR Sports is perfecting the personalized delivery of digital health, wellness and fitness programs. Our platform and solutions deliver on-demand customized coaching that creates great experiences for customers and enterprises. For more information, visit https://www.pearsports.com.

About Aaptiv
Aaptiv Inc. is a digital health company that provides world-class content and products to help members achieve their goals. Aaptiv’s members have access to several thousand audio-based classes across over a dozen categories, including running, strength training, yoga, and sleep. Aaptiv’s classes have been taken over 35 million times since the company’s launch. For more information, visit https://www.aaptiv.com.

About Life Fitness
Life Fitness is the global leader in commercial fitness equipment and game tables. The company manufactures and sells its strength and cardiovascular equipment, billiards tables and accessories, and game room furniture through its family of brands that includes Life Fitness, Hammer Strength, Cybex, ICG®, SCIFIT and Brunswick Billiards. Its equipment is distributed in 166 countries. Life Fitness is headquartered near Chicago, in Franklin Park, Illinois. For more information about the Life Fitness family of brands, visit https://www.lifefitness.com.