*By Bridgette Webb* ClassPass is bulking up. The subscription-based fitness platform raised $85 million in new funding led by Singapore investment firm Temasekーbringing its total financing to $255 million. "We are really going to start hitting the gas," said ClassPass CEO Fritz Lanman in an interview with Cheddar on Friday. "We plan on going from 10,000 studio and gym partners to hopefully... more than that." The New York start-up lets users book classes at a variety of gyms and fitness studios, and Lanman plans to launch in 10 more U.S. cities by the end of the year. But the company isn't stopping there. Lanman also wants to enter an international market, and his sights are on Southeast Asia. But he also admitted the region is an entirely different challenge. "I certainly think that Asia has cultural differences that I'm sure that we'll learn and might make it harder to address that market. However, we are not just doing studio fitness. We are trying to push hard into wellness. In Asia, that category of health is very popular." The company first announced its wellness push in Februaryーallowing users a new option to book spa visits, massages, facials, cryotherapy, and acupuncture sessions. Lanman says that ClassPass plans to test those offerings in New York City before extending the new features to the rest of its network. The company has long-term ambitions to compete with on-demand exercise platforms like Daily Burn and Peloton with its recent launch of ClassPass Live, a live-streaming class option. For full interview, [click here] (https://cms.cheddar.com/videos/VmlkZW8tMjEyOTA=).

Share:
More In Business
Michigan Judge Sentences Walmart Shoplifters to Wash Parking Lot Cars
A Michigan judge is putting sponges in the hands of shoplifters and ordering them to wash cars in a Walmart parking lot when spring weather arrives. Genesee County Judge Jeffrey Clothier hopes the unusual form of community service discourages people from stealing from Walmart. The judge also wants to reward shoppers with free car washes. Clothier says he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars this spring. Clothier says he will be washing cars alongside them when the time comes.
State Department Halts Plan to buy $400M of Armored Tesla Vehicles
The State Department had been in talks with Elon Musk’s Tesla company to buy armored electric vehicles, but the plans have been put on hold by the Trump administration after reports emerged about a potential $400 million purchase. A State Department spokesperson said the electric car company owned by Musk was the only one that expressed interest back in May 2024. The deal with Tesla was only in its planning phases but it was forecast to be the largest contract of the year. It shows how some of his wealth has come and was still expected to come from taxpayers.
Goodyear Blimp at 100: ‘Floating Piece of Americana’ Still Thriving
At 100 years old, the Goodyear Blimp is an ageless star in the sky. The 246-foot-long airship will be in the background of the Daytona 500 — flying roughly 1,500 feet above Daytona International Speedway, actually — to celebrate its greatest anniversary tour. Even though remote camera technologies are improving regularly and changing the landscape of aerial footage, the blimp continues to carve out a niche. At Daytona, with the usual 40-car field racing around a 2½-mile superspeedway, views from the blimp aptly provide the scope of the event.
Is U.S. Restaurants’ Breakfast Boom Contributing to High Egg Prices?
It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Fast-food chains like Starbucks and Wendy's added more egg-filled breakfast items. In normal times, egg producers could meet the demand. But a bird flu outbreak that has forced them to slaughter their flocks is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. Some restaurants like Waffle House have added a surcharge to offset their costs.
Load More