cult.fit acquires TREAD – launches smart fitness hardware

India’s leading integrated fitness and wellness platform cult.fit today announced that it has acquired TREAD, a Bengaluru-based connected fitness start-up that recently launched a smart fitness-bike. The acquisition will help cult.fit launch its hardware-at-home business vertical.

Following cult.fit’s launch of digital at-home fitness last year, the platform has seen a massive uptick in live workout classes on its app. In a move to further enrich the experience, cult.fit is launching a suite of smart fitness hardware products. The acquisition of TREAD is the first step towards launching a suite of products like TREAD smart bikes, bench, etc. Cult.fit’s deeper expansion into the connected fitness hardware market, places the company further on its path to becoming India’s leader in everything related to fitness.

TREAD, which will continue to function independently, has developed a smart indoor connected fitness bike similar to Peloton but at one-third the price. This value-for-money product for India will have many social features like live workouts, leaderboards to compete with friends, etc. Users can compete with each other and participate in virtual tournaments. They can also enjoy scenic rides in their favourite virtual locations like – beach in Hawaii to the French Riviera Promenade.

TREAD’s hardware IP with cult.fit’s digital content and computer vision tech will create an exciting experience for customers. Cult.fit will also help TREAD with tech, customer reach, and offline distribution.

Adding further, Shamik Sharma, Head of Digital Health, cult.fit said: “We are excited to welcome TREAD and its team to the cult.fit family. Globally, the connected fitness market is on the rise and we are committed to bringing the best innovation to our customers in India. We will soon offer a wide range of home fitness equipment to better serve the demand of at-home workouts.”

Dinesh Godara, Founder, TREAD, said: “We are glad to be joining cult.fit as we have a common mission of making fitness fun and easy. With cult.fit, we will be able to significantly accelerate product development and reach more customers. We are launching a suite of connected fitness cardio and strength products. The TREAD One, A smart indoor exercise bike is our first product which will be followed by digital weight and resistance products, and smart home gym kits. We have already received a lot of interest and several hundred customers have placed pre-orders.”

TREAD was founded in 2020 by Dinesh Godara, the founder of ed-tech startupWifistudy, which was acquired by Unacademy in 2018.