Berlin's Urban Sports Club sold for $600M to Wellhub
Urban Sports Club is a leading sports and wellness platform in Europe. From fitness, yoga, swimming, and climbing to team sports and wellness offerings, members can put together a personalized training plan from over 50 sports and check in to their workout via a smartphone app. © Urban Sports Club
Berlin-based fitness startup Urban Sports Club (USC) has been acquired by US wellness platform Wellhub for approximately $600 million, marking one of Europe's largest startup exits this year. The acquisition, announced this week, has received approval from all relevant antitrust authorities.
Founded in late 2012 by Berlin entrepreneurs Moritz Kreppel and Benjamin Roth, Urban Sports Club offers sport subscriptions that allow users to access participating fitness studios, yoga centers, swimming pools, and climbing gyms across several European countries through a single app, eliminating the need for multiple memberships.
The merger combines USC's strong European presence with Wellhub's focus on corporate wellness solutions. Wellhub serves approximately 18,000 corporate clients across 18 countries, offering employees access to fitness classes through their platform. With this acquisition, the combined entity will serve 39,000 corporate clients, more than doubling Wellhub's customer base.
According to information from the company's press release, the Urban Sports Club brand will be maintained, continuing to focus primarily on individual consumers while Wellhub maintains its business-to-business strategy. Both co-founders will remain as leaders of USC and join Wellhub's global leadership team.
"This acquisition is a significant milestone in Wellhub's Europe strategy," said Cesar Carvalho, CEO of Wellhub.
The European corporate fitness market is experiencing significant growth, driven by increasing mental health awareness, rising healthcare costs, and hybrid work models. This strategic merger positions both companies to capitalize on growing demand for comprehensive corporate wellness solutions.