Sportl, a London-based pay-as-you-train fitness booking platform, has launched on app stores following a £250k pre-seed funding round. The investment was backed by a range of industry experts as the company seeks to address underutilised gym capacity.
The Sportl platform aims to reduce revenue losses for gyms by filling spaces that would otherwise remain empty. It launches this month with 50 London-based gym studios and fitness centres available for booking.
Participating studios include Common Bond, which operates fitness and wellbeing destinations such as Boom Cycle, Triyoga, Barrecore, and Reformcore. Other boutique partners available on the app include RFRM, TrainYard, Revolt Cycling, Manor, and Reformer Collective.
The pre-seed investment will be used to establish the Sportl brand as a primary booking platform in London before expanding into other major UK cities. The funding will also support the rollout of new features and the recruitment of senior in-house staff.
Ryan Lovelock, Co-Founder of Sportl, said “My co-founder Matt and I spent the last year walking the streets of London, sitting down and talking first hand with gym owners and managers to understand what is missing in the industry, and if Sportl could be the answer.
“Seeing Sportl launch today and physically opening the app is a dream come true. Our mission is to work alongside gym owners, giving them the flexibility and transparency they deserve from a booking platform. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built, and we can’t wait for Sportl to become part of people’s everyday routines, helping them book classes on their terms, whenever it suits them.”
The funding round included participation from several partners. Kevin Hewitt, former EMEA Chairman of FTI Consulting, joins the company as Chairman of the Board. Other investors include James Hardy, former Deliveroo executive and Co-Founder of Bioniq, and Jamie Hearne, a recruitment entrepreneur and health tech investor.
Kevin Hewitt, Chairman of the Board at Sportl, said “Sportl is revolutionising the fitness industry, bridging a real gap in the market where spare gym capacity meets the need for spontaneous demand. The early traction has been impressive, and I’m proud to be part of what Matt and Ryan are building. This is just the beginning, and I look forward to being part of the journey ahead.”
The company has also made two senior appointments. Lucy Gray joins as Marketing Manager, while Sean Sevant has been appointed as Partnerships Manager, joining from David Lloyd Leisure.
Sportl operates a model with no memberships or subscriptions, allowing users to explore different workouts and trainers. According to the company, the platform is designed to make fitness more accessible and flexible regardless of lifestyle.
Katrina Fox, Founder of RFRM, said “As an independent studio, filling underutilised capacity without diluting our brand or membership value is something every owner thinks about. Opening your doors to external booking platforms can feel like a scary ride, there’s always that fear of losing control of your pricing, your community, and ultimately the value of each booking.
“RFRM. was founded on the belief that movement should feel accessible and community-led, and Sportl gives people a way to find us without the barrier of a commitment they’re not ready to make. When you introduce new people in the right way, everyone wins – That’s how you build a loyal fitness community and absolutely something I am happy to be a part of.”
Tony Chin, Founder of Amica Shoreditch, said “Users who access our classes through ClassPass don’t want a membership because they already have one. We’re only losing money and looking at the Sportl model here, it means that even if we gave them the price that ClassPass are offering then we’d actually make some money. If we converted every ClassPass member we would have thousands of pounds, however, we often make nothing and have to turn away our own members; we look busy, but we’re struggling.”
