Toronto-based connected fitness company Aviron announced $18.5 million in Series A funding led by Chris Carey and Stripes, also an investor in the running brand On. Additional investment comes from Global Founders Capital, Formic Ventures and 24-Hour Fitness founder Mark Mastrov.
Aviron is the developer of a gaming-led, smart rowing machine that combines high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with short workouts that simultaneously burn calories and build muscle, with game-like content and psychology.
In a blog post, Aviron said it will use the investment to grow its team. “We plan to double in size over the next year with an emphasis on hiring engineers and software developers to increase product development and expand our library of entertainment offerings. We’ll expand our online presence in the US market, enter the retail market, and increase our inventory investment to guard against supply chain issues. Most importantly, we have a ton of new content and feature releases in the works including the addition of popular streaming entertainment platforms like Netflix coming this quarter.”
In addition to the funding, the company announced that Amy Curry-Staschke has joined the team as chief operating officer. Her resume includes stints in strategic and product operations at Nike, Lululemon and Burton Snowboards.
