Sportl raises £250k to bring pay-as-you-train booking to London

A London-based fitness booking platform has entered the market with a pre-seed funding round and an app designed for gym-goers who want session-level flexibility rather than fixed memberships.

Sportl launched on iOS and Android on March 10, going live with 50 partner venues across London, according to a company announcement. The platform connects users to gyms, boutique studios and personal trainers on a pay-as-you-train basis — no subscription, no recurring commitment. For studio operators, Sportl is positioned as a demand-generation channel to convert unused floor time into paying bookings.

A play for the no-commitment fitness consumer

The proposition reflects a visible structural shift in how urban consumers engage with fitness. The proliferation of boutique formats — cycling, reformer Pilates, functional strength training — has fragmented the category in a way that makes single-venue memberships a poor fit for a growing share of users. Pay-per-session aggregator platforms have emerged in multiple markets as a direct response, with varying degrees of commercial success depending on supply-side density and network depth.

Sportl’s initial focus on a single major city — rather than pursuing immediate multi-market expansion — is consistent with the approach taken by comparable platforms that have attempted to build booking volume and studio relationships before scaling geographically.

Backing from operators, not just investors

The £250,000 (€290,000) [exchange rate per press release — verify before publication] pre-seed round is structured around three investors with backgrounds in adjacent commercial sectors. Kevin Hewitt, former EMEA Chairman of management consulting firm FTI Consulting, will join Sportl’s board as Chairman. James Hardy, a former executive at food delivery platform Deliveroo and co-founder of UK supplements business Bioniq, and Jamie Hearne, a recruitment entrepreneur and health technology investor, also participated in the round.

The investor group spans consulting, consumer platforms and health tech — suggesting a deliberate orientation toward commercial infrastructure and growth execution rather than deep sector specialization.

Studio network and early-stage team

Partner venues available at launch include Common Bond, RFRM, TrainYard, Revolt Cycling, Manor and Reformer Collective, spanning multiple boutique fitness categories across the city.

The company has also made two early-stage hires. Lucy Gray, a fitness content creator with more than 12,000 followers, joins as Marketing Manager. Sean Sevant takes the role of Partnerships Manager. The pairing signals a dual focus on supply-side studio acquisition and consumer-facing social reach.

What it means for the sporting goods industry

Flexible fitness booking platforms are not a direct sporting goods play, but they carry relevant indirect implications. A more fragmented studio ecosystem — populated by independent and boutique operators rather than large gym chains — creates a broader and more diffuse set of brand partnership, equipment placement and activation opportunities. For brands seeking visibility at the point of training, a growing network of independently operated venues represents both a distribution challenge and a commercial opportunity worth monitoring.