Vaha, a German start-up that launched an interactive mirror for home fitness, has completed a Series-B financing round, led by Unbound, a London-based investment founded by Shravin Mittal. Porsche Ventures, the investment unit of the Stuttgart-based car maker, emerged as a new investor in this round, alongside two existing investors, HV Capital (formerly Holtzbrinck Ventures) and Global Founders Capital.
Founded in 2019 by Valerie Bures-Bönström, who is its managing director, and headquartered in Berlin, Vaha has developed an innovative fitness mirror that incorporates a digital trainer and can be used like a smart TV set, competing with Mirror, the U.S. company recently acquired by Lululemon for $500 million, and Fittar, a two-year-old Dutch company. Johnson Health Tech is said to be planning a similar launch, capitalizing on the growing connected home fitness trend.
Vaha’s mirror showcases real personal trainers who accompany the user in a virtual mode through his or her endurance, weight training, yoga, stretching and other fitness programs. Artificial intelligence tracks the athlete’s movements and allows for real-time correction of the exercises in front of the mirror. In addition, every Vaha user can be virtually linked to other users and take part in live courses. The product has been on sale since this spring and is currently available in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Vaha previously raised money in December 2019 from TQ Ventures, HV Holtzbrinck Ventures, Global Founders Capital and RTP Global in order to accompany the launch and growth of its smart mirror. The exact amount of the founding rounds has not been revealed.
