Holodia

Where can you go to get in shape? As it happens, you can go virtual.

Virtual Reality (VR) fitness has taken the exercise industry by storm:

• The Wall Street Journal noted people are experiencing “Virtual workouts, real sweat.”

• Men’s Journal said, “VR Fitness is a Serious Workout, Seriously.”

• And Her World, a website for women’s health/wellness content, declared “Virtual Reality Workouts are the Hot Fitness Trend in 2021.”

VR fitness is already a sixty-billion-dollar sector within the VR market. And with Apple’s VR headset rumored to debut this year, the VR fitness sector could be ready to skyrocket.

Holodia is an emerging startup targeting the VR fitness trend. It’s created a VR fitness app, Holofit, that’s unlike anything on the market.

To start, it’s the only cross-platform app that can be experienced through hardware made by Meta (formerly Facebook) and Pico Interactive. Meta recently announced a new headset that will be fully fitness-focused. And Pico Interactive is a leading VR hardware maker, and is owned by ByteDance, the same company that owns social media phenomenon TikTok.

Furthermore, Holofit is the only platform that uses real-time graphics, enabling users to travel through original worlds as they work out. This enables Holodia to integrate third-party content, and even use entertainment studios’ intellectual property in the app.

Imagine having to outrun a Tyrannosaurus Rex on the set of “Jurassic Park,” or swim past the great white shark from “Jaws.” It’s possible with Holofit.

Another advantage to Holofit is the ability to connect the app to any health-related software or hardware. You can use the app on any machine — stationary bikes, rowing machines, elliptical machines — or as a standalone experience. Holofit connects to fitness trackers like Apple Health, Google Fit, and Strava.

Using the app involves picking one of fifteen virtual worlds in which to complete a workout. Some worlds are fantasy-based, some are nature scenes, and others place the user in famous sporting arenas.

Users pay a monthly subscription to access Holofit. The cost is twelve dollars per month, with an option to access premium features for an additional four dollars. Commercial customers — Holodia’s enterprise customers include YMCA fitness chain and luxury hotel chains Four Seasons and Mayfair — can pay $169 a month for a subscription.

Holodia acquires customers through ads on Meta and Google. Its customer acquisition cost is nine dollars, and each customer’s lifetime value is eighty-one dollars.

Holodia has 65,000 monthly users, and its app has been downloaded 350,000 times across thirty countries. The company has been featured in The Washington Post, Forbes, C/NET, and VR Fitness Insider.

Holodia is achieving $80,000 in monthly recurring revenue, and expects annual revenues to reach twenty million dollars by 2024. Notably, the company completed the Techstars accelerator program in 2021 — alumni include Uber, Twilio, and ClassPass — and has raised two million dollars from investors. Investors include Techstars and the Comcast/NBC Universal Accelerator, along with angel investors from Apple and Google.

Team Background

Bojana Knezevic - Chief Operating Officer

Bojana has more than twenty years in the fitness industry, including experience scaling and selling a fitness-related business.

Previously, she founded BeFit, a boutique fitness studio chain in Serbia. This company grew to more than 1,700 members, and was eventually acquired by Athletic Gym Co., becoming part of the largest fitness chain in the country.

More recently, she founded MyWorldTaxi, a travel business aimed at giving travelers information about transportation-related services wherever they’re going. This company was acquired by Taxify, a larger transportation company.

Bojana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commercial Law, and earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of London.

Claudio de Pace - Chief Technology Officer

Claudio has more than fifteen years of experience in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, HealthTech, and Gaming industries.

Prior to joining Holodia, he was Chief Technology Officer with Sfera Health VR, a similar VR-fitness company. Before that, he held the same position with Peak Brain Training, a health and wellness business.

Earlier, he founded VRzone, a company showcasing art galleries, museum exhibits, and products in a VR environment. Before that, he founded Lucidream, a gaming/mobile platform that takes the player through an AR experience.

Claudio was previously Chief Technology Officer with blackfox.studio, an IT services company, where he developed AR/VR experiences and the company’s mobile app.

He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the Universita del Salento.

Shahin Lauritzen - Chief Executive Officer

Shahin began his career in the European government, serving as a military assistant to the Danish Ministry of Defense. He then was Chief of Staff for the Director of the European Commission, an administration representing the interests of the European Union.

More recently, he was Director of Finance for the Council of Europe, an organization dedicated to defending human rights. He then shifted to tech, becoming a mentor with London Sport Tech Hub, a company helping to scale early-stage tech startups.

Shahin studied Finance at Harvard and earned an MBA from IEDC, a school in Bled, Slovenia.

Co-Investors