ProSiebenSat.1 invests in fitness platform Urban Sports Club with SevenGrowth
Unterföhring, June 29, 2021. ProSiebenSat.1 Group heads the current financing round of Urban Sports Club as lead investor: The digital group acquires a 15 percent stake in the sports and fitness platform via its investment vehicle SevenGrowth as a minority investor, using a combination of capital and media volume. The investment is intended to increase awareness of Urban Sports Club in the German-speaking region by means of advertising on the Group’s own TV and online platforms, while further expediting the strong growth of the fitness aggregator. This transaction constitutes the first deal of the new ProSiebenSat.1 investment vehicle SevenGrowth. Being part of the Group's Commerce & Ventures segment, SevenGrowth uses a mix of cash and media volume to make strategic majority and minority investments in digital growth companies once these have concluded the startup phase and aim to reach the next growth stage with the support of ProSiebenSat.1. Friedrich Thoma, CEO of the segment Commerce & Ventures of ProSiebenSat.1: “It is a really exciting moment to invest in Urban Sports Club, as the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the global trend towards greater fitness and wellbeing and there is high demand for sports activities, accordingly. This gives the platform enormous potential to reach new customers and continue its dynamic growth. With SevenGrowth, we are the ideal partner for doing so. Our platforms and attractive advertising spaces make up the perfect environment for addressing a mass market and enhancing brand awareness in the long term. At the same time, we can create value with our operating expertise in digital platform businesses. The transaction underscores the importance and effectiveness of TV as a medium and highlights the strength and appeal of ProSiebenSat.1 as a strategic investor in up-and-coming growth companies. We are excited to start working with the Urban Sports Club team to take the next steps in the company’s development.” Urban Sports Club was founded in 2012 by Moritz Kreppel and Benjamin Roth in Berlin and is the most rapidly growing sports and fitness platform in Europe. It offers members a flexible sports and wellness subscription for now over 50 types of sports including a wide range of online courses. Today, the Urban Sports Club group is represented within seven European countries in more than 80 cities and targets both private and corporate customers. With more than 12,000 affiliated partner locations, the company's objective is to motivate people to do sports and inspire them to lead a healthy and active lifestyle via the largest and most versatile range of offerings. Moritz Kreppel, CEO and co-founder of Urban Sports Club: "With SevenGrowth we have found the perfect partner to inspire even more people for an active and healthy lifestyle through the reach of media – especially TV. Since our founding, our growth has proven how attractive the flexibility and diversity of Urban Sports Club is for a wide range of members. Together with our partners in Europe, we create hybrid sports offers for a hybrid working world. We are proud of the trust that ProSiebenSat.1 has placed in us. It shows how strongly the Group believes in our team and product. We look forward to shaping the future of sports together."