The Wellhub Corporate Benefits Platform (formerly Gympass) announced a R $ 100 million Credit Rights Investment Fund for partners such as gyms and studios with more restricted access to loans. It is the first step in a broader strategy of the company in financial solutions.
Who structures and generates the fund is the Galapagos Capital. OpenCO provides the technology platform and makes the charge and Qi Tech structures commercial acts, sharing of back-office, administration and custody.
“Researching with our more than 30,000 partners in 37,000 units in Brazil, we found that 51% responded that they need more credit to expand, buy equipment, organize staff,” says Vice President of Partnerships and New Business, Daniel Mazini.
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Like much of the base of establishments linked to the platform is and studios, access to credit is often limited and having high interest rates. Mazini explains that the database that Wellhub has of the partners, with historical record of monthly revenues, for example, helps to offer more appropriate credit lines.
For the welnhub model, the gyms receive transfers by check-in-like a hotel. Each time someone enters a unit, notifies the entry into the application, so the corporate benefit platform makes a transfer to the partner. This model allows the welnhub to use receivables to reduce credit risk and, consequently, its cost.
It corroborates the perception that there is a lot of room for gyms to grow Brazil data compared to other regions. According to Mazini, it is estimated that from 5% to 7% of the country’s population over 15 years old, against 25% in the United States and more than 20%-and may reach 30%-in European countries.
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“Partners see good opportunities in this market, but they don’t have this initial capital to grow,” he says. “In the US and Europe is a little more widespread, there are funds for this. Here in Brazil it is very limited.”
In Brazil alone, the number of academies linked to Wellhub has grown by 7,000 since November. In recent years, however, the company has seen the competition grow with the efforts of Rede Smart Fit () to.
For the projection of WELLHUB, the fund should allocate R $ 100 million between 12 and 18 months and most companies within the platform already have pre-approved credits. The analysis for eligibility involves factors such as revenue, growth and recurrence. Payments may be made between 12 and 24 months and start from the third month from the release of values.
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“These initial two months are time to invest and generate revenues that help pay this loan,” says Mazini.
The 2025 Corporate Welfare Report, prepared by WELLHUB based on the responses of 600 gyms and studios in 10 countries, shows that 83% of entrepreneurs intend to open new physical units next year. Of the total, 66% will invest more than US $ 25,000 in new equipment and 28% intend to land over $ 50,000.
Although it is now focused on launching its credit solution, the company must announce new releases. According to Mazini, there are opportunities related, for example, to payroll, insurance and account discounts for gyms.
