While some of us are revisiting our favorite childhood cereals and blazing through Netflix shows, others barely paused their specialized workouts during the pandemic.
Take the experience of personal fitness startup Kanthaka Inc., which was founded in Houston in 2016 on the premise that people could easily connect with a personal trainer who would come to their home or meet elsewhere for a one-on-one workout.
It's the type of thing trainers have been doing for years as side gigs to their work at gyms. But building a marketplace and brand around it intrigued Kanthaka founder Sylvia Kampshoff, and she left her job as an associate attorney at a large corporate firm to launch her startup.
Then, after gaining some traction in its early years, Covid-19 began circulating, and the small team shifted gears to provide one-on-one training virtually.
"I hated the idea. I'm like, 'That's not what I want. Our clients want an actual person, I'm not going to do it,'" Kampshoff said, recalling a conversation with her team and advisers. "I got so angry. And then I slept over it. I'm like, 'You're actually right. That's what we have to do.'"
But now, a year after Inno last spoke with her, she says that customers quickly returned to in-person training, often in outdoor settings, even amid the pandemic.
After initial local and state stay-at-home orders lifted, Kampshoff said about 70% of Kanthaka clients returned to in-person sessions. Kanthaka had set safety guidelines, including masking and distancing.
"But, to be honest, I am not sure if if they actually did that," she said. "Because it's it's a very special relationship between a trainer and a client. And the way I know our clients, I can see it that it's their best friend visiting them. A lot of them have like a friendship relationship. I'm sure they kept the distance, but I wouldn't be surprised if they wouldn't have worn the mask."
She said the startup didn't log any Covid cases or any complaints about unsafe situations from clients or trainers.
Now, after months of growth and the availability of vaccines, Kampshoff said only about 20% of its workout sessions are virtual.
That's a different approach than how many fitness startups have operated, relying largely on video, whether through pre-recorded sessions or one-on-one Zoom-style interactions. Kanthaka's sessions cost $70 to $90, although package deals can reduce the per-session price.
Kampshoff said Kanthaka will continue to offer virtual training through live, one-on-one sessions. But it will likely be something used more by people who travel and want to get in a workout remotely with their regular in-person trainer.
Kanthaka, which was part of the Sputnik ATX accelerator in Austin, has raised about $855,000 across a few small rounds from Sputnik and California-based One Planet VC, as well as angel investors.
Now the startup, named after Buddha’s favorite white horse, is launching a round from the public on crowdfunding platform Republic, where it could raise up to about $1 million. In one of the most recent campaigns by an Austin startup, digital legacy platform Clocr raised $250,000 from 677 investors who contributed a minimum of $100 each.
While Kanthaka is based in Houston, Kampshoff said the company plans to set up its office in Austin in the near future if it raises new money. It hopes to expand its reach to 30 cities and expand into new equipment and nutrition products. Meanwhile, its client success and service team is based in Macedonia, with a tech team in India.
Kampshoff herself is a transplant, having moved from Munich to Houston when she was a lawyer with Kirkland and Ellis. Now, she's splitting time between Houston and Austin, where she sees much of the company's future.
"We will now also with the raise build the team in Austin," she said.
