In the last big startup bubble, every new unicorn was “the Uber of ” its respective industry. Then during the pandemic, we started to see a new formulation: “the Pelotons of ” home fitness. Hot on the heels of the at-home workout company’s stock explosion, companies like Mirror, Tonal, and CLMBR jumped on the bandwagon, scooping up customers who were sick of being cooped up at home. Already, though, the herd has thinned, with even Peloton adjusting their projections and watching their stock price plummet. Amid this tumult, Torontans turned Miami locals Melissa Bentivoglio and Lee Belzberg have quietly been developing the next hot at-home fitness concept. Many have called it “the Peloton of pilates” – and it does marry a sleek at-home fitness device with custom content – but Frame Fitness has already managed to evade the pitfalls of the bike and tread manufacturer, rising above the facile comparisons to build something truly revolutionary.
A classically trained ballet dancer and renowned pilates instructor, Frame Fitness CEO Bentivoglio had already designed her own custom reformer (the equipment used in pilates) for her studio in Toronto years ago, only to see COVID-19 crush her dream – at least, temporarily. During lockdown, Bentivoglio remembers, “It was just our kids, Lee, and I, and I kind of started designing this at-home version of a reformer on the heels of my first design. I had ample time to discuss it and to noodle together. So I showed him the very preliminary industrial design concept, and he was like, ‘Whoa.’
“Then I said, ‘By the way, I’m going to substantiate why I think there’s a void and why we have an opportunity to pioneer a sub-sector of the market that’s untapped.’ And then I showed him some research I had done.”For co-founder (and husband) Belzberg, it was a lightning strike moment: “I was like, ‘Let’s do this together.’” With a background in finance, Belzberg collaborated with Bentivoglio to build a business plan, craft a deck, and make connections with crucial investors. Before long, they were closing a $5 million seed round led by such fitness industry mega-stars as Mark Mastrov, founder and former CEO of 24 Hour Fitness, Crunch Fitness Worldwide CEO Jim Rowley, and Michael Bruno, CEO of Core Health & Fitness (home to Nautilus, Stairmaster, Schwinn, and more brands).
Although Peloton was crippled during the pandemic due to disrupted supply chains and demand outpacing supply, Frame’s powerful investors have simplified one of the trickiest aspects of launching a product. In addition, that brain trust offers decades of experience on top of Belzberg’s own business savvy and Bentivoglio’s inherent entrepreneurial spirit and dynamic, visionary leadership. (Ousted Peloton CEO John Foley surely wishes he’d had such a crew in his corner.)
“A lot of that risk has been mitigated because we have such a massive manufacturing company that has done this for years,” Belzberg explains. “Michael lived in China for almost 20 years. He has factories overseas and domestically.” Still, the Frame reformer is no mass-produced fitness merchandise. Rather, it is a bespoke piece of superior engineering and craftsmanship, marrying patent-pending technological innovations with an elite design aesthetic.Indeed, the Frame reformer is truly a thing of beauty: all soft curves and sleek finishes. With a 24.5 inch, sweat-resistant touchscreen and a wheeled frame, it is as functional as it is gorgeous. Currently in pre-order for $2999, it also carries a nominal $39 monthly subscription fee, granting access to its library of exclusive pilates content.
“Obviously there’s an element of aesthetic that was very important, but ultimately the utility aspects, the functionality supersedes anything,” Bentivoglio says. For that reason, she and a close circle of field testers have been iterating on the product in the US for months. Bentivoglio says. “We built those reformers in the US, and we did that so that I could really have this hands-on approach, where, instead of just having something stained overseas and then waiting three months to get it, it’s allowed us to move at an expeditious rate.”For early adapters who’ve placed their pre-orders, delivery day couldn’t come soon enough – a feeling that Bentivoglio and Belzberg share. “I’m excited for people to work on our machines that we’ve been working on nonstop day and night,” Belzberg says.
