Sweatpals Secures $12M in Seed Funding from Patron, a16z speedrun, and HartBeat Ventures to Redefine Connection Through Fitness

AUSTIN, Texas – October 28, 2025 — Sweatpals, the community-driven fitness platform transforming how people build meaningful connections through movement, announced today it has raised $12 million in seed funding. The round was led by Patron, a16z speedrun, and Kevin Hart’s HartBeat Ventures. The investment will accelerate Sweatpals’ national expansion and platform development, introducing tools that help gyms, studios, instructors, and wellness hosts turn their communities into thriving social ecosystems.

As Americans increasingly trade late nights for early mornings, social connection is shifting from nightlife to what Sweatpals calls “daylife.” Only 54% of adults now drink alcohol — the lowest rate ever recorded — while younger generations are embracing wellness and movement as their preferred way to connect. Sweatpals is leading this “daylife movement,” helping people meet, move, and build real friendships through shared fitness experiences instead of drinks or dating apps.

Sweatpals empowers users to discover fitness classes, events, and communities — or even become hosts themselves — creating sustainable income streams while fostering authentic connections. On average, Sweatpals brings 30% more customers to each host on the platform.

“When I first saw Sweatpals, I immediately recognized it as the future of how we connect,” said Kevin Hart, entertainer and founder of HartBeat Ventures. “They’re leading a movement that makes wellness accessible, social, and fun — and it’s exactly the kind of innovation that excites me as an investor.”

“Sweatpals represents a fundamental shift in consumer social behavior,” said Andrew Chen, General Partner at a16z speedrun. “While others focus on digital engagement, Sweatpals drives real-world community formation with built-in monetization. They’ve cracked the code on making community building both meaningful and sustainable.”

Founded by Salar Shahini and Mandi Zhou, two tech entrepreneurs who discovered the power of movement in creating belonging, Sweatpals has become a home for studio owners, event organizers, and everyday people seeking connection through fitness.

“We’re building the infrastructure for human connection in an increasingly lonely world,” said Salar Shahini, Founder and CEO of Sweatpals. “This funding allows us to accelerate our vision where every gym, studio, park, and community space becomes a hub for meaningful relationships — where daylife becomes as iconic as nightlife once was.”

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The new capital will accelerate:

• Studio, Gym & Event Tools: Launching new features for studios, gyms, memberships, and event organizers.
• Nationwide Expansion: Growing into 12 new markets by early 2026.
• Host Monetization: Enhancing features to help hosts and organizers earn more through their communities.
• Social Tools: Bridging the gap between attending a fitness experience and connecting with like-minded people.

“What excites us most is how Sweatpals empowers everyday people to become community leaders and entrepreneurs,” said Mandi Zhou, co-founder of Sweatpals. “We’re seeing yoga instructors, run club organizers, and fitness enthusiasts turn their passion into purpose — building communities that truly change lives.”

Additional investors include Max Mullen (Instacart co-founder), WndrCo (Jeffrey Katzenberg, founder of DreamWorks Animation), Antler, Pear, and Deb Liu (Facebook Marketplace, Ancestry CEO). This round brings Sweatpals’ total funding to $16.7 million.

“Sweatpals is turning wellness into the new social currency,” said Amber Atherton at Patron. “They’re bridging tech, community, and culture to create lasting change in how people connect — that’s a movement worth backing.”

Sweatpals is currently active in 24 cities and plans to expand into 12 more markets by early 2026, quickly becoming the go-to platform for the next generation of community-first wellness experiences.

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-ENDS-

About Sweatpals:

Sweatpals is a marketplace for real-life fitness experiences that transforms how people build meaningful connections through movement. As pioneers of the “Daylife” movement, Sweatpals is making wellness the new social currency. The company is backed by leading investors including a16z speedrun, Patron, HartBeat Ventures, and the founders of Instacart and HotelTonight.

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About Antler:
Antler is where founders come to go further, faster.

Antler is the world’s most active early-stage investor, backing exceptional people at the very start of their journey — and supporting them from inception to scale. Across 30 cities worldwide—including New York, San Francisco, London, Berlin, Bangalore, Singapore, Seoul, and Sydney—the firm helps founders remove the barriers to building by connecting them with world-class peers, validating business models, and providing initial capital. To date, Antler has backed more than 1,500 startups globally, including Airalo, Lovable, Peec.AI, Reebelo, Wrtn, and Benjamin.

For founders who go on to build breakout companies, Antler Elevate—the $285M emerging growth fund—invests beyond the early stages, managed through offices in London, Singapore, and New York.

‍Contact: Rike Döpp Bergérus—VP, Global Communications, rike at antler.co https://wa.me/0046706313538

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