Kyle
There’s a new startup incubator in New York City hoping to help launch new businesses in the health and wellness sector. The WellTech incubator is based in New York’s Gramercy neighborhood and is headed by Peter Ellis who is the CEO and one of the founders of SpaFinder the world’s largest spa and wellness resource.
Welltech is being financed by Ellis’ Jubilee Investments. Jubilee found it’s big success by being a first round investor in Gramercy One. Gramercy One offers cloud based business management solutions for over 5,800 spas, gyms and medical practices world wide. Gramercy One announced a $14.5 million dollar round of financing led by Steve Case’s Revolution Ventures, GroTech, TD Capital and Jubilee, last fall.
“The phenomenal success of SpaFinder and GramercyOne showed us that technology holds enormous potential for helping people lead healthier lives,” Ellis said. “New York City is home to some of the most creative innovators in both the technology and wellness sectors, and we look forward to working with them to take wellness-related technology and services to an exciting new level.”
Companies chosen to participate in the WellTech Incubator will receive $50,000 in seed capital to start their business, along with office space. They’ll also have access to GramercyOne and Spafinder executives for guidance and mentoring. There may also be future financing rounds in the cards from WellTech along with other introduced investors.
More after the break
WellTech has also announced the first two startups in the program:
FITist is an online directory and resource targeting consumers who may choose a fitness regimen across multiple boutique fitness establishments, and who want access to the world’s top trainers. Through FITist’s one stop shop the consumer can set up an account and register for classes at different places. The FITist universal calendar than keeps track of the users schedule. The system allows the user to pick a yoga class from one place, a spinning class at another and an aerobic workout from yet another.
The FITist user can design their own fitness plan or choose one curated by FITist. They also give users access to some of the top trainers in the world like Andrea Orbeck, and Ramona Braganza. They can get nutritional advice from nutritionists like Oz Garcia. FITist has created a black book of these types of this caliber of trainers and nutritionists as well as other fitness experts, wellness and beauty services.
The other startup launching out of the WellTech Incubator is Wizpert.
Wizpert is offering an online and mobile application that connects consumers to experts across a myriad of fields. Nutrition, exercise, cooking and parenting are just some of the services the experts in the Wizpert specialize in. The platform connects people to these experts in real time. They offer a chance for experts to monetize by giving advice via a wizpert widget on their own blogs. Wizpert also offers access to hundreds of wizperts for free.
Those with health and wellness startups looking for more information on how to apply to Welltech can visit their website at welltechfunding.com or call Andrea Persily at 212-716-1203
