Reluctant gym-goers help push KC’s OYO to $4.4M in pre-sales for latest home fitness device
June 24, 2020 | Startland News Staff
A month after breaking records as the most-funded fitness product in Kickstarter history, the KC-created OYO Nova Gym closed its crowdfunding campaign with $4.4 million in pre-sales.
OYO Fitness team: Nick Bolton, fitness director; Paul Francis, founder and CEO; Sonya Andrews, art director; Graham Ripple, chief operations officer; Marcus Sy, manufacturing director (not pictured)
“To say that it exceeded our expectations is a total understatement,” said Graham Ripple, COO of OYO Fitness, the Kansas City-based startup behind the handheld home gym product.
The pre-sales haul for the Nova Gym was nearly $3 million more than the previous most-funded fitness product — an initial milestone passed in less than two weeks — and established the OYO device as the 35th all-time most-funded campaign in Kickstarter’s 11 years in the crowdfunding game.
The public’s hunger for an alternative to gym membership in the era of COVID-19 likely played a role in the Nova Gym’s runaway success, said Paul Francis, founder, inventor and CEO of OYO Fitness. More than 26,199 backers contributed to the pre-sales count for the On-Your-Own option.
“With the new paradigm, folks are seeking solutions to keep fit at home, or on-the-go, and away from the traditional gym setting,” he said. “Many are finding that OYO Fitness products, including the NOVA Gym, fit their lifestyle and produces real results.”
Click here to pre-order the OYO Nova Gym via Indiegogo.
OYO Nova Gym by OYO Fitness
Building upon the success of Francis’ original OYO Personal Gym, the Nova Gym offers higher resistance with the same patented SpiraFlex resistance technology used by NASA astronauts for almost 10 years in space.
Its 40 pounds of resistance duplicates the benefits of weights, without the weight, in all planes of movement, according to the company. It’s a full gym that fits in the hands, providing more than 100 exercises for chest, back, arms, core and legs — yet weighs less than 2.5 pounds and folds up to go anywhere.
Click here to learn more about OYO Fitness.
Francis also licensed SpiraFlex technology to Nautilus Inc. and helped develop the Bowflex Revolution home gym, which is one of the best-selling home gyms of all time.
Click here to read about Paul Francis induction into the Space Technology Hall of Fame.
Featured Business
2020 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Midwest-made crossover artist charts solo success that eluded him when he was young
Sebastian James assumed until recently that his music career had already peaked, the hometown hit-maker shared. In 2011, the 18-year-old Riverside native and Park Hill South graduate started touring the country as the drummer for the Nigel Dupree Band, opening for bands like Korn and Stone Temple Pilots. But this year, at 30, he launched…
Early childhood isn’t a money maker, but can be a money breaker: ECJC initiative links lack of child care to business’ bottom lines
Access to safe and affordable child care is an issue that should concern everyone, Judy Bumpus acknowledged. Research indicates the current capacity to provide child care within the Kansas City metro is only 45 percent, according to the director of client services for the Kansas City Women’s Business Center, with 80,000 children still needing childcare…
KC Black Owned’s fall summit returns this weekend with corporate backing, tools for Black entrepreneurs
A summit planned for Saturday at the Kansas City Convention Center aims to inspire Black business owners and equip them with the resources, strategies, and connections needed to thrive in today’s competitive marketplace. The Global Strategies Summit for Market Innovators — organized by KC Black Owned — is deeply rooted in its founder’s drive to…
This Midtown pizza shop sliced through challenges, topping years of popup work with grand opening
Orange By: Devoured — the flagship pizza shop from Jhy Coulter — is finally ready for the public, she said, after enduring years of pop-ups to keep the dream alive, renovations, and the closure of business lending platform Mainvest that took founders by surprise. “I am tired — I’m exhausted,” Coulter said with a laugh,…