Arena Innovation

Arena Innovation Corp. is a connected fitness company founded in 2020 to commercialize robotically assisted resistance training. Its core product, the ARENA training platform, is a portable robotic device for dynamic resistance training that weighs roughly 60 pounds while generating adjustable resistance reported at 10 to 200 pounds and more. The device is designed and manufactured in the United States and is intended to remove momentum from exercise movements so that strength training can be performed effectively in a home setting without wall-mounted or fixed heavy equipment.

The hardware is paired with the Arena/Go ARENA smartphone application for iOS and Android, through which users set resistance, follow workout classes across hundreds of exercise movements, receive personalized training programs, track performance in real time, and obtain Optimal Training Dose (OTD) calculations. Descriptions of the company position the offering as a hybrid product usable both at home and in gym environments.

By mid-2021 the company reported that it had generated intellectual property, begun pilot-scale hardware manufacturing, built mobile apps, and taken customer reservations. It maintained headquarters and an engineering laboratory in San Francisco, California, while constructing a demonstration training facility in New York City.

Founding story

The company was founded in 2020 by a team combining hardware automation, robotics, digital fitness and exercise science backgrounds, with Krisna Bhargava as co-founder and CEO alongside co-founders identified as Chris Howell, Ian Bruce and Zachary Rubin, with the stated aim of making strength training safe and accessible.

Business model

Arena sells its training hardware directly to customers and pairs it with subscription plans for the Go ARENA app that provide personalized workout programming and performance analytics, combining one-time equipment sales with recurring software revenue.

Revenue comes from direct sales of the ARENA training device and from subscription plans for the Go ARENA app covering personalized workout programs and performance analytics.

Traction

As of July 2021 the company reported generated intellectual property, pilot-scale hardware manufacturing, released mobile apps for iOS and Android, and customer reservations.

Latest developments

A June 2023 round of $750,000 is recorded, with proceeds intended for expansion into additional consumer and commercial markets, development of new products and entry into new geographic regions; a new debt offering of $1,400,500 was filed in September 2023.