Ongo
Founded 2018 · 2 employees on LinkedIn · 5 known investors
Ongo is a platform that lets fitness trainers and coaches build and launch their own branded workout and wellness app with custom branding, workout video hosting, community features, progress tracking, and subscription-based monetization. It targets personal trainers and fitness creators who want to own their own app platform and grow recurring revenue.
Also known as Ongo Labs
Investors · 5
Also in the syndicate · 3
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Ongo (Ongo Labs) is a San Francisco-based no-code app platform that enables health, fitness and wellness creators, coaches and communities to launch their own branded mobile applications on iOS and Android without writing code. Customers upload workout videos, educational videos, motivational audio, recipes, images and text into Ongo's web content management system, apply their own logos, colors and themes, and publish an app that sells access on a subscription basis.
The product set includes curated and progressive-overload training programs with rate-of-perceived-exertion guidance, follow-along workout video that users can cast to a smart TV, activity tracking for weights and reps, interactive onboarding that routes users to a program based on their goals, a native in-app community feed for posts and photos, analytics, payments, data management, security functions and an API for integrating external services. Ongo also provides onboarding assistance, ongoing feature development, app maintenance and end-user technical support, positioning the app as requiring limited weekly management by the creator after launch.
The company came out of stealth in 2021 with $3.5 million in seed funding and, as of the most recent version of its website, operates a waitlist and an application-based intake process for prospective creators.
Founding story
Founder and CEO Rick Henrikson developed the concept after undergoing cancer treatment, during which he wanted a way to collect personal data and find peer support. He described the experience as isolating and concluded that such a tool should exist not only for cancer but for any personal health journey, including a diabetes diagnosis or training for a marathon.
Business model
Ongo operates a software platform used by creators to build and run subscription apps. Creators set their own subscription prices; Ongo charges a transaction fee and, according to the company, creators retain the majority of the revenue. Ongo also bundles services such as onboarding support, technical support for end users, app maintenance and feature development.
Transaction fees taken on the subscription revenue that creators generate through their Ongo-built apps, with creators setting their own price points and keeping the majority of revenue.
Traction
Creator apps built on Ongo include Dōse/ōhk by Thoren Bradley, cited on Ongo's site as impacting more than 31,000 people, and The Run Experience. Bradley reported expanding his manageable client base by more than 10x and being able to leave his full-time job about five months after his app launched. Ongo publishes testimonials from five named creator founders. Creator app pricing referenced in user reviews includes $99 per year and roughly $8.33 per month.
Latest developments
Ongo's current website markets its fitness app builder through a waitlist, highlighting custom branding, content hosting, subscription monetization, analytics and API integrations, plus a case study of creator Thoren Bradley's app.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Ongo positions itself as an alternative both to hosting content on third-party fitness marketplaces and to commissioning custom development from agencies, emphasizing creator ownership of brand, audience relationship and recurring revenue.
Emphasis on creator ownership of the app and brand, no-code launch without a development shop, hands-on human onboarding, and Ongo absorbing end-user technical support, feature development and maintenance so the creator focuses on content. Founder Rick Henrikson framed the approach as "using algorithms to serve humanity versus using algorithms to serve ads."
Technology
A no-code app-building stack pairing a web CMS for creator content with native iOS and Android client apps. Features include video hosting and smart-TV casting of follow-along workouts, interactive onboarding questionnaires, logging of reps and weights for progressive overload training with RPE guidance, a native community module, subscription payments, analytics and a public API for third-party integrations.
Go-to-market
Direct outreach to creators with large social audiences combined with inbound sign-ups through a website waitlist and a qualification conversation before onboarding. Case studies of existing creator apps are used as marketing proof points; Ongo reported approaching Thoren Bradley directly while still in stealth.
Health, fitness and wellness influencers, personal trainers, coaches and community leaders who want to own a branded app rather than distribute through a third-party platform. Named users include TikTok fitness creator Thoren Bradley (Dōse / ōhk), The Run Experience, Dr. LA Thoma Gustin (Dare to be Active), MuchelleB (Intention) and Jack Hanrahan (PRGRM.).
Geography
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, with creator apps distributed globally through the iOS and Android app stores.
History
Ongo operated in stealth before publicly launching in 2021 alongside a $3.5 million seed round. While still in stealth it contacted creator Thoren Bradley in October of the preceding year and shipped his app roughly three months later. Earlier site messaging described Ongo as "the app platform for wellness communities" with a direct "Get Started" flow; the current site markets a fitness app builder with a waitlist.
Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsOngo's site cites The Run Experience, described as a top YouTube running channel, as having built an app-based business on the Ongo platform.
Ongo publicly launched out of stealth with $3.5 million in seed financing. Investors included Twitch co-founder Emmett Shear, Dropbox co-founder Drew Houston, Day One Ventures and The House Fund. The company said it would use the capital for continued platform development and hiring on its engineering and product design teams.
$3.5M source ↗
Ongo approached TikTok fitness creator Thoren Bradley in October of the prior year while still in stealth; his app (referred to as ōhk and later Dōse) was available roughly three months later. Five months after launch, subscription revenue allowed Bradley to leave his full-time job. Ongo's site states the Dōse app 'impacts 31k+ lives'.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 7
primary sources listed
- Ongoongolabs.com · web
7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Ongo do?
- Ongo is a no-code platform that lets fitness and wellness creators launch branded subscription apps on iOS and Android.
- Who are Ongo's investors?
- Ongo's investors include AIX Ventures, Earl Grey Capital.