Fitbit is sizing up FitStar for an acquisition deal, according to a report by TechCrunch.
The company creates apps for fitness and yoga that use videos led by fitness instructors. It’s one of a group of app developers Fitbit has partnered with so its users can enlist a variety of apps to help aggregate data from their wearables.
FitStar uses celebrity trainers such as NFL All Star Tony Gonzales and yoga instructor Tara Stiles. For its yoga app, users choose their experience level and workout intensity. The app takes users through yoga poses with videos so they can review each step, according to FitStar’s website. FitStar Yoga also connects with fitness trackers such as Fitbit or Jawbone and Apple’s Health app to help users sync their progress with fitness goals.
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The article noted that the deal, which a source estimates at $20 million to $40 million, would offer Fitbit an entry into the online fitness instructor market and give it an expanded customer base for its fitness wearables — a market Fitbit dominates. The acquisition might also increase the value of Fitbit, which is understood to be planing an IPO this year.
The consumer health space is primed for consolidation as big companies look for opportunities for crossover deals to add value to their customer base or buy their way into a new product area. UnderArmour’s acquisition of MyFitnessPal last month gave it access to the largest group of fitness app users, giving it firm footing in the digital health sector following its purchase of MapMyFitness at the end of December 2013.
