Thursday, August 6, 2026

The Startup that Makes Fitness a Video Game

  • Ergatta, a connected rowing machine maker, gamifies the workout experience instead of streaming live instructor classes.
  • The startup brought in $30 million in a Series A round.
person_on_rowing_machine
Ergatta/Design: Alex Brooks

The gaming craze and at-home fitness come together in Ergatta’s rowing machine.

The connected rowing company gamifies workouts, with its machine effectively acting as a controller, allowing people to race and compete on a screen as they work out.

Just a month after its first birthday, the startup raised $30 million at a $200 million valuation in a Series A round led by Advance Venture Partners. The company will use the funds to create new games, develop live competitions, and grow its membership base and supply chain.

Other connected rowing machines have attracted investor attention as well, though Ergatta’s competitors generally follow Peloton in offering live classes with instructors.

  • LIT Method, whose machines cost $1,750 plus a $25/month subscription fee, announced an investment this week from Jay-Z’s Marcy Venture Partners.
  • Last June, connected rowing startup Hydrow raised $25 million in a round led by L Catteron, a private equity firm backed by LVMH. Hydrow’s machines cost $2,199. 

An Ergatta machine also costs $2,199, and subscriptions run $29 per month.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign up for
The Memo Newsletter

Get the biggest stories and best analysis on the business of sports delivered to your inbox twice every weekday and twice on weekends.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Aug 6, 2026; Camden, NJ, USA; From left to right Philadelphia 76ers general manager Mike Gansey and guard Jaylen Brown and managing partner Josh Harris pose for a photo during his introductory press conference at the Francis J. Myers Recreation Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Mike Gansey: Sixers Players Led LeBron Recruitment

Gansey’s own relationship with James dates back to high school.
Aug 6, 2026; Bedminster, New Jersey, USA; Bryson DeChambeau points right after his tee shot on the first tee during the first round of the LIV Golf New York tournament at Trump National Bedminster.

7 Burning Questions for LIV Golf Amid Claim of New Funding

Private equity firm BC Partners is reportedly exploring a deal with LIV.

Netflix Wants to Not ‘Do Too Much’ With Field of Dreams Game

The upgraded Iowa complex now has a permanent stadium. 
Fanduel logo appears in this illustration taken April 22, 2026.

Gambling Industry Gears Up for ‘Arms Race’ This NFL Season

“Competition is fierce,” BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt said.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

8/6/26 – LIV’s Funding Promise, Disney Sells Out Super Bowl, Inside Tom Brady’s CardVault

0:00

Featured Today

Joey Spallina of the Maryland Whipsnakes

How Eye Black Became ‘War Paint’ on the Field

“You’re going into battle, doing something you only do on game days.”
August 6, 2026

Tom Brady Explains His Aggressive Push Into Trading Cards

Brady talked to FOS about his eponymous card company.
FILE PHOTO: Cricket - Indian Premier League - IPL - Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings - Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India - April 23, 2026 Mumbai Indians' Suryakumar Yadav in action
August 5, 2026

India Is Stealing Cricket’s Throne From England and Australia

India’s insatiable appetite for cricket has shifted the traditional locus of power.
WPBL
July 30, 2026

Who’s Playing Women’s Professional Baseball?

Sixty players from 11 countries are descending on Illinois for six weeks.
Tom's Watch Bar
July 17, 2026

Sports Bars Are Cashing In From Summer of Soccer

The World Cup has brought a windfall to America’s biggest sports bars.
Sponsored

Trailblazer Cal Calamia Is Racing for ‘Advocacy, Storytelling, and Performance’

The marathoner wants excellence—not just inclusion—to be the goal for non-binary athletes.
Sponsored

‘Run With the Competition’: Ultra Trail Runner Lotti Brinks Is Back With Big Goals

Ultrarunner Lotti Brinks is ready to make her first Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix podium in her HOKA Mafate 5s.
Sponsored

Top Esports Athletes Will Compete for National Glory in the Esports Nations Cup

The new biennial event, starting in 2026, kicks off a monumental next era for esports.
Sponsored

Saints Great Turns to Ownership

Marques Colston discusses his Champions Fund launch and finding success after football.
Sponsored

Win. Advance. Repeat: The Professional Fighters League’s Rise to Prominence

As of 2025, PFL has introduced a World Tournament format, where every fighter must battle through a high-stakes bracket to reach a championship.
The 2018 Ragin' Crossfit Games are held at Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette.
March 14, 2025

CrossFit for Sale After Years of Drama and Attrition

The intense fitness workout got popular in the early 2000s.
Sponsored

How On Location is Redefining the Olympic Winter Games Hospitality Experience

As the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 approaches, On Location—the Official Hospitality Provider—is redefining luxury hospitality.
Sponsored

How On Location is Redefining the Olympic Winter Games Hospitality Experience

As the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 approaches, On Location—the Official Hospitality Provider—is redefining luxury hospitality.