Cult.fit has changed how many Indians approach exercise. Instead of relying only on a neighbourhood gym, customers can use one platform to access gyms, trainer-led group classes, sports facilities, home workouts and personal training. The company also sells activewear, footwear, fitness equipment and recovery products through Cultsport.
This makes Cult.fit more than a gym chain. It follows an integrated fitness model in which recurring memberships provide regular income, while product sales, corporate programmes, franchises and advertising create additional revenue. Its app connects these activities through centre discovery, class bookings, payments and workout tracking.
Cult.fit Company Quick Overview
| Particular | Details |
| Brand | Cult.fit |
| Legal company | Cult.fit Limited, formerly CureFit Healthcare Private Limited |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Founders | Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori |
| Headquarters | Bengaluru, Karnataka |
| Chief executive officer | Naresh Krishnaswamy |
| Business type | Omnichannel fitness services and products platform |
| Main services | Gym access, group workouts, personal training, sports and home workouts |
| Product business | Cultsport |
| Fitness network | 708 centres across 77 cities as of March 31, 2026 |
| Paid fitness members | 987,020 in FY26 |
| FY26 operating revenue | ₹1,720.61 crore |
Cult.fit filed its Draft Red Herring Prospectus with SEBI in July 2026. Its filing showed that fitness services contributed about 69.6% of FY26 operating revenue, while fitness products contributed about 30.4%.
What Is Cult.fit’s Business Model?
Cult.fit combines physical fitness centres with a digital platform. Customers purchase Cultpass memberships and use the app to find centres, reserve classes, access workouts and manage their plans.
Its network includes Cult-branded centres, partner gyms, franchise-operated locations and Gold’s Gym-branded centres. This helps the company serve different customer groups, from people seeking premium group classes to those wanting a more affordable gym.
Cult.fit reports two main business segments. Fitness services include memberships, gym access, classes, personal training, sports and app-based services. Fitness products include apparel, footwear, accessories, exercise machines and recovery products sold through Cultsport.
How Does Cult.fit Make Money?
1. Cultpass Memberships
Membership subscriptions are the foundation of the business. Customers pay for plans such as Cultpass Elite, Pro or Select. Access varies according to the plan, centre category, city and validity period.
Long-term plans provide upfront cash and predictable revenue. As of March 31, 2026, 85.30% of Cultpass members were on one-year memberships. The company recognises membership income over the service period rather than treating the entire advance payment as immediate profit.
2. Group Classes and Gym Services
Cult.fit centres offer trainer-led formats such as strength training, yoga, boxing and dance fitness, along with conventional gym facilities across its network.
These services are generally included in memberships, but they strongly influence pricing and renewals. When an existing centre attracts more members, rent, equipment and staff expenses can be spread across a larger number of customers.
3. Personal Training and Special Programmes
Customers seeking individual attention can purchase personal-training packs with personalised workout plans and trainer support. One-to-one coaching can be priced above a normal gym membership.
Cult.fit also offers home workouts, selected weight-management programmes and sports memberships. Cultpass Play provides access to facilities for activities such as badminton, swimming, table tennis, tennis and squash, depending on the city.
4. Corporate Wellness Programmes
Companies can purchase fitness and wellness benefits for employees through Cult.fit’s corporate programmes. Packages may include memberships, live fitness classes and access to other wellness services.
This business-to-business model allows Cult.fit to sign larger contracts covering many users instead of selling every membership separately. Corporate memberships represented 11.54% of its fitness-services revenue in FY26.
5. Franchise Fees and Royalties
Cult.fit expands partly through franchise partners. Franchisees invest in and operate centres, while Cult.fit provides its brand, technology, operating systems and business support.
The company can earn centre-design and setup income, franchise-related charges and continuing royalties. This approach helps Cult.fit enter new markets without funding the entire cost of every new location.
Franchise-owned centres increased to 174 by March 2026, compared with 93 two years earlier. Income from setting up franchise centres and royalty payments has also become a growing part of the business.
6. Cultsport Product Sales
Cultsport sells clothing, footwear, accessories, cycles, treadmills, exercise equipment and recovery products. These products are distributed through company websites and apps, exclusive stores, online marketplaces, quick-commerce platforms and business buyers.
Cult.fit receives the product’s selling price but must pay sourcing, inventory, warehousing, delivery, discounts, store expenses and return costs. Fitness products generated ₹522.77 crore in FY26, equal to 30.38% of operating revenue.
7. Platform Fees
Cult.fit may add a platform fee when customers purchase or renew eligible memberships. The company states that this fee supports its technology-enabled fitness services.
The platform fee applies to memberships such as Cultpass Elite, Pro and Select. Its amount may differ according to the validity of the chosen plan. A relatively small charge can become meaningful when collected across hundreds of thousands of membership transactions.
8. Advertising and Brand Partnerships
Cult.fit can provide brands with visibility through its app, fitness centres and customer network. Suitable advertisers may include sportswear, nutrition, wellness, financial-services and consumer-product companies.
This audience is valuable because Cult.fit users have already shown an interest in fitness and active living. The company’s advertising income increased to ₹40.3 crore in FY26 from ₹17.6 crore in the previous year.
Cult.fit’s Major Operating Costs
Running a large physical fitness network is expensive. Cult.fit’s major costs include:
- Centre rent and lease payments
- Fitness equipment and maintenance
- Trainer and employee salaries
- Electricity, cleaning and security
- Technology and customer support
- Advertising, discounts and free trials
- Product inventory, warehousing and delivery
The Cultsport business adds expenses related to sourcing, exclusive stores, packaging, shipping and returns.
In FY26, Cult.fit reported adjusted EBITDA of ₹144.78 crore. However, it still recorded a net loss of ₹251.86 crore. Positive adjusted EBITDA therefore did not mean that the company had achieved final profitability after depreciation, finance costs and other expenses.
Why the Model Can Become Profitable
Recurring subscriptions and advance membership payments make revenue more predictable. When an existing centre serves more members, fixed costs such as rent and basic staffing can be spread across more sales.
Cult.fit can also cross-sell several services to the same customer. A gym member may later purchase personal training, sports access, activewear, footwear or home fitness equipment.
Franchise expansion can increase the company’s network without requiring Cult.fit to finance every centre itself. Product sales, corporate programmes and advertising also reduce its dependence on individual gym memberships.
Member retention remains important because retaining an existing user usually costs less than acquiring a completely new customer. Cult.fit’s membership retention rate improved to 50.88% in FY26 from 40.85% in FY24.
Main Challenges in Cult.fit’s Business Model
Fitness centres have high fixed costs even when attendance is weak. Expensive leases, unsuitable locations or low membership demand can quickly make a centre unprofitable.
Cult.fit also competes with neighbourhood gyms, national chains, fitness aggregators, home-workout apps and sports brands. Discounts may attract users but can reduce margins and encourage customers to wait for promotional offers.
Another concern is geographical concentration. Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad produced more than 90% of the company’s fitness-services revenue in FY26.
Cultsport has generated strong sales growth, but its product segment remained loss-making during FY26. Cult.fit must therefore improve product margins while managing inventory, returns and marketing costs.
Conclusion
Cult.fit earns most of its money from memberships and fitness services. Personal training, corporate programmes, franchise fees, royalties, platform charges and advertising provide additional income, while Cultsport contributes a large product-sales business.
Its long-term success depends on retaining members, using centres efficiently, controlling lease and marketing costs, expanding beyond major cities and making its fitness-products segment profitable.
FAQs
Q. Are all Cult.fit centres owned by the company?
No. Its network includes company-operated centres, franchise locations, partner gyms, marketplace gyms and Gold’s Gym-branded centres. Facilities and workout options may therefore differ between locations.
Q. Does Cult.fit earn money when a member does not visit the gym?
A prepaid membership remains valid whether the customer attends regularly or not. Lower attendance may reduce certain usage-related expenses, but Cult.fit must still pay fixed costs such as rent, staff, equipment and maintenance.
Q. Can employers purchase Cult.fit memberships for workers?
Yes. Organisations can purchase corporate fitness and wellness programmes covering eligible employees. The benefits depend on the agreement between Cult.fit and the employer.
Q. Are Cultsport products included with a Cultpass membership?
Generally, no. Cultsport clothing, footwear and fitness equipment are separate purchases. Members may occasionally receive promotional discounts or special offers.
Q. Why can Cultpass prices differ between cities or centres?
Prices may differ because of the membership type, centre category, city, facilities, validity period, local operating costs, taxes and available discounts. Customers should review the final price and benefits before completing a purchase.
