Interview insights (Nicole & Sara)
- From Interview with Music Instructor (Prerit): The instructor expressed interest in meeting with other instructors in his craft. He also expressed interest in both online meeting platforms, direct messaging platforms, and in person opportunities. It seems like in order for any offline communication to occur, an initial in-person meeting would be necessary. He specifically touched on jam sessions for connecting with other instructors, since he is in the field of music, which would likely be a good first in-person meeting. What intrigued me was that it seems like these jam sessions would foster a sense of community for the instructors. So, Classy wouldn’t just act as an opportunity for connection for learners, but for instructors, too.
- From Interview with Middle School Tutor (Emma): Emma described her tutoring with Curious Cardinals as a flexible side job that fit around her schoolwork. She mostly chose to teach math since it required little preparation and was easy to manage, and she turned down opportunities that seemed too demanding or unstructured. She appreciated that the platform handled logistics like scheduling and payments, though it sometimes became difficult when parents wanted to move conversations outside the system. She said she would be interested in community events for instructors if they included things like workshops or guest speakers, rather than being just for networking. She also mentioned that she wished she had been able to meet her long-term student in person, since their relationship was entirely online.
- From Interview with Pilates Student (Lina): Lina shared her experience of recently trying out Pilates after normally lifting weights at the gym. She first found a studio online, then through coworkers discovered a location close to home that was also free through her job. She started going alone but found it more enjoyable with a friend, since having someone alongside her made the classes more fun and kept her accountable. She liked the idea of a social calendar or feed for workout classes, saying it could help coordinate with friends and motivate her to attend more often, though she’d want the option to choose when to share. She explained that she sometimes picks classes based on instructor preference but usually prioritizes schedule, and while she has a favorite teacher, it’s not a dealbreaker if they aren’t available. Overall, she highlighted how having a friend join makes her more consistent and motivated to show up.
Secondary research insights & sources (Eli & Jason)
Eli:
INSIGHT 1: Even though the vast majority of users tend to stick to routine in terms of their favorite classes and point expenditures, there are a few who value ClassPass’ ability to provide variety and see the activity of their friends.
INSIGHT 2: Members of workout groups tend to find that it increases their emotional validation and sense of companionship, though what exactly comprises a community can be nebulous, and generally gains more legitimacy when established at the institution-level rather than with individual classes.
Sources:
2024 ClassPass Look Back Report
A recap of ClassPass’ user data for 2024. This article has all sorts of interesting insights, ranging from the most popular days to workout to what percentage of classes are taken while traveling.
Is ClassPass Worth It In 2025? An updated honest review
One user’s cost-benefit analysis of their ClassPass account after a year and a half of using the platform. The user includes pros, cons, and general strategy for getting the most out of your account.
Research paper covering the benefits that participants received from participating in group exercise, especially in terms of identity and motivation.
Chapter 4. Community: The Hidden Context for Learning
A book chapter about designing spaces for learning, and the importance of one key factor: community.
The Place of Learning: Why where we learn matters
An article from Harvard’s “Designing Learning Places” lab that covers the psychological factors of the learning environment and why certain spaces are more conducive to learning than others.
Jason:
Insight 1: Users express a strong desire to see which friends are attending classes and to join them, but they also expect full control over visibility and privacy — suggesting that social discovery features must be explicitly consent-based and customizable. ClassPass supports “invite a friend” from an upcoming class. You can also see a friend’s past/upcoming/favorite classes but only if they enable sharing in privacy settings.
Insight 2: Boutique studios sustain higher engagement and retention than traditional gyms, and the segment is growing fast—industry data from 2024–2025 shows strong membership and visitation gains tied to specialized, community-centric experiences, supporting a yoga/Pilates/barre–first strategy.
ClassPass Support. (2023, December). How do I see my friend’s classes and favorite studios? ClassPass Help Center. https://help.classpass.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000087823-How-do-I-see-my-friend-s-classes-and-favorite-studios
ClassPass. (n.d.). Referral program. Retrieved October 8, 2025, from https://classpass.com/try/referral-program
Boutique Fitness Studios Market Report 2024. (2024, May ?). Yahoo Finance. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/boutique-fitness-studios-market-report-091300236.html
Research and Markets. (2024, November 4). Boutique Fitness Studios Market Report 2024 — Global revenues forecast to cross $75 billion by 2030: Analysis of regional opportunities by customer demographics, fitness goals, service offerings & more [Press release]. GlobeNewswire. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/11/04/2973765/28124/en/Boutique-Fitness-Studios-Market-Report-2024-Global-Revenues-Forecast-to-Cross-75-Billion-by-2030-Analysis-of-Regional-Opportunities-by-Customer-Demographics-Fitness-Goals-Service-O.html
Competitor Analysis
ClassPass
Overview
ClassPass is a fitness and wellness marketplace owned by Mindbody. It operates as a credit subscription that lets members book classes at thousands of partner studios along with salons and spas. Before being acquired by Mindbody in 2021, ClassPass had a valuation of $1 billion. The combined company has a strong presence in major US metros and international cities. The product is mobile first but web supported.
Business Model
The primary monetization is a monthly subscription that grants a set number of credits. Customers can top up credits. On the supply side, ClassPass pays partners on a revenue share per booked spot, which varies by cities and timing. Relative to Classy’s pay per class marketplace and 18% take rate, ClassPass leans into a recurring revenue stream.
Core users are urban professionals and fitness enthusiasts who value variety within a set monthly budget. Supply users are boutique studios and wellness providers that want incremental demand and marketing reach without the associated fixed customer acquisition costs.
For studios, payouts are variable. Under-filled classes may earn lower effective rates. Reports suggest that classes under 50% fill give substantially lower partner revenue (as much as 45% lower than a well-filled class). (https://athletechnews.com/is-classpass-good-for-fitness-studios)
Plans
$15/month – 7 credits book up to 2 classes
……
$199/month – 100 credits book up to 35 classes
$15 cancellation fee if made within 12 hours of class
Product and Platform
ClassPass has a discovery UI that includes geolocation, time filters, credits cost per class, and curated collections. Integration with Mindbody gives it deeper access to studio schedules, inventory, booking tools, and promotion to existing studio customers. Onboarding for studios includes partner tools for calendar sync, availability, and yield metrics. Quality control is through customer ratings and utilization metrics.
Strengths
Behavioral Retention: Subscription + credit mechanics encourage repeat usage and weekly/monthly habits
Yield Optimization: Ability to manage class pricing by demand/time helps fill underutilized slots
Studio Network & Integrations: Through Mindbody, many studios are already connected to the ecosystem, reducing friction and onboarding.
Brand Name in Wellness Niche: Strong identity in fitness and wellness gives credibility with both users and studios
Weaknesses
Studio Stress: Studios may feel squeezed by credit discounts and inability to forecast revenue. Under-filled classes have an adverse impact on revenue share for studios.
Credit Fatigue: Similar to Classy, if users feel forced to “use or lose” credits, dissatisfaction may rise.
Urban Concentration: Buying a subscription really only makes sense in larger cities with diversity of class offerings, closing them off to opening in smaller markets.
Eventbrite
Overview
Eventbrite is a global ticketing and event management marketplace founded in 2006. It serves creators who run classes, workshops, concerts, festivals, and community events, providing consumers with event discovery and ticket purchase. In 2024, Eventbrite reported approx $325 million in net revenue and 89 million monthly average users (https://investor.eventbrite.com/press-releases/press-releases-details/2025/Eventbrite-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-2024-Financial-Results)
Business Model
Eventbrite monetizes paid events through organizer fees that include a service fee per ticket and a separate payment processing fee per order. Free events are typically free for organizers.
Eventbrite clearly relies on volume and traffic to their website. They earn marketplace related revenue from organizer fees and Eventbrite As, which represented about 8% of net revenue in the 4th quarter of 2024. Compared with Classy’s marketplace commission structure in the high teens, Eventbrite’s economics scale with ticket price and volume rather than subscription credit.
Transaction / Service Fees
- Core revenue driver is fees charged for paid ticket sales through the platform
- Ticket Fees: 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket + payment processing fee of 2.9%
- Premium / Add-on Services
- Beyond pure ticketing, Eventbrite offers value-added features and services (marketing, analytics, promotional tools and integrations)
- Promotional Revenue
- Eventbrite generates revenue from promoting events (paid placements or “boosts”) within its marketplace
Because Eventbrite’s revenue scales with ticket sales, its financial success is aligned with the success of event creators. More events + more tickets sold = more revenue
Product and Platform
End Users
- Access to discovery
- Browse events by location, time, type
- Integrated ticketing
- Flexibility to browse free or paid events in local or virtual settings
Organizers and Creators
- Tools to build event pages, ticket types, discounts, check-in, attendance management, communication, analytics, etc
- Access to Eventbrite’s marketing reach
- Scalability
- Ability to run small events or massive festivals, all integrated into a single platform
Features
- Browsing UX
- Event listings are discoverable by location, date, category, etc.
- Check-In
- QR code check in
- Scanning apps
- Capacity control
- Data Analytics
- Real time dashboards for ticket sales, attendance, marketing performance
Strengths
Discovery and Reach: The large inventory across many categories and strong search engine draw consumers who are casually browsing for things to do. This could include many of the small classes and workshops that Classy might offer (maybe even at a lower price since their take is lower).
Creator Tools: Reduce setup friction for independent instructors and small venues. Eventbrite gives them a massive platform to advertise their events and draw attendees.
Massive Scale: 83 million paid tickets in 2024 makes this an attractive platform, especially for instructors and hosts of events.
Low Barrier to Entry: Free listing for free events lowers friction for organizers who just want to try the platform
Weaknesses
Dependence on Transaction Volume: Because revenue is tied to ticket sales, any downturn in event activity can sharply affect revenue
Heylo
Overview
Heylo is designed for in-person groups and communities that revolve around events, member management, and ongoing engagement. It’s built for club leaders, sport teams, hobby groups, and community organizers who want one place for communication, event planning, and payment collection. The focus is on simplicity and seamless integration of payments with social interaction.
Business Model
Heylo runs a freemium model: the base app is free for small groups, with paid Plus ($9/month/group) and Pro ($29/month/group) plans for added customization, automation, and advanced features. Monetization chiefly comes through payment facilitation—event tickets, membership dues, donations. Heylo charges a platform fee of 3.7% + $0.59 per paid transaction, plus Stripe’s payment processing (around 2.9% + $0.30). Fees can be absorbed by organizers or passed onto members, making costs transparent and flexible. There’s no organizer commission or hidden charges—Heylo’s incentives align with helping group leaders collect and manage money reliably. They support thousands of active groups globally—examples include clubs with 500 to 2,000+ members and paid memberships.
Product & Platform
For group management, there are features like: chat, membership directories, basic engagement features. Then, with event planning, there’s also payment collection and admin controls.
Mobile-first design enables event registration, reminders, and payment in-app, complemented by social incentives (paywalls, member roles).
For paid tiers, you get customization (e.g. icebreakers, questionnaires), analytics, and larger group capacity.
Heylo’s value is quick setup and minimal friction → most features are designed for regular group activities rather than major commercial events.
Strengths
- Low fees: Lower per-transaction costs than many rivals (e.g. cheaper than Eventbrite or Meetup for small groups).
- All-in-one group hub: Combines chat, event planning, membership tools, and payments in one app.
- Simple, transparent pricing: Freemium model is easy for casual communities; paid tiers unlock more features without hidden organizer costs.
Weaknesses
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- Feature paywalls: Scaling groups hit feature limits quickly; premium tiers needed for customization and analytics.
- Not built for hybrid/large events: Infrastructure favors ongoing small-to-medium groups, not large ticketed events or multi-day festivals.
- Basic community engagement: Member engagement tools are functional but lack the depth of more specialized platforms.
- No formal group verification: There is no standardized “verified status” for groups themselves. Quality control is handled by admins, and trust is based on community management rather than external validation.
Luma Events
Overview
Luma positions itself as an accessible all-in-one event management platform built to help creators, organizers, and businesses host memorable events with minimal friction. The platform appeals to a broad spectrum: from solo creators and educators to small businesses and community groups. Its core pitch is ease of use and professionalization for anyone looking to host online, in-person, or hybrid events, without requiring technical know-how or hefty upfront commitments.
Business Model
Luma offers a generous free tier: unlimited events, unlimited guests, and basic tools for event creation and promotion. Revenue is driven by a platform fee on paid events (5%), and an upgrade path to “Luma Plus” ($59/month billed annually), which waives the platform fee, unlocks higher invite/send limits, offers advanced admin roles, analytics, CSV import/export, Zapier automation, and priority support. Payment processing for tickets is handled via Stripe, which adds its own transaction fees. Luma’s approach is to monetize at the point of success: charging when organizers collect revenue, rather than requiring upfront subscriptions except for advanced features.reports around 2 million monthly active users, having grown fivefold in the past year. Their annual revenue is approximately $7 million as of 2025.
Product & Platform
For Small + Mid-Market + Enterprise teams looking to automate their event process.
- attractive & customizable event pages (sleek UI)
- streamlined invite and reminder systems (email, SMS, push, WhatsApp) for calendar-based event management.
- QR code guest check-in and integrations (notably with Zoom for virtual events)
- Users can run both free and paid events, collect payments, and donations
- Integrates through an API into CRM platforms for automated workflows
The platform integrates core event operations: ticketing, page design, registration questions, payment, and CRM/contact management. The Plus plan introduces automation and more robust admin controls, targeting organizers who scale up to frequent and complex events.
Strengths
- Low barrier to entry: Unlimited events/guests on the free plan, with most essential tools included.
- All-in-one solution: Combines ticketing, payment, discovery, and guest engagement in one package.
- Flexible monetization: Freemium model works for both casual and power users; 0% fee for Plus tier.
- Strong integrations: Supports Zoom, CSV, and Zapier, also enables advanced analytics for growing teams.
Weaknesses
- Platform fee for free users: 5% cut on paid events can add up for high-volume organizers unwilling to upgrade.
- Limited personalization/discovery: Less of a focus on marketplace discovery compared to competitors like Eventbrite.
- Scaling complexity: Very large events, custom branding, or enterprise compliance require negotiating custom plans or add-ons.
- Basic community features: Compared to dedicated community tools, Luma is stronger on the actual event planning and not as strong on ongoing group management.
