When Echelon acquired Fortë, a B2B fitness streaming platform, and rebranded it as Elevate by Echelon, it was more than just a power move. Having already established itself as a leading smart fitness innovator, Fortë allowed the company to round out its offerings with a comprehensive video hosting platform.
Now unified, the brands are feeding off each other’s strengths. While Echelon benefits from Fortë’s high-end streaming hardware, Fortë’ benefits from Echelon’s expansive content library, AI-driven personalization and top-of-the-line home and commercial connected equipment.
It’s an acquisition that’s establishing Echelon as a hub for fitness consumers, delivering content smarter, faster and everywhere.
“Together, Elevate delivers a turnkey hybrid solution that’s plug-and-play — from live classes to on-demand video, connected assessments and integrated recovery,” said Lauren Foundos, President of SaaS Partnerships and Sales at Echelon. “It’s not just streaming workouts; it’s building a cohesive digital ecosystem around every member journey.”
One Continuous Experience
Even with the rapid return to gyms which took place after the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for at-home fitness remains strong. Echelon reports that in the United States, almost 80% of the population does not own a gym membership.
Within that figure lies a colossal potential market. The best way to address it, Echelon argues, is with virtual fitness.
“Engaging them at home, whether it be with connected equipment or an app, is a great mechanism to grow new revenue streams and increase the market opportunity,” Foundos said.
Between catering to that mass of individuals avoiding the gym and offering more flexible fitness options to those who aren’t, Elevate delivers fitness where it’s needed.
“Members want seamless transitions between in-person and digital training,” Foundos said. “Elevate enables that by creating one continuous experience: a workout they start in the studio can be tracked, extended or complemented virtually. For operators, it’s about retaining members, like during the summer months and holidays, growing new revenue streams and offering the flexibility that today’s consumer demands.”
Zero Friction
The cohesive experience Elevate drives extends behind the scenes as well. While members enjoy fluid movement between digital and in-person training, operators benefit from the program’s plug-and-play nature with popular management platforms.
“We know operators don’t want friction — they want technology that ‘just works.’ That’s why Elevate integrates seamlessly with industry-leading platforms like ABC Fitness, Mindbody, Mariana Tek, Daxko and others,” Foundos said. “Whether it’s membership management, scheduling, payments or CRM, Elevate plugs right in. This ensures operators can adopt quickly, without overhauling existing systems, while unlocking powerful new digital capabilities for their members.”
Powered by AI, the Elevate platform also schedules livestreams automatically in various locations by syncing broadcasts from the CRM. Once gyms indicate which classes on the schedule are meant to be streamed, the proprietary tech knows where and when to launch cameras, switches their angles in real time and knows what preset functions it needs to include depending on the class type and trainer, like graphics or edits. Those sessions later convert into easy-to-access on-demand classes. The platform also carries single sign-on functionality.
“It’s the tools they already know how to use, which eradicates a lot of time for training the operators as well as for their members,” Foundos said.
The Hybrid Future
Echelon argues gyms need to think more about how they can reach their members as the world becomes more digitized. Setting up an area to simply lift, jog or stretch isn’t enough anymore.
“Hybrid is no longer a trend — it’s the future of fitness,” said Foundos. “If you look around the gym, people are following things on their phones. If you aren’t enabling them to have a better experience in your club based on your equipment, then all you’re worth to them is a leg press machine or a treadmill. In today’s world, you need to offer more than that.”
Elevate by Echelon resembles an ideal tool for brands to cultivate those sought after experiences today as well as tomorrow.
“Over the next few years, platforms like Elevate will redefine what it means to operate a gym or studio,” said Foundos. “Brick-and-mortar locations will remain at the center, but they’ll be amplified by digital — enabling operators to extend their reach beyond four walls, diversify their offerings and deliver personalized, AI-driven experiences at scale.”
This article originally appeared in ATN’s Fitness Center Reimagined: The Evolution of Gyms, Wellness Tourism & Real Estate report, which explores how health clubs, hospitality brands and boutique operators are reshaping the industry to meet shifting member expectations and lifestyle demands. Download the free report.
