Cult.fit’s father fires employees, reflects on the all-digital movement

Founded by two former Flipkart executives in 2016 and backed by Singapore’s state investor Temasek Holdings, the company’s cult.fit business quickly attracted a huge fan base thanks to state-of-the-art group fitness sessions and endorsement of celebrities, opening centers in more than 130 locations across India.

The Bengaluru-based company closed all of its fitness centers at the start of the shutdown, but has now decided not to reopen several in smaller cities, six sources aware of the developments, including fitness trainers and center managers.

Cure.fit, which also expanded to Dubai last June, has not said how many people it employs. According to a person who was part of the talent acquisition team, the company had approximately 5,000 employees across India, including those in its cure.fit and eat.fit units that offer medical services and healthy eating options.

The layoffs come from across the business, sources said. Cure.fit declined to comment immediately.

“I can’t face my family, how am I going to survive when it’s unclear when this lockdown will end or when people will start hiring again?” Said Surjit Singh, a 27-year-old boxer from Kolkata from West Bengal who worked as a Coach in Bangalore and joined the startup 11 months ago.

Other employees who were fired said the company planned to move all of its classes online. The app already offers virtual personal training sessions.