Vibefam closed a $1M seed round led by a Singapore family office. The July launch of Vibe AI and embedded finance expansion target the fragmented tech stack most small gyms still run on.
Vibefam, a Singapore- and New York-based startup building an operating system for fitness businesses, closed a US$1 million seed round led by a Singapore family office. The investor brings operating experience and a network built through years backing founders alongside venture investors, the company said.
The funding will accelerate development of the platform's AI and embedded finance layers. In July, Vibefam plans to launch Vibe AI, a messaging-native customer engagement tool that lets members book classes, ask questions, and re-engage with the business through natural conversation. The company is also expanding embedded finance through a network of financial partners, letting eligible businesses access funding directly inside the platform using operational data already on Vibefam.
"Fitness businesses deserve technology that works as hard as they do," said Serene Lim, co-founder and CEO. "Many operators still juggle multiple disconnected systems to manage bookings, payments, customer communication, marketing, and reporting."
The round included Hustle Fund and Ignite Asia, alongside strategic investors from the fitness and wellness industry. Vibefam currently powers more than 700 fitness locations and serves over 500,000 end users.
The simple read: a chatbot for gyms. The better read: Vibe AI replaces the fragmented stack of booking widgets, payment terminals, email marketing tools, and manual check-in systems that most small fitness operators still run. By handling inquiries, bookings, and re-engagement through a single messaging interface, the platform cuts administrative overhead without adding headcount. The embedded finance piece is the longer bet – using transaction and membership data to underwrite working capital loans, a model that works only when the operator's full workflow runs through the same system.
Vibe AI adoption across the existing 700-location base will be the first signal. If operators shift even 20% of their booking and inquiry volume to the messaging layer within three months of launch, the platform economics improve meaningfully. The embedded finance channel depends on repayment data from those same operators – early default rates below 5% would validate the underwriting model.
If fitness operators treat Vibe AI as a nice-to-have add-on rather than a core workflow replacement, the platform stays a feature, not an operating system. The embedded finance bet fails if the loan book shows adverse selection – operators who need capital most tend to have the thinnest data on the platform.
Vibefam is backed by earlier investors including Hustle Fund and Ignite Asia. The company did not disclose valuation or the family office's name.
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