BHOUT Lands €10M For Connected Boxing

Connected boxing is cashing in on omnichannel fitness.

What’s happening: BHOUT announced €10M in seed funding from LINCE Capital and Explorer Investments.

The Portuguese startup hooked investors with its gamified boxing bag and multiple business channels, including at-home products, B2B sales and an expanding studio concept.

Operating a club in Lisbon, founder Mauro Frota plans to scale in Portugal then branch out into Spain, Brazil, UAE, Saudi Arabia and the US.

Going the distance. BHOUT’s offering spans three areas:

• Punch. BHOUT’s smart bag uses AI, sensors and 3D computer vision to track punches and guide workouts. Made from cactus leaves, foam and a water core, the bag’s makeup emulates connecting with a human sparring partner.
• Play. Rooted in psychology, the experience is designed to inspire movement, using mood-reflecting colours, a leaderboard, Jab$ token rewards and a lifespan improvement score called Life Potion to keep users engaged.
• Place. Piloting its studio concept and perfecting its tech, the company has a 200-square-metre test location in Lisbon with 600 members using 16 BHOUT bags. Launching from a €200K investment, Frota says it carries a 50% EBITDA margin.

Next up. With Meta’s Quest 3 fast-tracking VR and MR fitness, Frota plans to pursue mixed reality in the future.

Punchline: Defying the VC slump, BHOUT is leveraging a boxing upturn. Boutique concepts like Mayweather Boxing + Fitness, Brooklyn Fitboxing and UBX are expanding as gamified fitness evolves. Going beyond primarily at-home products like Aviron’s rower or FightCamp’s bag, BHOUT hopes its multichannel approach will be a game-changer.