SweatPals

Over the past few weeks, Mandi and I have been fully immersed in the a16z speedrun program for SweatPals. We’ve worked alongside incredible founders building the next generation of startups, worked 1:1 with Andrew Chen and Robin Guo, and learned from industry legends like Tony Xu, Dylan Field, Scott Belsky, and more. Last week, we presented our progress to the SPEEDRUN community and received additional feedback from Andrew Lee, Jonathan Lai, Troy Kirwin, and many others. Serendipitous encounters while coworking in the SPEEDRUN office also brought us great advice about SweatPals from Sam Shank, cofounder of HotelTonight. With the support of Andrew Chen, Robin Guo, and Jordan Mazer, we recently added an important asset to our team by bringing on a top growth expert. Since January, we’ve seen our monthly GMV and user growth skyrocket by over 65%. It’s no accident: SPEEDRUN has sharpened our focus and sparked fresh clarity, fueling our momentum like never before. I’m beyond grateful for the energy and support we’ve found here and to the entire team at a16z speedrun. The future of SweatPals has never been brighter. The studios and gyms are out, SweatPals is in! ??

Working as an early-stage investor is an extremely privileged role, and the best part of the job is seeing audacious founders turn their vision into reality. This morning, I got to experience that firsthand with Salar Shahini and Mandi Zhou at a SweatPals event in San Francisco. What started as a simple idea in Austin — connecting people through fitness — has quickly grown into a thriving, global community. For me, running alongside 200+ early risers wasn’t just about exercise, it was about witnessing talented entrepreneurs in action, turning their mission into a movement (literally ??♂?). Grateful to kick off the weekend with this energy, and grateful that Pear VC gets to play a supporting role in the SweatPals journey. There's nothing like watching ambitious founders hit their stride!

We were honored to have the music legend Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian host their race on SweatPals today, bringing together thousands of people in New Orleans around community and fitness! #runtravisrun

Ready to see how far we can go when we lift each other up? Join SweatPals today and find your people. ?? Huge thanks to our friend at Coffee & Chill for flying high with us in Miami!

Ready to lace up for a 5K with music legend Travis Barker?! ?? Join Travis Barker on February 7th in New Orleans for a 5K run open to all fitness levels ?? Grab your tickets on SweatPals: https://lnkd.in/g2YCCRK2 Video credits to Mascot Sports ??

Know an exceptional Product Designer who’s excited to shape the future of wellness? Please send them my way—I’d love to connect!

I’ve been lucky to seed companies like DoorDash & Dropbox, and I’m excited about SweatPals Founded by technologists Salar Shahini & Mandi Zhou, SweatPals is a full-tech platform making real connections through fitness. With 25K+ events & a huge "why now", SweatPals is offering community & economic opportunity. Event organizers are even earning more than their 9-5s! Massive potential ahead—I highly recommend checking it out! Pear VC Andreessen Horowitz https://www.sweatpals.com/

SweatPals is a case study of what Pear VC loves to see in a consumer-focused business: ? Founders with clear founder-product fit. Salar Shahini and Mandi Zhou, both immigrants to the U.S., uniquely embody the mission behind SweatPals. By creating a platform that helps people forge real connections through fitness, they’re translating their own journey of finding community into an app that can genuinely resonate with millions around the world. Founder-product fit like this is central to building lasting consumer trust. ? A compounding moat. The more people use Sweatpals, the more useful its network becomes. The team has deployed impressive ingenuity and grit to build momentum around the country. In a short period they've helped organize 25,000+ events. ? A clear why now. Did you know that according to Forbes 79% of Gen Z reports dating app burnout? SweatPals is tapping into a movement that prioritizes IRL experiences over screens. ? A market expansion opportunity. It’s incredible to hear about event organizers earning more money leading events through Sweatpals than from their 9 - 5 jobs, a testament to the platform's potential to enable economic opportunity. Congrats to the Sweatpals team on their recent $3M fundraise. Pear is excited to support your mission of connecting people through their shared passions! If you're looking to connect IRL with your local community, and yes, get a little sweaty, I highly encourage you to check out SweatPals.

SweatPals, a fitness events platform, raised $3M led by A16Z GAMES SPEEDRUN and Pear VC. Helping users discover local activities while streamlining logistics for organizers, the company has expanded to 16 cities, hosting 25K events and 150K attendees — from group walks, runs, and workouts to larger festivals.

Today, Mandi and I are thrilled to announce that SweatPals has secured a $3M funding?round,?led by a16z SPEEDRUN and Pear VC. This investment accelerates our mission to bring the world together through fitness. This round holds special meaning for us for several reasons: When we launched SweatPals 18 months ago, we drew immense inspiration from The Cold Start Problem and the legendary marketplaces we admire. Today, partnering with Andrew Chen, the author and growth expert behind some of the most iconic companies, feels like a full-circle moment for us. We’re also honored to team up with Pejman Nozad of Pear VC. As fellow immigrants, Pejman’s incredible story of resilience and vision resonates deeply with us. His journey is a powerful reminder that with determination, anything is possible. A heartfelt thank you to Warren Shaeffer, whose unwavering belief in SweatPals from our very first meeting has already made him an invaluable partner. And a huge thanks to Robin Guo for being instrumental in making this round a reality and for his tremendous support to our team. Fitness is one of the rare spaces where people from all walks of life can come together. Our platform is designed to foster genuine and meaningful connections—centered around the unifying power of fitness. This journey wouldn’t be possible without the belief and support of our early backers. A special thank you to Jared Simon, Fardad Zabetian, Prerna Sharma, Parham A., and many others who have been with us from the beginning. Most importantly, to our incredible community: every creator, fitness entrepreneur, and member who has embraced the vision, shared it with a friend, or attended an event—you are the heartbeat of SweatPals. Your belief was so strong that you collectively invested $800K in the last round. We’re not just building this for you—we’re building it with you, and we’re grateful for every step of this journey together. If you know anyone looking to build a community or turn their passion for bringing people together into something bigger, now is the perfect time to get started on SweatPals. Please send any referrals my way! If?you're?excited to help shape the future and work with a team full of energy and passion,?we’d?love to hear from you! Check out our open positions or shoot me a DM to connect. Let’s?build the future of fitness together.???