Brandon Lewis, who took majority ownership of FitVil in November 2025, is relaunching the platform after layering personal training, venue bookings and telemedicine onto its long-standing community fitness foundation
Brandon Lewis spent years in the fitness world before he ever took the reins at FitVil. An exercise science major and certified exercise physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), he graduated from Liberty University in 2014, set powerlifting records, published with ACSM and worked as a trainer and fitness director.
The Covid-19 pandemic slowed the in-person side of his business. Then, while Lewis was building his first tech startup—an app that showed real-time busyness of venues—Lewis connected with Sumit Vohra, owner of Lonerider Brewing. Vohra, who had also been one of Lewis’s clients, invited him to look into FitVil.
This ultimately led to a deal inked in November 2025, with Lewis acquiring 81% equity while the four original founders retained the rest. The company, which launched in 2016, already had more than 141,000 registered members and a profitable core business centered on run clubs and fitness groups. FitVil handled bookings, waiver management and cash processing for those communities.
The company is rooted in North Carolina but also has strong membership in California and a particularly active hub in Treasure Valley, Idaho.
On how he would approach taking over FitVil, Lewis spoke to the important questions he’d be asking of the platform and its services: “What does a trainer need? What does someone in the wellness space need? What do our other apps in this place not offer?”
With those questions in mind, Lewis kept the existing foundation and began adding new layers.
The Founding 50 and a new revenue stream
The most immediate expansion accompanying FitVil’s relaunch is the Founding 50: an invitation-only group of 50 personal trainers Lewis is recruiting personally by email and direct message. Those trainers lock in a $29.99 monthly rate plus a 10% transaction fee on bookings. Their first 30 days or first three appointments are free so they can test the platform and build a client base. After that, new trainers pay from day one.
Lewis sees clear demand for trainers and members alike.
Trainers constantly hunt for leads; FitVil already has a large pool of active, fitness-minded members. Clients, meanwhile, often need more than a generic strength coach; for example, Lewis noted, they may need someone who specializes in postpartum fitness, running, or other specific needs. The platform lets trainers list specialties so members can match accordingly.
Building the broader ecosystem
Beyond trainers, FitVil is adding venue reservations to help users book wellness spas, pickleball courts and similar spaces. Those businesses will operate on a subscription-plus-transaction model similar to what’s been introduced on the trainer side.
A hybrid AI layer is also in the works. Soon users will be able to photograph equipment, ask the FitVil app to identify it, generate a workout tied to their goals and pull up video references. That feature will sit behind a modest monthly subscription and is intended for people who want guidance without a full personal-training relationship.
A more in-depth health element is also being introduced through a new partnership with DocTok, a telemedicine company. FitVil members will be able to access 24/7 medical support through the platform. For example, a runner dealing with knee pain can access DocTok through the FitVil platform; DocTok can then refer users who need specific, structured activity back to FitVil’s trainers, clubs and resources. Lewis described it as a two-way referral that keeps the focus on practical wellness rather than isolated workouts.
“We want to be the ecosystem or the hub for you to discover that,” he said of community and individualized needs. Whether someone is looking for a postpartum specialist, a nearby run club, a pickleball group, or injury assistance, the goal is the same: one place that connects the pieces.
Lewis’s mission
FitVil currently has no outside investors. The original founders put in capital at the start; Lewis inherited a profitable operation and has kept it that way. He is open to raising in the future, particularly if the company pushes deeper into biometrics and wearable integration, or, as he put it, “this is your move of the day”-style insights— which would require heavier engineering resources.
Lewis’s path into the field was personal as well as professional. He originally wanted to be a pilot, switched to business for a semester, then landed on exercise science because of his love of the human body, powerlifting and science. A family history questionnaire in college shined a light on his father’s health issues and reinforced the importance of the work.
“That really opened my eyes to it and how important health was,” he said. “It became very important to me and then it became important to educate others in that space also.”
QUICK BITS
Startup: FitVil
Founder(s): Pete Pagano, Sumit Vohra, Fei Zhong, and Konrad Reszka; Majority Owner & CEO: Brandon Lewis
Founded: 2016; relaunched 2026
Team size: 7
Location: Charlotte
Website: fitvil.com
Funding: Privately held; owner backed, with investment
For someone who has never used a fitness app, Lewis said he would start with their goals rather than a sales pitch.
“If I understand what you need and why you haven’t found it and I can give you the solution to it, then I feel I’ve got your confidence and everything else will fall into place.”
The FitVil team hopes that community fitness works better when it also serves the individual— whether that means a specialist trainer, a quick AI-generated session, a nearby court, or a telemedicine consult when something hurts. Lewis is building the layers one at a time on top of a platform that already had the members and the clubs.
