Several fitness-oriented companies made Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies and category-specific lists for 2021, led by Peloton, which came in at No. 42 on the overall Most Innovative Companies list.
In addition to placing on the overall list for motivating consumers to keep working out even after weeks and months at home, the company also placed No. 1 on the 10 Most Innovative Wellness Companies of 2021 list. Fast Company said Peloton had a smart digital strategy that included a process to get bikes to customers safely, paying workers hazard pay and repurposing its retail teams as customer service workers. The company also introduced new content during the pandemic that allowed families to work out together, and it created partnerships with Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Android TV to allow easier viewing.
Also making the 10 Most Innovative Wellness Companies list was Tonal at No. 3, Mindbody at No. 6 and Alo Yoga at No. 8.
Tonal made the list for launching Form Feedback to help exercisers with their form and its Smart Flex, which adjusts the resistance based on the user’s strongest and weakest points.
Mindbody made it for its expedited rollout in 2020 of its Virtual Wellness Platform, a live streaming and video on-demand product released ahead of schedule to provide fitness studio owners with additional revenue sources as they navigated in-person capacity restrictions or business closures during the pandemic.
Alo Yoga, which is a yoga apparel brand, made the list by launching Alo Moves, an on-demand class platform.
In the category of 10 Most Innovative Companies in Sports, Hyperice landed at No. 5 for moving therapy guns into the mainstream. The company rolled out its HyperSmart system, which interprets data from users’ wearables to recommend recovery options.
Tempo ranked No. 6 on the 10 Most Innovative Companies in Consumer Electronics for “bringing personal weight training home in a private way,” according to Fast Company. The company offers a $2,000 weight-training system using 3D modeling, infrared sensors and colorful weights to count reps and analyze form. The company offers live and on-demand classes in which exercisers can receive advice on form based on the data from the sensors and modeling.
Supernatural made the 10 Most Innovative Companies in Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality list. It created an immersive workout app for Oculus Quest that includes a library of full-body workouts.