Overview
cult.fit is an India-based fitness business that brings together physical workout centres, gym access and digital fitness services. Its consumer proposition centres on making exercise accessible through an app-based membership platform, with instructor-led classes and gym workouts serving different customer preferences. The business is headquartered in Bengaluru and operates within the wider Indian market for organised fitness.
It is not simply a conventional gym chain with an identical ownership structure at every address. The network includes different centre formats and commercial relationships. For anyone assessing a cult.fit franchise, the essential starting point is therefore to establish precisely which format, operating arrangement and membership products a proposed location would involve.
History and growth
The wider business began as Curefit, founded in 2016 by Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori. Curefit initially pursued a broader health and wellbeing strategy encompassing fitness, food and healthcare. The Cult fitness offering became its best-known consumer proposition, particularly through group classes and an app-led booking experience.
In 2021, Curefit adopted cult.fit as its consumer brand, reflecting the prominence of fitness within the business. Expansion has involved both organic development and acquisitions. The acquisition of Fitness First India and the later purchase of a majority interest in F2 Fun & Fitness, the master franchisee for Gold’s Gym in India, extended its involvement in conventional gyms. Those transactions also mean that group-level reach should not automatically be treated as a count of cult.fit-branded franchises.
Global footprint
Despite the heading, cult.fit is principally an Indian fitness business rather than a broadly international franchise system. Its development has been closely associated with major Indian urban markets, including Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Hyderabad. The opportunity varies considerably between established metropolitan catchments and newer markets where pricing, awareness and participation patterns may differ.
A single location total can be misleading. Public descriptions may include branded group-workout centres, gyms, partner facilities or businesses operating under other names. No consolidated unit or country estimate is presented here because a reliably comparable, dated figure is not available for this profile. Prospective franchisees should request a current breakdown by brand, format, ownership model and city rather than rely on an undifferentiated network headline.
How the franchise model works
cult.fit has used franchise partnerships alongside other operating arrangements to expand its physical network. The central attraction is participation in an established consumer brand and digital ecosystem rather than the independent creation of a gym identity. Membership discovery, workout booking and access management are important elements of that ecosystem.
The exact division of responsibilities requires close examination. Funding the premises and fit-out does not necessarily mean controlling staffing, membership pricing or daily operations. Investors should establish whether the proposed arrangement is franchise-owned and company-operated, franchisee-operated, or another form of partnership. The agreement should also explain how membership income is attributed when customers use multiple centres. A listed partner gym should not be assumed to have the same contract, support package or obligations as a branded franchise.
Investment and requirements
There is no single, sufficiently reliable published investment range that can be applied across all cult.fit formats in this profile. A standard franchise fee and complete investment schedule are not publicly disclosed in a consistently applicable form. Prospective franchisees should request the current franchise disclosure documents, where available, together with the proposed agreement and an itemised project budget directly from the business.
Likely cost categories include the property deposit, fit-out, exercise equipment, ventilation, changing facilities, technology, recruitment and working capital. Their scale depends on the format and premises. Any proposal should distinguish one-off expenditure from recurring brand, management, technology and marketing charges. Site specifications, equipment replacement responsibilities and any compulsory refurbishment programme also need to be established before comparing the opportunity with another fitness franchise.
What franchisees should consider
Fitness demand is local even when the brand is national. A catchment assessment should consider residential density, office attendance, transport links, parking and competing facilities. Group-workout centres also depend on suitable class schedules and instructor availability. High demand at a few peak times does not necessarily translate into efficient use of the premises throughout the day.
Network-wide memberships create a further operational question: a busy centre may serve customers whose memberships were purchased elsewhere. Prospective owners should understand the allocation of revenue, promotional discounts, refunds and customer acquisition costs. Other important topics include territorial protection, maintenance standards, access to operating data and responsibility for customer complaints. Conversations with existing franchisees can help test how the documented arrangements work in practice, without treating their results as a forecast.
Competitive landscape
cult.fit competes with organised gym chains, independent fitness clubs, boutique studios and digital exercise services. Anytime Fitness and Snap Fitness provide relevant comparisons for gym-based franchising, while F45 Training and Orangetheory Fitness offer international reference points for coached group workouts. These businesses differ in market coverage, pricing and operating structure; they are not interchangeable investment propositions.
Within India, competition also comes from neighbourhood gyms that may have lower property or staffing costs and strong local relationships. cult.fit’s combination of app-based access, classes and gym options distinguishes its approach, but its effectiveness still depends on each centre’s delivery. Gold’s Gym requires particular care in comparisons because cult.fit acquired a majority stake in its Indian master franchisee.
Outlook
cult.fit’s prospects are linked to the development of organised fitness in India and its ability to convert interest in exercise into sustained membership use. Digital booking and a connected physical network can support convenience, but neither removes the challenges of member retention, instructor quality and property costs. Expansion must be assessed alongside service consistency rather than as an end in itself.
For prospective franchisees, the most useful evidence will be format-specific: mature-centre performance, member retention, utilisation, operating responsibilities and the economics of shared memberships. The brand’s history demonstrates a willingness to grow through several structures and acquisitions. That makes current documentation especially important, because terms associated with one format or earlier expansion phase may not describe the opportunity available today.
cult.fit franchise: frequently asked questions
How much does a cult.fit franchise cost?
A single verified investment range cannot be applied across cult.fit’s different formats. A standard franchise fee and complete investment schedule are not publicly disclosed in a consistently applicable form. Prospective franchisees should request current franchise disclosure documents, where available, and an itemised budget covering premises, equipment, fit-out, recurring charges and working capital.
How many cult.fit locations are there?
This profile does not give a consolidated location estimate because publicly described networks can include branded centres, partner gyms and separately branded businesses. Those categories are not equivalent to franchise outlets. Request a current, dated breakdown from cult.fit showing the number of locations by brand, format, ownership structure and city.
Who founded cult.fit?
The wider business was founded as Curefit in 2016 by Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori. It initially covered several health and wellbeing services, with fitness becoming its best-known consumer offering. Curefit adopted cult.fit as its consumer brand in 2021. The business is headquartered in Bengaluru, India.
Does cult.fit offer franchise opportunities?
Yes, cult.fit has used franchise partnerships to expand its physical fitness network. However, the available formats and division of operating responsibilities can differ. A prospective investor should confirm who funds the centre, who manages staff and daily operations, and how membership revenue is allocated before treating a proposal as a conventional owner-operated franchise.
Is Gold’s Gym part of cult.fit?
cult.fit acquired a majority interest in F2 Fun & Fitness, the master franchisee for Gold’s Gym in India. This concerns the Indian master-franchise business, not ownership of the global Gold’s Gym brand. Gold’s Gym locations should therefore not automatically be counted as cult.fit-branded centres or assumed to share identical franchise terms.
Latest cult.fit news
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Figures are approximate and based on publicly reported information. Franchise costs and terms change; prospective franchisees should obtain the brand’s current disclosure documents and take independent legal and financial advice. Profile updated October 2026.