The market for corporate wellness solutions has started consolidating with Virgin Pulse acquiring ShapeUp and Global Corporate Challenge (GCC). The combined entity, according to the press release, is the “world’s largest, most comprehensive technology-enabled wellbeing software provider” with more than 5 million participants spanning 6,500 customers, 25 languages and 185 countries. Also, the company is expected to have annual recurring revenues of more than $100 million this year.
Virgin Pulse investors Insight Venture Partners and Virgin Group, ShapeUp investors Cue Ball and Excel Venture Management, and GCC investors will continue to support Virgin Pulse by investing significant capital into the combined entity.
“In addition to bringing together the experience, strengths and momentum of three proven industry leaders, joining our organizations allows us to present an exciting and compelling opportunity to our collective customers and the firepower to aggressively expand into new geographies and markets,” Virgin Pulse CEO Chris Boyce said in a statement.
Virgin Pulse’s platform engages employees in daily interactions to optimize their personal and professional wellbeing. ShapeUp and GCC expand this value by offering both custom and out-of-the box global challenges, providing an entry point and experience on which customers can build and promote broader employee programs and initiatives. Customers of each organization will also have the ability to connect and extend their challenge and wellbeing programs to ensure a continuous, highly personalized employee experience.
As part of the deal, ShapeUp Founder and CEO, Rajiv Kumar, M.D. will be appointed as President and Chief Medical Officer of the Virgin Pulse Institute, while Tom Sermon, CEO of GCC, will drive Virgin Pulse’s global expansion as President of Virgin Pulse International.