Star power

Celebrity-backed fitness chain moves headquarters from California to Austin

F45 now calls Austin home.

Photo courtesy of F45 Training Holdings

A fitness company backed by Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg is muscling its way into the Austin startup ecosystem.

In a June 21 filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), F45 Training revealed its headquarters is now in Austin and indicated it plans to become a public company. F45 had been based in Los Angeles.

F45 franchises fitness studios. As of March 31, F45 franchisees operated 1,487 studios in 63 countries. That total includes 518 studios in the U.S. Twelve F45 studios operate in the Austin area, including one at the University of Texas.

F45 aims to eventually bulk up its portfolio to more than 23,000 fitness studios. In the SEC filing, the company says its studios offer “functional 45-minute workouts that are effective, fun, and community-driven.”

The filing lists F45’s headquarters as being at 801 Barton Springs Rd., just south of downtown Austin. However, the company reportedly will occupy a leased 44,000-square-foot office building at South Austin’s Penn Field development as its permanent headquarters.

The company is seeking SEC approval for its common stock to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol FXLV. In 2020, F45 racked up revenue of $82.3 million, down from $92.7 million in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

Founded in 2013 in Australia, F45 attracted a minority investment from Wahlberg in 2019. Aside from drawing on Wahlberg’s star power, F45 has sealed marketing deals with basketball legend Magic Johnson, soccer icon David Beckham, and golf idol Greg Norman.

“We expect that Mr. Wahlberg’s involvement, leveraging his broad celebrity reach (with over 16 million Instagram followers) and well-known affinity for fitness, will continue to be a key differentiator in helping us to continue to drive growth,” F45 says in the SEC filing.

Wahlberg brings more than celebrity status to F45, though. His other entrepreneurial ventures include the Wahlburgers restaurant chain, the Performance Inspired Nutrition sports supplement brand, sports fashion designer and retailer Municipal Apparel, production company Unrealistic Ideas, and two car dealerships in Columbus, Ohio.

Wahlberg owns almost 1.4 million shares of F45’s stock, equating to a 4.6 percent stake. He also partially controls 46 percent of F45’s stock through MWIG LLC, a fund set up by Key West, Florida-based FOD Capital and Wahlberg. MWIG invested $100 million in F45 in exchange for 10 million shares of stock. FOD, founded by billionaire Donald Ross, also is an investor in Wahlburgers.

movies fitness

SKIN IN THE GAME

Renowned Hill Country tattoo artist inks new sacred geometry app

Photo courtesy of Dillon Forte

Dillion Forte at his "tattoo ranch" in the Texas Hill Country.

In the world of tattooing, there may seem to be few better rat traps left to build, but Dillon Forte aims to change that. In October, the renowned Wimberley-based tattoo artist and entrepreneur introduced a new iPadOS app to bring ancient symbology into the digital age.

Forte has made a worldwide name for his black dot work (a contemporary take on stick-and-poke techniques) and ambitious undertakings like tattooing underwater and opening a “tattoo ranch.” His ink appears on Usher, Chris Hemsworth, and Kehlani.

Still, he is most recognized for his sacred geometry designs, using patterns to convey various meanings. His interest led him to create the Sacred Geometry Drawing App, a convenient way for novices and experts to develop and export their creations.

The app grew out of his own practice. Over the past decade, he has used tablets and freehand techniques to achieve his highly symmetrical artwork but grew to realize existing tools were not always easy to use.

“The app is an attempt and fulfillment of my desire to make sacred geometry accessible and bring the ability to create into the fingertips of as many people as possible,” Forte tells CultureMap via email, adding a tagline: “symmetry made simply.”

He says he wished the app was available when developing his signature style as a tattoo artist, but it was designed with a broad range of users in mind. He hopes that designers, educators, and artists will find a use for it.

A short intro to the app's capabilities is available on YouTube. It looks like a standard drawing app, starting with a blank canvas and some tools like pens, pencils, colors, and of course, straight line and dot makers.

A "symmetry index" anchors the functionality and expands it to something between 2D art and 3D modeling. In addition to generating shapes like repeating patterns and spirals, the app also creates 3D shapes with grids, so that the artist can map their design in real space or even create sculptures. There is also an index for explaining the spiritual meaning of some standard designs.

“Geometry often prompts an intimidating feeling when it comes to making art,” Forte continues. “The fundamentally complex and often academic nature of math-based art can induce a sense of fear in the potential user instead of creating a sense of awe. The purpose of the sacred geometry app is to cultivate the latter."

Creatives interested in constructing their own geometric masterpieces can download the app at the App Store for free, and in-app purchases are available.

technology apps tattoos arts