Our ROUVY app is joining forces with Zwift, the global leader in sports technology. Pale Fire Capital, as the ROUVY’s former majority owner, is acquiring a significant stake in Zwift.
Zwift, one of the world’s most successful online fitness platforms, today announced that it is adding the Czech company ROUVY to its portfolio. Over the past nine years, ROUVY has grown into a global leader in realistic indoor cycling and will continue to develop under its own brand, with its existing team led by Petr Samek as CEO and Jiří Samek as Head of Development.
“This acquisition reflects exactly what we believed from day one: that ROUVY is a product bringing real innovation to the world of sport and that, thanks also to the extraordinary commitment of Petr, Jiří and their team, it has the ability to succeed on the global stage. We are truly proud to have been part of their journey, and we are confident that ROUVY together with Zwift will continue to push the boundaries of what the cycling community can experience in the years ahead,” says Dušan Šenkypl, partner at Pale Fire Capital.
“The ROUVY story is, in many ways, an iconic example of how a Czech company can grow into a confident global player. I am pleased that our role does not end here and that, together with the ROUVY and Zwift teams, we are taking our mission to an even higher level,” adds Šenkypl, noting that PFC, together with ROUVY’s founders, has acquired a stake in Zwift as part of the broader transaction. PFC thus becomes one of the significant shareholders of one of today’s most distinctive companies at the intersection of fitness, gaming and sports technology.
While Zwift uses the principles of online gaming to create rich 3D worlds for cycling and running trainers, ROUVY is built around the realistic experience of riding on real-world routes. The combination of the two companies therefore brings together two strong and distinct approaches to indoor sport.
“This is a defining moment for both Zwift and ROUVY. We have great respect for what ROUVY has achieved, building a great product and growing its global community through a unique real-video experience. ROUVY’s distinctiveness is proof that together we can be even stronger, and I look forward to seeing how this partnership accelerates our mission to get more people moving,” says Eric Min, co-founder and CEO of Zwift.
“We have built a product that is now used by hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Joining forces with Zwift is another strong validation of what we have built with our team and our users: a connection between indoor and outdoor cycling through real-world routes. We are excited about the next major chapter, which will open the door to further development for ROUVY. But ROUVY will remain ROUVY. With the same team, we will continue to help our users achieve their cycling goals. Now, with the support of Zwift and its hardware ecosystem, we have an opportunity to create even more experiences in the world of indoor cycling reality,” explains Petr Samek, CEO and founder of ROUVY.
According to Min, the indoor sports market is once again growing strongly. “Over the past year, we have seen the fastest growth in the indoor market since COVID. More and more people are coming to
cycling for the first time through indoor training. They are looking for an activity that supports their active lifestyle and long-term health,” concludes Eric Min.
The combination of Zwift and ROUVY therefore comes at a time when indoor cycling is entering its next phase of growth. Together, both platforms aim to offer athletes around the world more ways to train, race and discover new routes from home.