MemberPass, led by Fai Wong and Grant Levy, targeted the fragmented fitness and wellness market in 2013 with a focus on 'fast, flexible payments.' Their deck highlights a combined US market opportunity of $24 billion across personal training, massage, and yoga. The product aimed to bridge the gap between individual professionals and clients through a simplified dashboard for plan setup and membership management. While the deck successfully identifies a large, growing problem—citing that 61% of the US and Australian populations are overweight or obese—it lacks specific financial projections, a…
Key takeaways
- The company identified a $24 billion total addressable market in the US across personal training ($9B), massage ($8B), and yoga ($7B) on Slide 3.
- Market growth is supported by an increasing supply of professionals, with 280,000 trainers in the US growing at 3.4% annually and 30,000 in Australia growing at 7% annually as shown on Slide 4.
- The product features a 'Plan setup' interface allowing providers to create custom session packages, such as a 10-session pass for $530, according to Slide 5.
- A consumer-facing dashboard includes a 'Health Hub' and messaging features to facilitate client-provider interaction, visible on Slide 6.
- Competitive positioning on Slide 7 places MemberPass in the 'Social & Simple' and 'All industries & Individual professionals' quadrant, contrasting with 'Technical & complicated' tools like Mindbody.
- At the time of the deck, the company had already secured initial Angel Funding and developed a prototype currently in private testing, per Slide 8.
- The founding team balances technical and industry expertise, featuring a CS grad from Monash University and a partner with 10 years of fitness industry experience on Slide 9.
- The deck omits a specific capital request, use of funds breakdown, and long-term financial forecasts.
MemberPass: Simplifying the Business of Wellness
The MemberPass deck from 2013 represents a specific era in the evolution of the 'passion economy.' Long before platforms like Substack or Patreon became household names, MemberPass was attempting to build the infrastructure for independent health and wellness professionals. The deck focuses on the transition from manual, clunky payments to a streamlined, social-first interface. In this teardown, we analyze how the founders framed a massive health crisis as a business opportunity and where the deck falls short in its financial narrative.
Slide 1: Title and Branding
The cover slide introduces the brand with the tagline 'fast, flexible payments.' The imagery—a woman with arms outstretched on a beach—is typical for the wellness industry, signaling a focus on 'freedom' and 'health.' The slide lists the founders, Fai Wong and Grant Levy, and provides a clear URL and social handle. It establishes the brand identity immediately: clean, approachable, and health-oriented.
Slide 2: The Opportunity
Slide 2 is a transition slide featuring a woman in a yoga pose with the word 'OPPORTUNITY' in large, bold type. While it serves as a visual break, it offers no data. In a modern pitch deck, this space is usually better utilized by stating the core thesis or a startling statistic that sets the stage for the problem slide.
Slide 3: Target Market Sizing
MemberPass uses a bubble chart to visualize three core segments in the US market: Personal Training at $9 Billion, Massage at $8 Billion, and Yoga at $7 Billion. Citing IBISWORLD as the source, the slide effectively communicates a total addressable market of $24 billion. By breaking the market down into these three buckets, the founders show they understand the different verticals their software must support. However, it lacks a 'Serviceable Obtainable Market' (SOM) calculation, which would tell investors how much of that $24B MemberPass actually expects to capture.
Slide 4: The Supply Side and the 'Epidemic'
This slide provides a dual narrative. First, it looks at the supply of professionals: 280,000 trainers in the US (growing at 3.4% annually) and 30,000 in Australia (growing at 7% annually). This indicates a healthy, expanding base of potential B2B customers. Second, it introduces the 'Problem' at the bottom: '61% of the population is overweight or obese in the US and Australia - a growing epidemic.' This links the business's success to a broader societal need, suggesting that by empowering trainers, MemberPass helps solve a public health crisis.
Slide 5: Product Interface - Plan Setup
The first product slide shows a screenshot of the 'Plan setup' screen. It demonstrates the flexibility mentioned in the tagline. A provider can set up a 'Single session' for $60, a '1 month session' for $200, or a '10 session pass' for $530. The interface looks simple and functional, featuring logos for PayPal and major credit cards, which addresses the 'flexible payments' promise. This slide is crucial because it proves the 'Hacker' (Fai Wong) has actually built a tool that handles the core business logic of a trainer's life.
Slide 6: Product Interface - Member Dashboard
The second product slide shows the consumer/member view. It includes a 'My history' section showing completed payments for Remedial Massage ($78.00) and Personal Training ($54.00). It also features a messaging system and a 'Health Hub.' This suggests that MemberPass isn't just a billing tool; it's a retention tool. The inclusion of a 'Find a provider' button hints at a marketplace play, though the deck doesn't explicitly detail how they will drive discovery for these professionals.
Slide 7: Competitive Landscape
The founders use a standard 2x2 matrix to position themselves. The Y-axis ranges from 'Technical & complicated' to 'Social & Simple,' while the X-axis ranges from 'Industry specific & Clubs' to 'All industries & Individual professionals.' MemberPass places itself in the top-right quadrant. By positioning against Mindbody and Zen Planner (placed in the bottom-left), they are telling investors that the market is currently underserved by overly complex tools designed for big gyms, leaving a gap for a simple, individual-focused solution.
Slide 8: Current Status
The 'Where are we now?' slide uses a plant-growing-through-concrete metaphor. It lists four milestones: Angel Funding secured, Prototype Developed, Private Testing underway, and a List of interested Providers. This provides the 'Traction' element of the deck. While 'interested providers' is a soft metric compared to 'paid subscribers,' it shows the founders have moved beyond the idea stage and have some level of market interest.
Slide 9: The Team
The final slide in this set introduces the two founders. Fai Wong is labeled 'Hacker, Operator,' highlighting his CS degree from Monash University and his 'Anthill Tech Intrapreneur' award. Grant Levy is the 'Hustler, Marketer,' bringing 10 years of fitness industry experience and a sports management diploma. This is a classic 'two-in-a-garage' team structure that VCs often look for: one person to build the product and one person who deeply understands the customer's pain points.
What Works in the MemberPass Deck
The deck excels at market segmentation . By explicitly naming Personal Training, Massage, and Yoga, the founders demonstrate that they aren't just building a generic payment tool, but one tailored to the specific workflows of wellness professionals. The competitive positioning is also strong; they identify a clear 'white space' (social and simple tools for individuals) rather than trying to compete head-to-head with enterprise gym management software. Finally, the team balance is well-articulated, showing a clear division of labor between technical development and industry-specific marketing.
What is Missing from the MemberPass Deck
The most glaring omission is a clear fundraising ask . A pitch deck is a tool to raise money, yet this deck does not state how much capital is being sought or what that capital will be used for (e.g., hiring, marketing, geographic expansion). Additionally, there is no business model slide . While we see the prices trainers charge their clients, we don't see how MemberPass makes money—is it a SaaS fee, a percentage of transactions, or a freemium model? The lack of financial projections and unit economics (like the cost to acquire a trainer vs. the lifetime value of that trainer) makes it difficult for an investor to judge the scalability of the venture.
Founder's Playbook: What to Copy
Founders should emulate the visual simplicity of the product slides. Instead of listing features in bullet points, MemberPass shows the actual interface, which immediately communicates the 'Simple' part of their value proposition. The supply-side growth data on Slide 4 is also a great addition; showing that the number of professionals in your target market is growing faster than the general population is a strong indicator of a 'tailwinds' market. Lastly, the use of third-party sources (IBISWORLD) for market sizing adds a layer of credibility that 'internal estimates' often lack.
Frequently asked questions
- What was the primary problem MemberPass aimed to solve?
- MemberPass targeted the friction in payments and membership management for independent fitness professionals. By providing a 'fast, flexible' payment system, they aimed to help personal trainers, yoga instructors, and massage therapists move away from manual billing or overly complex enterprise software, while simultaneously addressing the health needs of a population where 61% are overweight.
- How did MemberPass differentiate itself from competitors like Mindbody?
- According to their competitive landscape slide, MemberPass positioned itself as 'Social & Simple' and catering to 'Individual professionals.' They viewed incumbents like Mindbody and Zen Planner as 'Technical & complicated' and focused on 'Industry specific & Clubs,' suggesting that MemberPass was designed for the solo practitioner rather than the large gym facility.
- What stage of development was the company in during this pitch?
- The company was in the early post-seed stage. They had already raised angel funding, developed a working prototype, and were conducting private testing. They also claimed to have a 'list of interested providers,' indicating they were moving from the build phase to the initial market validation phase.
- What geographic markets did MemberPass prioritize?
- The deck focuses exclusively on the United States and Australia. They provided specific market sizes for the US ($24B total) and professional growth rates for both countries, noting that Australia's personal trainer population was growing at a faster rate (7%) than the US (3.4%).
- What key fundraising elements are missing from this deck?
- The deck is missing several critical components for a late-seed or Series A round, including a specific 'Ask' (how much money they want), a 'Use of Funds' slide, detailed financial projections, and unit economics (CAC/LTV). It functions more as a product and market introduction than a comprehensive investment memorandum.
