Wodify moved to Center City to attract tech talent and sees 50% office growth in its future

Fitness startup Wodify, makers of gym management software for Crossfit gyms, moved its HQ to Philadelphia at the start of 2019 with the hope of making room for more team members and being able to attract top tech talent.

The company previously had an office in South Jersey and has a satellite office in Lisbon, Portugal, but CEO Ameet Shah felt moving the HQ across the bridge to Center City would be a draw to clients and potential hires.

“Frankly, we’re closer to our customers and closer to me,” he said. “It’s been successful in our ability to attract talent.”

That move, and some strategic shifting of jobs from abroad to Philadelphia, is Shah’s way of telling the Philly tech scene that Wodify is going all in on the city and the community here.

Since last year, the company has paired down its Lisbon office from about 50 to 20, and wants to bring more jobs to the Philly office. About a year ago, the company had about 30 U.S. employees; now, in 2020, it’s at about 35.

But the Philly office will see about 50% growth this year, Shah said. The company currently has about 10 open roles, across departments in the product, engineering and customer success teams. It’s their way of “doubling down” on the community here, he said.

Since its founding in 2012, the bootstrapped company says its suite of gym management and performance tracking tools are currently in use by about 5,000 gyms, and cites yearly revenues north of $10 million.

Its current team has been prepping for the slew of new hires at its 1100 Ludlow HQ, a 10,000-square-foot office that’s prepped with the usual startup findings — open floor plan, snacks and wine on tap in the kitchen.

But its design also lends well to host events, which Chief Marketing Officer Brendan Rice said was intentional. Now that Wodify is building a presence in Center City, the company wants to be a go-to spot for meetups or local tech hangs.

Rice pointed out rows of desks set aside for the incoming engineering and other hires, as well as a community room the company uses for philanthropy events and internal education.

Shah — who previously founded Cherry Hill-based software consulting and development firm Conigent — is adamant about not taking VC dollars.

“I want to use the resources we have,” he said. “It has forced us to listen to our customer. Significant competitors are owned by private equity, and we have the luxury of being able to take a long-term solution in this space.”