Cure.fit: The High Temple of Fitness

Mukesh Bansal is betting he can fit four different businesses together and assemble a healthcare empire on a scale no one's attempted anywhere in the world. His investors seem to buy it. Should we?

On the strength of their reputations, investors gave $15 million in 2016 to Bansal and Ankit Nagori to start Cure.fit

In phase 1, they built the gym, meditation, food and healthcare businesses. Investors poured in $120 million in July

In phase 2, they need to establish critical synergies between the four companies through a "super-app"

In phase 3, they hope for outright global domination of the booming preventative healthcare market

Mukesh Bansal likes going on walks. Usually, it’s around a couple of beautiful South Bangalore lakes, Haralur and Agara Lakes, rejuvenated and maintained by local citizens. Other times, it’s in a new park behind his four-storey Cure.fit HQ in the hip HSR neighbourhood. Late one day last week, Bansal had clocked 8,221 steps by 3 PM.

Less frequently—twice a week—he attends a fitness class.

“I have realised that for good health, you don’t need to do one or two hours of workouts every day,” he said. “I think even doing 20, 25 minutes two, three times a week is sufficient to get your body moving.”

Science supports his claim that physical activity is important for good health.

AUTHOR

Gayathri Vaidyanathan

Gayathri writes on health, environment and science. She has reported and produced stories for the Washington Post, Discover, Nature, and the New York Times, amongst other publications. In her last assignment, she was the lead science writer for E&E News in Washington, D.C. E&E News is a news organisation focused on energy and the environment. Over the past decade, Gayathri has travelled across North America, Africa and Asia on long-form reporting projects. She has a master’s in journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor's in biochemistry from McMaster University in Ontario. At The Ken, Gayathri will write on healthcare, the pharmaceutical business and the environment. Based in Bengaluru, you can reach her at gayathri at the rate the-ken.com

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