Former Barry’s and Grüns Alums Launch PIRL to Scale Brand Partnerships Across Wellness Spaces

PIRL, a new brand partnerships platform connecting consumer wellness brands with boutique fitness and wellness studios, launched publicly today with thousands of studio partners nationwide. The platform helps brands scale in-person and digital activations across multiple locations while enabling studios to generate revenue through curated partnerships. Signed studio partners include PVOLVE, SoulCycle, STRONG Pilates, BATHHOUSE, Hot 8 Yoga, AARMY, Studio (MDR), Tone House, Megaformer Studio, and Peachy Studio.

PIRL was co-founded by CEO Ali Kaltman, former head of partnerships at Grüns, and Chief Commercial Officer Daniel Rabinovich, former vice president of brand partnerships at Barry’s. Having spent years scaling partnerships from opposite sides of the negotiating table, the founders built PIRL to close a structural gap in experiential marketing.

“I wanted to do so much more in the studio space, but the infrastructure simply didn’t exist to do it at scale,” said Kaltman, recalling her time on the brand side. “Our goal is to help brands connect with the right studio communities, streamline activations and make smarter decisions about how they spend their experiential, sampling, and retail media budgets.”

Boutique studios face a parallel challenge. Many independent fitness locations lack a dedicated partnerships team, leaving owners and managers to source, negotiate and execute brand deals alongside their day-to-day responsibilities.

“Without dedicated software, a studio’s inbox is typically the place where lucrative brand conversations go to die,” said Rabinovich. “Studios have built highly engaged communities that are valuable to brands. PIRL makes it easier for brands to connect with these communities and ultimately generate revenue and enhance the member experience.”

The opportunity comes as fitness participation continues to grow. U.S. fitness facility membership reached a record 81 million in 2025, according to the Health & Fitness Association.

PIRL replaces manual, studio-by-studio outreach with a centralized marketplace. Brands can launch targeted programs across multiple studios at once, while the platform manages each program from contract to payout, including product sampling, private class buyouts, campaign sponsorships, and studio takeovers.

PVOLVE, one of PIRL’s studio partners, sees the potential to simplify brand collaborations across its network.

“With a network our size, brand partnerships used to mean negotiating the same deal one studio at a time. PIRL turns that into one offer, backed by real negotiating leverage. Every studio that wants in is in.” — Julie Cartwright, President, Pvolve

PIRL, which stands for Partner In Real Life, is more than a sampling platform. Brands can work with PIRL  to build custom fitness programs, such as creator-led classes, co-branded challenges and multi-city takeovers, with studios matched by discipline, member profile and market.

“Partnership programs should be both standardized and flexible,” said Kaltman, “brands should be able to show up consistently across multiple studios without managing dozens of individual contacts and contracts.

Brands are already using PIRL to connect in-studio exposure to sales. Leisure Hydration ran a multi-location sampling program across sixteen Hot 8 Yoga studios using custom QR codes to connect activations to retail purchases. The partnership generated hundreds of SMS sign-ups and prompted interest in a potential wholesale partnership.

“As a brand deeply focused on community and activation, working with PIRL was a no-brainer decision. They made the process easy and fun, and the results have been undeniable.  We’re excited to continue the goodwipes journey with PIRL in 2027 and beyond.” — Meredith Diehn, SVP of Marketing, goodwipes

Studios can join PIRL, and brands can explore partnership opportunities at pirlnetwork.com. Follow PIRL on Instagram at @pirlnetwork and on LinkedIn.