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Ethel's Club

Full company profile

uuid0006b5f

Namestring
Ethel's Club
Websiteurl
ethelsclub.com
Company typeenum
Private
Founded yearint
2019
Descriptiontext

Ethel's Club is a for-profit, privately held wellness platform founded in 2019 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. According to its own positioning, the company operates as an "immersive wellness platform" designed to center people of color, positioning cultural specificity as a core element of its value proposition. The company is led by founder and CEO Naj Austin, who also serves as the sole named member of the management team in the available data.

Operationally, Ethel's Club runs with a very small team of 1–10 employees and has no publicly disclosed office locations, customer segments, pricing structure, or product catalog. The source material indicates no app, no API, no technology stack details, and no proprietary features — the company's own webpage returned only a loading/verification page at the time of data collection. As a result, the underlying technical architecture, distribution mechanics, and revenue model cannot be characterized with specificity from the input.

Capital activity consists of three early-stage funding events: an initial round with Color Capital in June 2019, a follow-on with Backend Capital in July 2019, and a third round with Bossa Invest in October 2020. All three are recorded with undisclosed (zero) amounts in the source. No subsequent funding, acquisitions, partnerships, product launches, regulatory actions, or leadership changes are recorded in the data, leaving a multi-year evidence gap from late 2020 forward.

Short descriptiontext

Ethel's Club is a Brooklyn-based wellness platform founded in 2019 by Naj Austin that centers people of color in its immersive wellness offerings, operating with a small team of 1–10 employees.

Operating statusenum
Operating
Ownership categoryenum
Headcount rangeband
1–10
akta.pro rankint
HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
HQ citystring
Brooklyn
HQ countrystring
United States
HQ regionstring
North America
Markets served

Serves global market

Keyword5 values
wellness platform, community membership, cultural wellness, wellness experiences, membership community
Industry3 codes
1Specialty Membership Clubs (Category-Focused)
CodeCRAEADAIPrimaryYes
2Wellness Program Design & Accountability Coaching
CodeHSADAGACPrimaryNo
3Private Wellness & Retreat Experiences (Personalized Spa, Yoga, Healing)
CodeTHAJALAIPrimaryNo
NAICS code2 codes
  • Other Amusement and Recreation Industries7139
  • Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers713940
SIC code2 codes
  • Services-Membership Organizations8600
  • Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs7997
Product category
Wellness Community Services
Social media profiles2 records
Cost components4 values
Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
GTM typeB2C
B2C
Offering typeServices
Services
Core offering1 text field

Ethel's Club operates an immersive wellness platform built by and for people of color, offering curated wellness experiences, community programming, and content to individual members. The company sells access to this wellness community through a direct membership model rather than through standalone software products or third-party marketplaces.

Differentiator
Functional benefit
Problem solved
Product and service1 record
1Ethel's Club Membership
CategoryWellness Community Services
Description

An immersive wellness membership offering curated wellness experiences, community programming, and culturally centered content for people of color. The membership is sold directly to individual consumers via the company's website.

Expansion highlight2 records

Each record includes

Type, Description

Peers8 records
1Soho House
TypeDirect peer
Description

Soho House operates a global chain of members-only social and wellness clubs, the closest direct analogue to Ethel's Club's IRL membership-club model — premium recurring dues, curated programming, and community-driven identity positioning.

2The Wing
TypeDirect peer
Description

The Wing was a membership-based social and coworking club built around a specific demographic identity (women), with wellness programming and IRL community — directly comparable business model to Ethel's Club, and a cautionary case study on scaling a niche identity-driven club.

3NeueHouse
TypeDirect peer
Description

NeueHouse operates members-only social and coworking spaces with cultural programming, mirroring the IRL membership-club structure and curated community experience that Ethel's Club targets.

4ClassPass
TypeBroad incumbent
Description

ClassPass is a broad, scaled wellness membership marketplace that aggregates fitness and wellness experiences for urban consumers — overlapping with Ethel's Club's wellness use case but at vastly greater scale and a different (marketplace) business model.

5Calm
TypeBroad incumbent
Description

Calm is a leading digital wellness and meditation subscription platform, addressing overlapping wellness needs as Ethel's Club but via a digital-only, mass-market model rather than an IRL community club.

6Headspace
TypeBroad incumbent
Description

Headspace is a scaled digital wellness and mindfulness subscription platform with a broad employer and consumer footprint — comparable wellness category but a fundamentally different delivery model (digital vs. IRL community).

7Y7 Studio
TypeEmerging player
Description

Y7 is a boutique wellness brand with a strong identity-driven positioning and IRL studio presence, comparable to Ethel's Club's approach to building a culturally resonant, community-led wellness brand at a smaller scale.

8Black Girls RUN!
TypeEmerging player
Description

Black Girls RUN! is a community-based fitness organization serving a specific cultural demographic with recurring programming and membership engagement — directly comparable to Ethel's Club's identity-driven, community-led wellness approach.

Market position
Strengths4 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Weaknesses5 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Competitive moat2 records

Each record includes

Type, Details

Key risks5 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Key highlights5 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Customer concentration

Classification, Details

Ideal customer profile1 record

Each record includes

Profile, Firmographic size, Sales motion, Sales cycle length, Buying structure, Purchase trigger, Buyer persona, Geography, Industry vertical, Primary use case, Description, Pain points, Evidence proof points, Target buyer

Technology focused
No
API detail
Has APIbool
No

Docs URL, Description

AI maturity
App detail

Has app

Core technology
Revenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Number of profiles
Profiles1 record

Each record includes

Name, Designation, Designation category, Overview, Profile commentary, Source

No data
No data
Funding overview

Funding stage, Last funding date, Total funding USD

Funding rounds3 records

Each record includes

Round, Amount USD, Date, Pre money valuation, Total investors, Investors, News

Investors3 records

Each record includes

Name, Type, Date of entry, Rounds participated, Website

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Each record includes

Name, Acquisition type, Announced date, Completed date, Status, Website, News

Investment

Each record includes

Name, Round, Announced date, Lead investor, Website, News

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Ethel's Club

Wellness Community Servicesethelsclub.com

Ethel's Club is a Brooklyn-based wellness platform founded in 2019 by Naj Austin that centers people of color in its immersive wellness offerings, operating with a small team of 1–10 employees.

What Ethel's Club does

Ethel's Club is a for-profit, privately held wellness platform founded in 2019 and headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. According to its own positioning, the company operates as an "immersive wellness platform" designed to center people of color, positioning cultural specificity as a core element of its value proposition. The company is led by founder and CEO Naj Austin, who also serves as the sole named member of the management team in the available data.

Operationally, Ethel's Club runs with a very small team of 1–10 employees and has no publicly disclosed office locations, customer segments, pricing structure, or product catalog. The source material indicates no app, no API, no technology stack details, and no proprietary features — the company's own webpage returned only a loading/verification page at the time of data collection. As a result, the underlying technical architecture, distribution mechanics, and revenue model cannot be characterized with specificity from the input.

Capital activity consists of three early-stage funding events: an initial round with Color Capital in June 2019, a follow-on with Backend Capital in July 2019, and a third round with Bossa Invest in October 2020. All three are recorded with undisclosed (zero) amounts in the source. No subsequent funding, acquisitions, partnerships, product launches, regulatory actions, or leadership changes are recorded in the data, leaving a multi-year evidence gap from late 2020 forward.

Ethel's Club firmographics

Firmographics
Name
Ethel's Club
Website
https://ethelsclub.com
Company type
Private
Founded year
2019
Operating status
Operating
Headcount range
1–10 employees
Short description
Ethel's Club is a Brooklyn-based wellness platform founded in 2019 by Naj Austin that centers people of color in its immersive wellness offerings, operating with a small team of 1–10 employees.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Ethel's Club industry classification

Industry
Product category
Wellness Community Services
NAICS
Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (7139), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)
SIC
Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)
akta.pro primary industry
Specialty Membership Clubs (Category-Focused) (CRAEADAI)
akta.pro secondary industries
Wellness Program Design & Accountability Coaching (HSADAGAC), Private Wellness & Retreat Experiences (Personalized Spa, Yoga, Healing) (THAJALAI)

Keywords

  • Wellness platform
  • Community membership
  • Cultural wellness
  • Wellness experiences
  • Membership community

Where Ethel's Club is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city
Brooklyn
HQ country
United States
HQ region
North America

Markets served

Ethel's Club business model

Business model
GTM type
B2C
Offering type
Services
Cost components
Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Ethel's Club product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Ethel's Club operates an immersive wellness platform built by and for people of color, offering curated wellness experiences, community programming, and content to individual members. The company sells access to this wellness community through a direct membership model rather than through standalone software products or third-party marketplaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

  • Ethel's Club Membership An immersive wellness membership offering curated wellness experiences, community programming, and culturally centered content for people of color. The membership is sold directly to individual consumers via the company's website.

Companies that use Ethel's Club

Customer profile

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Ethel's Club technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API
No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Ethel's Club partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Expansion highlights2 records

Ethel's Club competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

  • Soho House: Soho House operates a global chain of members-only social and wellness clubs, the closest direct analogue to Ethel's Club's IRL membership-club model — premium recurring dues, curated programming, and community-driven identity positioning.
  • The Wing: The Wing was a membership-based social and coworking club built around a specific demographic identity (women), with wellness programming and IRL community — directly comparable business model to Ethel's Club, and a cautionary case study on scaling a niche identity-driven club.
  • NeueHouse: NeueHouse operates members-only social and coworking spaces with cultural programming, mirroring the IRL membership-club structure and curated community experience that Ethel's Club targets.

Broad incumbents

  • ClassPass: ClassPass is a broad, scaled wellness membership marketplace that aggregates fitness and wellness experiences for urban consumers — overlapping with Ethel's Club's wellness use case but at vastly greater scale and a different (marketplace) business model.
  • Calm: Calm is a leading digital wellness and meditation subscription platform, addressing overlapping wellness needs as Ethel's Club but via a digital-only, mass-market model rather than an IRL community club.
  • Headspace: Headspace is a scaled digital wellness and mindfulness subscription platform with a broad employer and consumer footprint — comparable wellness category but a fundamentally different delivery model (digital vs. IRL community).

Emerging players

  • Y7 Studio: Y7 is a boutique wellness brand with a strong identity-driven positioning and IRL studio presence, comparable to Ethel's Club's approach to building a culturally resonant, community-led wellness brand at a smaller scale.
  • Black Girls RUN!: Black Girls RUN! is a community-based fitness organization serving a specific cultural demographic with recurring programming and membership engagement — directly comparable to Ethel's Club's identity-driven, community-led wellness approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Ethel's Club social profiles

Digital presence

Ethel's Club financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Ethel's Club leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Ethel's Club funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Ethel's Club M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ethel's Club

What does Ethel's Club do?

Ethel's Club operates an immersive wellness platform built by and for people of color, offering curated wellness experiences, community programming, and content to individual members. The company sells access to this wellness community through a direct membership model rather than through standalone software products or third-party marketplaces.

When was Ethel's Club founded?

Ethel's Club was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is Ethel's Club based?

Ethel's Club is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.

Who are Ethel's Club's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Soho House, The Wing and NeueHouse. Broad incumbents are ClassPass, Calm and Headspace. Emerging players are Y7 Studio and Black Girls RUN!.

Does Ethel's Club have an API?

No public API is recorded for Ethel's Club.

What industry is Ethel's Club in?

Ethel's Club's product category is Wellness Community Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAEADAI, Specialty Membership Clubs (Category-Focused), with a secondary code of HSADAGAC, Wellness Program Design & Accountability Coaching. Its NAICS code is 7139 and its SIC code is 8600.

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Live signals
TechCrunchHuman Capital: Coinbase and Clubhouse aside, Ethel’s Club founder wants to take us ‘Somewhere Good’This Human Capital newsletter digest covers multiple diversity, inclusion, and labor developments in the tech industry, including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong's policy against engaging in societal issues and his offer of severance packages to dissenting employees, Clubhouse facing renewed scrutiny over anti-Semitic content during an audio discussion, and Twitter releasing its latest diversity report showing Black representation increased from 3.4% in 2017 to 6.3% by August 2020. Meanwhile, Ethel\u2019s Club founder Naj Austin unveiled Somewhere Good, a new social platform centered on people of color, and Greylock announced a partnership with Management Leadership for Tomorrow to connect underrepresented professionals with portfolio companies. On the labor front, Shipt shoppers are organizing a three-day walkout starting October 17 to protest a new pay structure they say results in lower pay for more effort, while 40 Ford-owned Spin workers ratified their first union contract with Teamsters Local 665, gaining annual raises exceeding 3%, six paid holidays, and a $1,200 ratification bonus.TechCrunchDuring a pandemic, some companies struggle to provide the community they promiseThe article contrasts community-focused companies like WeWork, The Wing, and Outdoor Voices, which faced criticism for poor crisis management and toxic culture during the pandemic, with Ethel's Club, which successfully pivoted to digital engagement. It highlights how brands that prioritized genuine communication and member needs maintained trust, while others failed to protect their communities despite their marketing promises. The piece also notes the broader shift of social interaction to digital platforms such as Zoom, Animal Crossing, and Venmo.Business InsiderI toured a Brooklyn 'social club' for people of color that has its own theater and offers group therapy sessions. Here's what it was like inside the trendy offices that could be the future of coworkinNaj Austin founded Ethel's Club, a social and wellness space for people of color and allies, after finding few black female therapists. She opened it on January 1, 2019, and the club offers work, meetings, events, and group therapy sessions.