Years spent behind check-in desks at yoga studios across California taught Rachel Lea Fishman one thing: The industry was in need of a warm up.

“Part of working behind the desk is seeing all the softwares that you either love, or love to hate,” she said. Fishman found herself falling into the latter thanks to the archaic and fragmented tools to check clients in, charge them for classes, answer their FAQs, and market to new students. To make the process easier for studio owners and instructors alike, she cofounded Arketa, a software company that helps fitness studios better manage operations in 2020. This March, Arketa closed a $15 million Series A, led by Inspired Capital, bringing their total funding to nearly $23 million.

But, like any fitness class, Arketa’s journey had its fair share of tough positions. A month after she joined forces with her cofounder Josh Archer (both of whom made the 30 Under 30 list in 2024) to officially launch the software in February 2020, Covid hit. And in-person fitness studios—their primary user base—shut down.

Instead of pausing operations, however, they pivoted to meet the changing demands of the industry.