Edgard Corona Pushes the World to Fitness

Edgard Corona, the founder of Bio Ritmo and Smart Fit Group, began his entrepreneurial voyage during his college years. At the time, the young chemical engineer created and sold two businesses. Later, he joined Açucareira Corona, a family-owned sugar mill.

It was during his time at the sugar company that Corona took an interest in the fitness sector. While he started visiting the gym for pleasure, an injury would make it mandatory for Edgard Corona to exercise. But in 1996, his love for the gym grew so much that he quit working at the mill and started the first Bio Ritmo gym studio in Santo Amaro.

The CEO of Bio Ritmo and Smart Fit Group narrates how his business was a loss-making venture for nearly eight years. Around 2002, Edgard Corona decided to focus on Sao Paulo residents who had little time to exercise. The move was ingenious, and it increased the gym’s membership.

However, Bio Ritmo’s growth was relatively slow until 2008. During this time, Edgard Corona launched Smart Fit, a tech-centered gym business model. Bio Ritmo maintained constant monthly charges for years and increased their conversions by 25% with this new way of doing business. By 2017, the company owned 480 gyms and raked in R$1 billion in revenues.

As coronavirus hit Brazil, Bio Ritmo had to find new ways to reach over a million clients. The company produced videos outlining ways to exercise at home. The successful initiative benefited approximately 26 million people.

Despite the hardships, the future of Bio Ritmo and Smart Fit Group remains as bright as ever. Edgard Corona was confident that his company would open 170 new gyms before the end of 2020. In March 2021, Bio Ritmo pooled R$1.3 billion to ensure sustained growth through the year.