Payal Kadakia

Payal Kadakia – Life, Career, and Legacy

Learn about Payal Kadakia — the Indian-American entrepreneur, dancer, and founder of ClassPass. Explore her early life, the birth and growth of ClassPass, challenges, philosophy, and influence in wellness and startup culture.

Introduction

Payal Kadakia is an Indian-American businesswoman, dancer, and innovator best known as the founder of ClassPass, a subscription platform connecting users to fitness, wellness, and lifestyle classes across the globe. Her journey intertwines the arts (dance) with tech entrepreneurship and offers a powerful example of building a mission-driven business from personal passion.

Early Life, Background & Education

From an early age, Payal Kadakia was drawn to movement and entrepreneurship. According to her personal site, she calls herself a “dancetrepreneur,” having trained in Indian classical and folk dance starting at age 3. The Sa Dance Company, a contemporary Indian dance troupe that performed in the U.S. and supported cultural engagement and community.

Kadakia studied Management Science with a minor in Economics at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Bain & Company and in Warner Music Group’s digital strategy and business development division.

Her background in both analytical disciplines and creative arts set a foundation for bridging technology, operations, and human experience.

The Idea & Founding of ClassPass

Genesis from Personal Frustration

The idea for ClassPass emerged from Kadakia’s own difficulty in finding dance or fitness classes that fit her schedule—a “pain point” many people can relate to.

She initially launched a precursor called Classtivity around 2012, aiming to build a platform to search and book classes.

After entering the TechStars NYC accelerator, she pivoted toward a subscription model, rebranding as ClassPass in 2014.

Growth & Scaling

Under Kadakia’s leadership, ClassPass scaled rapidly:

• It raised tens to hundreds of millions in venture funding, including rounds led by Google Ventures, Thrive Capital, General Catalyst, and others.

• By 2018, the company had a valuation of approximately $610 million (or in that ballpark).

• In 2017, Kadakia stepped down from CEO to become Executive Chairman, and Fritz Lanman became CEO.

• In October 2021, Mindbody, Inc. acquired ClassPass in an all-stock deal, essentially folding it into a broader wellness technology platform.

Even after acquisition, ClassPass continued to operate under its brand, preserving much of its product direction under Kadakia’s oversight.

Philosophy, Values & Leadership Style

Kadakia is known for blending data-driven thinking with a human, mission-oriented approach. Some recurring themes in her philosophy include:

• Solve for real pain points — she started ClassPass because she herself felt the friction of finding classes.

• Pivot when necessary — ClassPass’s shift from a search engine model to subscription was a critical inflection point.

• Leverage strengths — she acknowledged that the role of CEO (day-to-day operations) might not be her strongest area, so she moved into a role better aligned with her creative and strategic strengths.

• Culture of movement — even internally, ClassPass embodied the wellness mission; employees were encouraged to live active lives, integrate fitness into work culture.

• Communication & clarity — as the business and team grew, she stressed that vision must be repeatedly and clearly communicated — teammates might not “get it” unless you explain it well.

From her dance roots to boardroom decisions, Kadakia has emphasized that creative expression and disciplined execution can co-exist.

Achievements & Recognition

• Under her leadership, ClassPass became a globally recognized brand in wellness, operating in many cities worldwide.

• ClassPass was widely covered in media, cited as a leading innovator in fitness technology.

• Kadakia has been featured in business and startup publications, often as an exemplar of women tech founders and founders from immigrant / minority backgrounds.

• She has been recognized for her role balancing tech, arts, and social impact.

Challenges, Critiques & Lessons

No entrepreneurial journey is without obstacles. Kadakia faced multiple challenges:

• Early versions of her startup struggled with traction and monetization.

• Transitioning to subscription-based revenue required her to rethink product-market fit and pricing.

• Stepping down from the CEO role is often perceived as retreat; yet she framed it as a strategic realignment.

Some broader critiques of fitness-aggregator platforms include:

• The “middleman” dynamic between consumers and studios — studios sometimes feel squeezed by shared revenue models.

• Maintaining service consistency, cancellation policies, and credit systems — all operational complexities of scaling wellness tech.

Key lessons from Kadakia’s story:

1. Start from your own real need. Many successful businesses begin by solving a problem you personally face.

2. Be willing to pivot. The ability to shift business models or product design is essential.

3. Play to your strengths. Know when to hand off roles that don’t align with your biggest impact.

4. Embed mission in culture. When your product is about wellness, reflect that in your team’s values.

5. Persistence & resilience. Growth takes time, funding cycles run dry, and skeptics abound — but perseverance matters.

Legacy & Influence

Payal Kadakia’s legacy is still unfolding, but already she stands as an important figure in modern wellness, tech entrepreneurship, and cultural representation:

• She is among a growing set of female founders who broke into spaces historically dominated by men.

• As a founder of Indian descent, her visibility matters for aspiring entrepreneurs from minority backgrounds.

• She helped redefine access to fitness — shifting consumers from single-studio membership models to flexible, on-demand aggregation.

• Her work emphasizes that tech can serve bodies as well as minds — marrying user experience with human well-being.