Written by Lori Anne Oliwa
This talented trio is shooting for success, showing that the real power is in their partnership. Young, fit and entrepreneurial, Devon Oakley, Akim Mitchell and Trey Phills teamed up and launched Gymble in 2020, a platform for sports & fitness facility owners and trainers. Gymble operates through web-based software and offers a monthly subscription service for fitness & sports venues. A mobile app allows users to book training sessions & athletic experiences directly with the facilities, then to pay with ease. It is a virtual one-stop shop providing streamlined solutions for client booking, payment integration, financial analytics, member & team management, scheduling and customer insights.
The only fitness & sports scheduling software on the market with such a comprehensive suite of services, business can streamline operations and save time, according to CEO Devon Oakley.
What are the ties that bind these business partners? Mitchell and Oakley played collegiate-level basketball together at Hampton University. Phills and Mitchell, both Charlotte natives, grew up and attended school together. Phills graduated Yale University in 2019 and played professional basketball with the Greensboro Swarm, the G-League affiliate team for the Charlotte Hornets. After only a few months, the coronavirus pandemic abruptly ended the season. Though unexpected, Phills had the time to attend to the idea that was simmering in his mind, a sports-related tech company which would seamlessly connect clients to athletic experiences while providing an easy booking platform for the fitness venues.
The partnership has proven to be a powerful precursor and predictor of success. “We all have our lanes and areas of responsibility,” Oakley said, “so it just makes sense that we would undertake this together.” Oakley, Gymble co-founder and self-admitted financial strategist on the team, cited the complementary strengths of his partners. “Trey, the chief marketing officer, is a great storyteller with over 800,000 Tik Tok fans. Akim, the chief operating officer, is an amazing people person.”
Gymble currently offers four tiers of service, including a basic free service, a second level targeted to small training practices and personal trainers, and two additional levels designed for boutique fitness studios and larger more established businesses with multiple locations or franchises.
According to information provided by the Gymble leadership team, investors backing the company include Stephen Silas, head coach of the Houston Rockets; Anthony Gill; a Charlotte native and Washington Wizards guard; and Olumiye Oni, a guard for the Utah Jazz.
Gymble just celebrated a new location in Newark, NJ and is furthering plans to launch globally in the future. While the company is targeting the New Jersey/New York area currently, the platform is available nationwide. “Our main goal now is to help the businesses we serve. It’s called ‘grow together.’ As our technology continues to evolve, we will lend a helping hand to businesses and deliver the technology they love now and will continue to love forever.”
For more information, visit https://www.gymble.us.
