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§ Private Profile · New York City, NY, USA
Playbook is a technology company.
Playbook has raised $48.5M across 8 funding rounds.
Key people at Playbook.
Playbook has raised $48.5M in total across 8 funding rounds.
Playbook offers an all-in-one media management solution, providing creative professionals a centralized hub to store, search, and collaborate on photos, videos, and design files. Functioning as an integrated file, cloud, and collaboration system tailored for designers and creative teams, it streamlines workflows and enhances digital asset management efficiency.
Co-founded by CEO Jessica Ko and CTO Alex Zirbel, Playbook began in 2019. Their insight stemmed from frustrations with inefficient digital file management. They identified a need for an intuitive, integrated platform to simplify asset organization and foster seamless collaboration, drawing on their experience with creative workflow challenges.
The platform serves artists and designers, equipping them with tools for effective digital asset organization. Playbook aims to be the essential central workspace where creative teams efficiently manage projects, share ideas, and execute their artistic visions. The company envisions professionals freed from tedious file management, allowing deeper focus on innovation and creative output.
Key people at Playbook.
Playbook has raised $48.5M in total across 8 funding rounds.
Playbook's investors include Telstra Ventures, Atomic, Kevin Zhang, Founders Fund, Bradley Horowitz, Elad Gil, Abstract Ventures, Blank Ventures, Hyphen Capital, Maple VC, 500 Startups, Jack Abraham.
Playbook has raised $48.5M across 8 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $7.0M Series A in March 2023.
Playbook is a mobile SaaS platform empowering fitness trainers, athletes, and coaches in the creator economy to monetize their expertise through branded apps offering workout programs, challenges, and subscriptions.[2][4] It serves creators by providing tools to build, customize, and scale personal training businesses directly from their iPhone or laptop, solving the problem of turning iPhone-shot content into recurring revenue streams while retaining 80% of earnings (minus processing fees).[2][4] With thousands of creators onboard and a focus on seamless user experiences, Playbook has achieved strong growth in the fitness subscription space since its 2017 founding in New York.[2][4]
(Note: Multiple entities share the "Playbook" name, including a gig-worker training app acquired in 2023[1] and a media management platform for creatives.[5][6] This profile centers on the prominent fitness creator platform based on its scale, visibility, and alignment with tech startup dynamics.[2][4])
Founded in 2017 and headquartered in New York with around 50 employees, Playbook emerged to address the gap in the burgeoning creator economy for fitness professionals lacking easy tools to package and sell their content.[2] The idea stemmed from recognizing how trainers could leverage mobile video content for subscriptions, evolving from basic SaaS into a full-service platform with marketing support, branded apps, and revenue-sharing economics.[4] Early traction came from enabling creators to launch professional-looking apps quickly, helping thousands build "dream businesses" through features like program builders and sales pages, with onsite NYC offices fostering a collaborative culture.[2][4]
Playbook rides the creator economy wave, particularly in fitness where social media influencers and trainers seek direct monetization amid platform algorithm shifts and subscription fatigue on apps like Instagram or YouTube.[2][4] Timing aligns with post-pandemic fitness booms and mobile-first content creation, fueled by market forces like rising demand for personalized, on-demand workouts (e.g., Peloton alternatives) and creator tools from companies like Patreon or Substack.[4] It influences the ecosystem by democratizing app development for non-technical fitness pros, boosting niche subscription models and reducing reliance on big tech gatekeepers.[2]
Playbook is poised to expand as AI enhances content personalization (e.g., adaptive workouts) and global fitness markets grow, potentially integrating more e-commerce or community features to deepen creator retention.[4] Trends like short-form video dominance and Web3 ownership will shape its path, evolving its influence from fitness niche to broader athletic/ wellness creators. With its revenue model tying growth to user success, Playbook could solidify as a top "business-in-your-pocket" enabler, amplifying the shift where creators bypass traditional gyms for scalable digital empires.[2][4]
