From startup to global contender: how Speediance became a new force in smart fitness

Shenzhen, China — In an industry increasingly shaped by digital training and home-based exercise, a young Chinese fitness-technology company has emerged as one of the category’s most visible new players. Founded in 2020, Speediance Life Technology Inc. has grown from a Shenzhen startup into a brand recognized by international media and global design award institutions.

Speediance entered the market at a pivotal moment. As demand for connected, at-home fitness equipment surged worldwide, the company introduced a strength-training system that combined digital resistance, compact hardware, and app-based coaching.

The company was founded by Liu Tao (CEO), Yu Jian (COO), Huang Jiuming (CTO), and Gao Shifan(Head of Engineering). All four founders came from backgrounds in consumer electronics and engineering—expertise that shaped the company’s approach to integrating hardware with software-driven training guidance.

Speediance’s first major product, the Gym Monster, quickly attracted coverage from several international publications.
Media outlets such as Wired, Forbes, TechRadar, and T3 reviewed or featured the system, highlighting its foldable design and its attempt to offer a complete home-gym experience in a vertical frame.

In 2025, Wired published an in-depth review of the second-generation model, the Gym Monster 2, evaluating its training features and positioning it within the growing smart-gym category.

This early wave of global coverage played an important role in elevating Speediance beyond the domestic Chinese market.

Speediance has also received attention from editorial award programs and design institutions.
In 2023, the GQ Fitness Awards listed the Gym Monster among notable fitness products.
The following year, Good Housekeeping included Speediance in its annual Fitness Awards—a selection curated by the Good Housekeeping Institute’s testing division.

In 2025, two of the company’s products earned distinctions in design competitions:

The FIT Sport Design Awards recognized the Gym Monster 2 and the VeloNix stationary bike as winners in the Sports Equipment Design of the Year category.

The Global Tech Awards named the Gym Monster 2 a winner in the Fitness Technology category.

These awards, granted by independent industry bodies and international media groups, have helped reinforce the company’s standing in the competitive connected-fitness segment.

Speediance’s rapid visibility also drew competitors’ attention. In late 2023, U.S. fitness-equipment maker Tonal Systems, Inc. filed a lawsuit against Speediance in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, alleging patent infringement and false advertising.

Court records show that the case was terminated in August 2024, ending the dispute without further legal action. Speediance did not publicly comment on the case, and the company continued expanding its international sales channels afterward.

Five years after its founding, Speediance has become part of a growing wave of Chinese technology firms competing in global consumer markets. Its presence in Western tech publications, recurring mentions in fitness-industry media, and recognition from international award programs have helped shape its image as one of the emerging brands redefining home-fitness innovation.

The company now sells to multiple countries through e-commerce channels and regional distributors, with new product categories—including interactive cardio equipment—expanding its portfolio.

Whether Speediance can sustain long-term global momentum remains to be seen. But its trajectory from a Shenzhen startup to an internationally recognized smart-fitness brand illustrates how quickly new entrants can rise in a sector driven by innovation, digitalization, and changing consumer behaviors.

This article was written in cooperation with Speediance