Interviewed by Albana Muçaj
Lauren Foundos, an american entrepreneur of Albanian descent, left her Wall Street career to reconnect with her roots and take more meaningful steps in her journey. Her startup “FORTË”, which bridges sports with Tech, was recently acquired by Echelon Fitness, opening the way to a global scale.
In an interview with Va-Spas, Lauren shared insights about the Albanian name of her startup, which managed to win investors’ trust by securing $17 million in funding (before the acquisition), as well as the praise she received from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
Could you tell us a little about your journey as an entrepreneur? How did FORTE start and how did you manage to grow it?
I started FORTE because I wanted to combine two worlds I’ve always loved- sports/fitness and technology.
While working on Wall Street, my days were long and intense, and most nights were spent out with clients. I felt like I was losing my sense of self, so I got back to my roots as an athlete and dove headfirst into prioritizing fitness. I began taking clients to work out with me, and quickly discovered that many of them preferred that to going out for dinners and drinks. Soon I had a crew joining me nightly. As I became more immersed in the fitness industry, it was clear that little had changed over the course of my lifetime – the industry was ripe for disruption.
I knew the future of fitness would look different, and I wanted to help shape it. I didn’t want to be the person who later said, “I knew this was going to happen,” but never acted. After a decade on Wall Street, I realized I wanted to build something meaningful that could have a positive impact on people’s lives.
The idea behind FORTE was simple but powerful: bring the energy and accountability of live fitness classes into the digital world, and give gyms, brands, and sports teams the ability to reach far beyond their walls. I started conversations with fitness companies to test the idea — and to my surprise, they were interested. At first, I was intimidated because I didn’t know how to build a business, let alone a tech company. But I knew the world was about to evolve quickly, and I was determined to be part of driving that change.
I bootstrapped the company in the early days, convinced top investors and partners to believe in the vision, and built it into a platform that served gyms, studios, health clubs, and sports teams around the world. It grew step by step — first with small wins, then with larger partnerships — but always with persistence and belief in the mission.
Building a company in an industry you love makes the work feel less like work. FORTE made people’s lives better, healthier, and stronger, while also helping businesses thrive. I quickly realized that although my old job was lucrative, there is much more value in work that makes a difference in people’s daily lives.
The most important step in starting a company is simple: just do it. There will never be a perfect time. Get to work, learn as you go, and no matter where you end up, you’ll be better for it.
What were the main challenges in securing success, and where did you find the strength and support to overcome them?
Every startup faces challenges — fundraising, convincing people to take a chance on you, and competing against companies with far bigger budgets. There isn’t a startup or successful person in the world who had it easy or just “got lucky,” so get that out of your head. Behind every success story is hard work, perseverance, and countless ups and downs.
My best advice is to focus on small wins each day, and start your mornings by tackling the task you least want to do — everything feels easier after that. You can’t afford procrastination when building a company. If you stop or slow down, so does your business. Keep moving, even when it’s hard. There will be tough times, but if you keep working toward small wins, they will come, and momentum will shift. As I’ve said, the good times ebb and flow — be prepared to hear countless “no’s,” to face setbacks, and to find it a thousand times harder than you imagined. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.
For me, one of the hardest parts was being early to the market. The industry wasn’t ready for the innovation I was proposing. When I started FORTE, streaming workouts wasn’t mainstream, so it took relentless education and persistence. Then the pandemic hit, and gyms were forced to adopt technology. That helped grow the business, but it wasn’t the exciting growth story I had envisioned — it was born out of desperation, as businesses were just trying to survive.
I drew strength from my athletic background — the discipline, resilience, and mindset that when things get tough, you push harder. I leaned heavily on mentors, investors, and the incredible team that believed in the vision. And my Albanian heritage — especially my father, who immigrated to the U.S., went on to Harvard Business School, and built a business in the oil industry with his brother — was a constant reminder that challenges can be overcome with grit and determination. My father faced unimaginable obstacles, yet built something meaningful. That gave me the belief that I could do the same, and it fueled my determination to make this success and to make myself and my family proud.
What did FORTE achieve by the time it was sold? What are you most proud of?
By the time FORTE was acquired by Echelon Fitness in July 2025, we were powering the digital app experience for major global brands like UFC Gym, Curves, Exhale Spa, and many others worldwide. We created a turnkey hybrid solution that allowed gyms to reach members anytime, anywhere. I’m most proud of the fact that we built something that truly made a difference for the industry — and we did it as a relatively small startup competing with giants. To see our platform adopted at such scale, and to know we helped shape the future of fitness, is something I will always be proud of.
We raised over $17 million in venture capital from top investors including Elysian Park, Seventy Six Capital, R/GA Ventures, The W Fund, Golden Seeds, How Women Invest, the LA Dodgers, Billie Jean King (professional tennis player), Lance Bass (from NSYNC), Rosie Rios (former Treasurer of the United States), and Matthew Dellavedova (former NBA player on the championship Cavaliers), among many others. To have the support of these incredible investors and leaders in their respective fields was the greatest honor of my life.
A moment that left me absolutely speechless along my journey — and one I will never forget — was when Steve Wozniak (the co-founder of Apple) told me he was honored to meet me and that I had delivered a presentation that was “strong and thorough, like a top CEO.” That left me in awe, because his co-founder was Steve Jobs, the greatest visionary and salesman of all time.
📺 Watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/NpSI7Gs7ALM?si=o9eZZZjvvUY72lam
It’s easy, when you are deep in the grind, to forget to pause and appreciate how far you’ve come, or to recognize how wild these experiences really are. But it’s important to stop, tell yourself “good job,” and acknowledge the big wins and special moments. That’s what it’s all about. It’s not just about the destination — it’s about the journey.
Could you share some details about the sale? At what value was the business sold? Will you continue to be involved in it, and how is FORTE expected to develop further?
After an amazing decade-long journey, FORTË was acquired by Echelon Fitness, a leader in connected fitness in both the home and commercial markets. While I can’t disclose the financial details of the sale, we are extremely excited about this acquisition because it provides us with resources we never had before — including global film studios in Tennessee, Miami, and Dubai; home and commercial connected equipment lines; multiple software products; GLP-1 company; personal training platform, and much more.
Echelon has historically been a direct-to-consumer company, and they are now aggressively expanding into the B2B (business-to-business) market — which is why they acquired us. With FORTË now part of a larger ecosystem, our technology and vision have the opportunity to grow on an even bigger stage.
After the acquisition, I transitioned into the role of President at Echelon, where I am helping integrate FORTË’s technology, expand its reach, and lead all software product sales across the company. I am honored to be part of such an innovative team. The platform has been rebranded as Elevate by Echelon, and I believe the future is very bright — we are now able to deliver end-to-end, hybrid fitness solutions at scale, which was always the dream.
With your strong engagement in sports, which practices or qualities from athletics do you find equally valuable in business? Do you believe sports helped you in building the business?
Absolutely. Sports were the foundation of my mindset as an entrepreneur. As a Division I field hockey player, I learned the value of discipline, teamwork, and perseverance. In sports, you don’t win every game — but you learn from every single one. You learn to pick yourself up after a tough loss and get back out there, which is exactly what you need to do day after day as a founder.
That mindset translated directly into building a business: the ability to keep going when things are tough, to adapt strategy when something isn’t working, and to lead a team toward a common goal. You can’t win alone — building, leading, and collaborating with a team are crucial to success, and those are fundamental skills you develop as an athlete in team sports. Sports also gave me confidence — the belief that if you put in the work, the results will follow.
Did you know that 94% of women in C-suite positions played sports, many at the collegiate level? This highlights a strong link between athletic experience and leadership success — the data absolutely backs it up.
What are your future plans? Have you maintained ties with Albania, or do you intend to?
For now, I am focused on my new role at Echelon, as well as continuing to grow Elevate (formerly FORTË) and driving innovation in the fitness and wellness industry. I am excited about the new product lines we are announcing at Echelon and truly believe we can provide brands with an integrated, end-to-end experience — one that meets customers where they are and uses technology to enhance their lives well beyond the gym, especially as consumers are now more focused on overall wellness.
Beyond business, I’m passionate about using my experience to mentor and support the next generation of entrepreneurs and athletes. I try to answer every message I receive and make time to support others. I know what it’s like to get started and how valuable strong mentors and good advice can be, so I make it a point to pay it forward — within the Albanian community, with students at my alma mater, the University of Maryland, and whenever the opportunity arises. My parents have been an incredible example to me. They are selfless within our Albanian community, at church, and across all the organizations they support. They are my role models, and now that I’m older, I realize how fortunate I am to have had them as examples throughout my life. My Albanian heritage is a big part of who I am, and I’m very proud of it. As you know, FORTË (or i fortë) means “strong” in Albanian. The name of my company is a tribute to my parents’ homeland, to my heritage, and to the strong people of Albania. I’ve maintained connections with the Albanian community in the U.S. and abroad, and I strive to always stay engaged and contribute wherever I can. I believe there are so many opportunities to support Albanian youth — in sports, business, and technology.
Being Albanian-American, to me, means we outwork everyone around us, we never take for granted the opportunities we’ve been given, and we approach life with the mindset that failure is not an option. I think most Albanian-Americans would agree with that.
I am also excited to have more time for family and friends, because at the end of the day, the most important thing in life is the people you love and the ones who surround you.
What message would you like to share with those who want to enter the business world, especially with young entrepreneurs running startups who aim to expand into international markets?
My advice is simple: believe in yourself and don’t give up. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. No one knows your company better than you, so trust your experience — you spend every day thinking about the problem you are trying to solve. Building a business is never easy, but persistence is often the difference between success and failure. Surround yourself with people who inspire you, stay disciplined, and don’t be afraid to take risks. And remember, it’s not about how many times you fall down — it’s about how many times you get back up.
For Albanian entrepreneurs especially, know that your background, your resilience, and your culture are all strengths. Use them to fuel your journey, and aim big — because the world is waiting for your ideas.
