Bintang is excited to announce our investment via BCP Asia Fund I in The Flow Studio—Malaysia’s leading pilates and yoga studio chain. Our investment in Flow is a significant milestone for Bintang Capital Partners’ journey in impact investing, representing the first female-founder and entrepreneur led company in our portfolio which reaffirms our commitment to the importance of gender lens investing.
In an era when rapid urbanisation and rising health concerns are reshaping wellness needs, Flow is pioneering a shift in Malaysia’s fitness landscape. Boutique fitness studios such as Flow’s are gaining popularity as the population seeks alternatives to traditional gyms. Flow’s tailored, community-oriented environment provides accessible fitness options that cater to the diverse needs of its clientele - including low-impact exercises for injury recovery to prenatal classes - making fitness inclusive for everyone across age spectrums from young children to the elderly. Low-impact training such as pilates and yoga have grown immensely popular and for good reason - it provides holistic benefits from strength and flexibility to mental wellness, whilst minimising injury risk. This demand is real: pilates was the most popular workout globally on ClassPass in 2023.
Founded by Tiffany Yow and Lachlan McComiskie, Flow is a leading player in Malaysia’s fitness scene, offering specialised reformer pilates and yoga classes across seven studios in Klang Valley, Penang, and Kota Kinabalu. Their classes cater to all fitness levels, ensuring members can progress at their own pace. Flow currently serves over 14,000 clients, serviced by a team of 40 in-house trained instructors (the majority of whom are women). The company offers internationally-accredited instructor certification programmes through National Academy of Sports Medicine ("NASM") and Athletics and Fitness Association of America ("AFAA"), thereby helping to meet the market’s demand for globally certified fitness professionals. Flow also hosts the annual Flow Festival, a wellness event aimed at promoting community health with over 800 participants each year.
The Bintang team is inspired by the trailblazing example set by Flow as a successful female-founded, female-led and female-controlled business in Malaysia. Flow’s shareholders, directors and management are also majority women, marking the company out as a unique company from a gender lens perspective. Furthermore, its instructor training/upskilling programmes as well as flexible employment arrangements are carefully designed to enable women including working mothers to re-enter and remain in the workforce. We are proud to back Tiffany Yow, who herself juggles multiple roles as mother, CEO and entrepreneur.
The Bintang team is looking forward to support Flow’s growth as an investee company, and we strongly believe in their mission to enhance community health and wellness across Malaysia and beyond.