"Freezing churn with biohacking" - Daniel Donhauser, Founder & CEO, MAIKAI

🔥 What's in this episode?

Only 15% churn rate compared to the industry average of 25% - this is how Maikai is transforming member retention through innovative biohacking services. In this episode, Daniel Donhauser (Founder of Maikai and former CCO of EGYM) reveals how integrating cryotherapy and other longevity treatments creates higher customer lifetime value while requiring less space and staff than traditional gym offerings. Discover how they're achieving remarkable retention rates through a health-first approach that bridges the gap between fitness and preventative wellness.

🎤 About our guest:

Daniel Donhauser is the Founder of Maikai, a boutique gym chain with seven locations specializing in yoga, boot camps, and biohacking services. He previously served as Chief Commercial Officer at EGYM (now a unicorn company) for four years. Under his leadership, Maikai has expanded into the longevity space, partnering with Biogena to create medical day spas focused on personal health and holistic well-being across 10 locations in Austria and Germany, with plans for further expansion.

🎯 What you'll learn

[03:27] How COVID lockdowns sparked the pivot to biohacking services as a survival strategy

[04:50] Why cryotherapy memberships yield similar revenue to gym memberships while requiring only 10 square meters of space and minimal staff

[06:55] The surprising retention advantage of biohacking treatments - customers have difficulty evaluating effectiveness, leading to lower churn

[09:56] Customer demographics - 80% overlap between traditional gym members and biohacking clients, with core audience being women 45+

[11:26] The Biogena Plaza concept - creating an integrated customer journey combining medical diagnostics, supplements, and biohacking treatments

[13:55] Major challenges in the European biohacking market - gaining doctor endorsements and educating consumers

[19:22] The future of fitness tech - AI-powered exercise guidance and advanced wearables that trigger proactive health interventions

📌 Links & resources

Maikai: https://maikaionline.com/en/wellness/fitness

Connect with Daniel Donhauser: https://at.linkedin.com/in/daniel-donhauser-a581023a

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