Connecting the world by simulating it
Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals
Updated Jul 29, 2026
IRL Studios Inc. (doing business as Gym Class) is a 2021 San Francisco-based social VR sports platform that started as a Quest basketball game and expanded into baseball, boxing, football, paintball, soccer, and mobile. It is free-to-play with premium bundles/season passes, has NBA and MLB licensing, and is publicly backed by a16z, Y Combinator, and sports/athlete investors. Public materials do not show a current CEO; Matthew Harris is the co-founder/CEO in earlier materials, while current public leadership centers on Paul Katsen, Justin Hubert, Erik Hazzard, and Pierre-Arjun Dalaya.
Primary product
Gym Class — a social VR sports game/platform for Meta Quest and mobile
Founded
2021
Headquarters
2261 Market Street STE 5119, San Francisco, CA 94114, United States
Team size
10-20
Work style
Remote
Industry
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Mobile Gaming Apps
Sub-industry
VR sports / social VR gaming
Offices
Business model
Stage
Seed
Total raised
$8.1M
Latest round
Seed VC · Aug 2022
Latest amount
$8M
Aug 2022 · Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
Mar 2022
Leadership
Co-founder
Co-founder
CTO
Lead AI Gameplay & Systems Engineer
Founders
Co-founder & CEO (through Jun 2025)
Investors
Fast-moving, high-ownership, feedback-heavy team that ships quickly and works closely with leadership. The public pitch emphasizes consumer social + gaming + AI, with immediate community feedback and rapid iteration.
Work style
Remote
Compensation
Public job posts show roughly $170K-$240K for Design Engineer roles and $200K-$250K for Principal Product Manager / GM roles, plus equity. Benefits listed publicly include medical, dental, vision, and 401(k) matching.
Benefits
Pricing
Free-to-play base app with paid in-app bundles, premium content, and season passes; MLB Bundle starts at $19.99.
Differentiators
Technology
Customers
Competitors
Estimated revenue
approximately $3.5M-$6M ARR (public third-party estimates vary widely)
Gym Class Blog · Jun 2025
Official announcement of the MLB Bundle, including 30 MLB-branded ballparks, official uniforms, progression rewards, and a starting price of $19.99. The post also reiterates the company’s 2021 founding and free-to-play model.
Meta Quest Blog · Jun 2025
Meta’s blog highlights the official MLB Bundle and a new NBA Playoffs 2025 Pass, underscoring Gym Class’s licensed sports content strategy and premium in-app monetization.
Sports Business Journal · Jun 2025
Reports the MLB licensing deal, notes the game’s scale, and says the baseball community had reached over 150,000 active monthly members.
TechCrunch · Aug 2022
TechCrunch covers the seed round and early growth, including additional angel backers and the company’s early TikTok-driven traction.
BusinessWire · Aug 2022
Official seed-round announcement: $8 million led by a16z with YC participation; describes Gym Class as a leading VR basketball app with nearly one million downloads at the time.