In the fitness world, training remains a priority, but recovery lags behind. Amy Brown, founder and CEO of Rollgevity, knows this because she’s been running fitness and wellness studios for more than a decade. Professionally, she saw people struggle to care for their muscles and mobility consistently. Personally, she watched her mother lose mobility over time.

“There are so many downstream effects when you’re not consistently taking care of your body,” Brown says. “I’ve seen people go through that. Not necessarily that they didn’t want to take care of their body; they just didn’t have the guidance or the tools.”

In 2024, Brown created Rollgevity, an automated full-body roller massage system. Using motorized wooden rollers and infrared heat, the machine supports myofascial release, lymphatic flow and circulation, and reduces muscle tension to help improve mobility, recovery and overall body care, according to Brown.

In recent years, the shift from a “no pain, no gain” mentality to focus on longevity and post-workout recovery has taken off, with commercial gym chains and fitness studios integrating cold plunge tubs and saunas. Brown knows the benefits of recovery tools, she says, but years of using existing machines have exposed limitations in their quality and usability.

What sets Rollgevity apart, she says, is software-controlled speed and direction, guided programs and customizable sessions where users can operate the machine without needing a staff member to walk them through it.

To start, the team is bringing Rollgevity into commercial environments. Markets include premium fitness and wellness studios, hotels and spas, performance and recovery centers, and corporate wellness, to name a few. Once the manufacturing and the commercial model are established, Brown sees an opportunity for the home market.

Rollgevity will officially debut at Beyond Activ Americas, a trade show in Dallas in November. The Sacramento-based startup was selected in the 2026 cohort of FourthWave, an accelerator for women-led technology businesses. Rollgevity has been primarily founder-funded to date, along with a small friends-and-family raise. Brown plans to raise a pre-seed round early next year.

“As the founder of four boutique fitness studios, Amy knows firsthand what keeps clients coming back: personalization,” says Kaleen Canevari, an experienced founder, mechanical engineer and Brown’s advisor at FourthWave. “Delivering it is the hard part because it usually means more staff and more floor space.”

Canevari, who built Flexia, a smart Pilates equipment company, highlights how Rollgevity guides members through personalized sessions with no therapist on hand while taking up less space than a cable machine.

“For studio owners trying to grow retention without growing payroll, that’s a rare combination,” she says, noting that recovery is one of the fastest-growing categories in fitness.

While some might see high-tech recovery tools as a shortcut to working out, Brown says Rollgevity complements strength training and supports people who can’t exercise intensely or move as much as they’d like.

“You can use it every day, and that consistency is really the point,” Brown says. “Fascia, mobility and lymphatic health aren’t things we should think about only when we’re sore or have time for a massage. Like movement, hydration or strength training, body care works best when it becomes part of a regular routine.”

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