Mohamed Eid

October 2024. One phone call.

I got a call from Karim Balsha , Chief Retail Officer of Ora Egypt

“I’ve been asked to include Elevate in the tendering process for fitness on the beach.”

At our first meeting, he told me he was meeting 2 or 3 other big names in the market. A globally recognized international brand was also an option.

He said: “This needs to be world class.”

Honestly, I thought he was bluffing.

I thought he was just putting pressure on us to bring our best offer.

And when I heard the global brand they were considering, I was a little demotivated.
Then he came with questions:

What do you have in mind? How much space do you need? What activities would you offer? How involved are you going to be? etc

That’s when I realized this wasn’t just a tender for a gym. There was an opportunity to build something much bigger.

For years, we had a vision of creating a full wellness beach destination on the North Coast. We had pitched it to three other developers before Ora Egypt

They all loved the idea, but none believed it was realistic to build something this ambitious on the beachfront in Sahel.

So after that first meeting, I didn’t even tell Omar El Sherbiny my partner. I didn’t want to get his hopes up. We had been there before.

For the next meeting, I came prepared.

A very specific vision. A long-term business plan. A mood board. A clear idea of the experience, programming, spaces and operations.

After several meetings, discussions, and negotiations with us and the other names in the market, I started realizing Karim wasn’t bluffing. The competition was real.

That was the moment everything changed.

I called Sherbiny and told him we had received a verbal confirmation, although nothing was signed yet. He got incredibly excited, supported the decision, reviewed the financial model with me, and we started building the plan.

On January 18, 2025, we told our team.

We were going to build what we believed could become Egypt’s first complete wellness beach club on the Mediterranean.

From that point on, Karim Balsha ‘s role changed. It was no longer pressure. It became support.

Support to make the vision real, keep pushing the standard, and ma

There’s a very specific feeling when something you’ve been building in your head for years is finally standing around you.

Still a lot to build. Still a lot to prove.

But every once in a while, it’s nice to sit down, look around, and realize how far the idea has come.

Elevate

For years, Elevate we’ve had this vision of building a full wellness beach club on the North Coast, like the ones we’ve seen in Bali, if not better.

We pitched it to many developers and faced rejection after rejection, especially because we had one condition we couldn’t let go of: training with a full sea view. Because what’s the point of being in Sahel if you can’t see the sea?

That was until Ora Egypt endorsed our dream. With the work of so many teams, different departments, and even different companies coming together, we were able to turn that dream into a reality.

Whether your vibe is functional training, Mat Pilates, Mega-Reformer, an open gym, or recovery and spa services, we’ve got it all covered, with the best coaching team in Egypt.

I present to you Elevate at full scale:

E Perform: Functional training classes: Strength, Hybrid, and more
E Form: Mega-Reformer, Mat Pilates, Mobility, and more
E Recover: Contrast Therapy, cold plunges, full spa access, and more
E Gym: Fully equipped open gym access
E You: Personal training

Today’s work shown in reverse order:

45 mins on Elevate mega-reformer (lower body & core focused class today), then 60 mins run @ easy pace 5:00-5:15 mins/km

This question goes to the people who have tried other premium fitness places in Egypt or abroad.

What’s different at elevate that you couldn’t get elsewhere, not what is just better, what do you think is actually different?

Your answer truly matters to us, please comment below if you know.

Usually people who enjoy being in shorts and athletic wear all day don’t like being tied up in suits.
I love both.