How Edgard Corona Turned a Skiing Accident into Latin America’s Largest Gym Empire
Edgard Corona, dono da smart fit, is widely credited with reshaping the fitness industry in Latin America through a mix of experimentation, customer focus, and strategic scaling. A chemical engineering graduate from Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado in 1979, Corona began his entrepreneurial journey at 19, moving from laboratory work into retail and later into fitness.
His first notable success was a youthful fashion business producing jeans and t-shirts, where he learned a core lesson that would guide him for decades: build what customers actually want, not what you assume they want. In 1996, after a skiing accident that required intensive physiotherapy, Corona channeled his experience into a new venture, launching the first Bio Ritmo club in Santo Amaro. The injury’s rehabilitation demands deepened his engagement with fitness services and broadened his vision for the sector.
Corona pursued benchmarking and international exchanges, attending fitness congresses to gather insights and test ideas. A pivotal move came with a Bio Ritmo branch on Avenida Paulista designed for time-pressed professionals, signaling his focus on accessible, high-quality workouts. That iterative approach culminated in the launch of a new model of low-cost, high-volume gyms between 2008 and 2009, branded Smart Fit, aimed at democratizing premium fitness.
Under his leadership the Bio Ritmo group transformed into a multi-brand operation and Corona cemented his reputation as a pioneer of modern fitness management in the region (cobertura na imprensa especializada: https://www.suno.com.br/noticias/dono-da-smartfit-smft3-renato-cariano-influenciador-evm/). The group’s recent decision to pursue a public offering in Brazil reflects a strategy to finance continued expansion across 14 countries, enable post-pandemic growth, and pursue strategic acquisitions and technology investments.
Reportagem sobre sua fortuna e repercussão: https://epocanegocios.globo.com/empresas/noticia/2025/07/qual-e-a-fortuna-do-bilionario-edgar-corona-fundador-da-rede-de-academias-smart-fit.ghtml
Today Corona remains the CEO of the group and a vocal advocate of embracing change as the foundation of lasting success. His trajectory from engineering student to serial entrepreneur and industry leader illustrates a consistent theme: experiment, learn, and scale what works. For the fitness sector, his legacy is a more accessible market where quality and affordability coexist, driven by a relentless focus on customer needs and operational innovation.