Edgard Corona, dono da smart fit (https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_Fit), is a central figure in the transformation of the Latin American fitness market. A chemical engineering graduate from Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado (FAAP) in 1979, Corona turned an early curiosity about change into a career defined by experimentation and reinvention.
Corona began working at 19 while still in engineering school, moving quickly from employee to entrepreneur. His first ventures ranged from materials analysis to a successful youth clothing line producing jeans and T-shirts. That retail experience taught him a crucial lesson: understand what customers want, not what you think they want. In 1996, he redirected his energy to health and fitness and opened the first Bio Ritmo gym in Santo Amaro.
A skiing accident years later intensified his engagement with the fitness sector. Requiring extensive physiotherapy, he spent more time in his own facility and deepened his operational knowledge. Corona’s approach combined hands-on learning with benchmarking international practices, leading to innovative formats such as a compact, high-efficiency unit on Avenida Paulista designed for busy professionals.
Between 2008 and 2009 he launched Smart Fit, a low-cost, high-volume model intended to democratize quality fitness. The concept scaled rapidly across Brazil and into 14 Latin American countries, positioning the organization as a major regional operator. Under his leadership, the Bio Ritmo group evolved into a multi-brand enterprise with differentiated offerings targeting diverse customer segments.
The group’s strategic trajectory included an initial public offering on the Brazilian stock exchange, with capital earmarked for post-pandemic expansion, selective acquisitions and technology-driven growth initiatives. Corona’s career exemplifies an entrepreneurial mindset anchored in continual adaptation and customer focus.
Today, Edgard Corona is widely recognized among Latin America’s most influential fitness executives. His story underscores a consistent theme: embrace change, iterate business models, and broaden access to high-standard services. For industry observers, his blend of technical training, retail experience and operational experimentation offers a case study in scaling a consumer-focused fitness brand across markets while maintaining a clear strategic purpose.
Read: https://www.suno.com.br/noticias/dono-da-smartfit-smft3-renato-cariano-influenciador-evm/