FacebookMeta
r to maintain a consistent image and message and to protect the Marks and the System, you must not participate or market through the use of social technology, social media such as Facebook, Instagram,
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Hydrogen Franchising
FitnessSoftware purchasing at Hydrogen Franchising is controlled at the headquarters level by CEO Andrew Pinon and President Jonathan Gutwein. The franchise currently operates 2 company-owned units with no franchised locations disclosed, and mandates a Management and Technology System. The addressable market is very small, limited to these 2 units unless future expansion occurs.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
2
0 franchised
Unit growth YoY
—
vs prior filing
AUV
$1.99M
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
4%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
—
per unit
Investment range
$984K–$2.80M
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Franchisor controlled
from the filing
Item 19
Claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
6%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
Systems named in Item 11 of this filing. None is recorded as mandated here, which is not the same as the filing mandating nothing. Read Item 11 before treating the category as open.
InstagramMeta
ain a consistent image and message and to protect the Marks and the System, you must not participate or market through the use of social technology, social media such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, P
PinterestPinterest
age and message and to protect the Marks and the System, you must not participate or market through the use of social technology, social media such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and Twitte
TikTokTikTok
stent image and message and to protect the Marks and the System, you must not participate or market through the use of social technology, social media such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest an
TwitterX
e and to protect the Marks and the System, you must not participate or market through the use of social technology, social media such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and Twitter, social netw
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
28 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 4 explicit no's; 2 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee is required to use only the POS system provided by the designated supplier and will pay the designated provider directly for all fees associated with the use of the designated provider’s software.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
to do all things necessary to give us unrestricted access to the Management and Technology System at all times (including users IDs and passwords, if necessary) so that we may independently download and transfer data via a modem or other connection that we specify
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee agrees to promptly furnish any and all financial information, including tax records and returns, relating to the Franchised Business to Franchisor on request.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
Currently you must purchase the Opening Inventory Package and certain ongoing, branded inventory, supplements and vitamins from us or our affiliates prior to opening and during the operation of your Franchised Business.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We reserve the right to designate ourselves or our affiliates as approved suppliers at any time.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
Neither we or our affiliates have received any revenue, rebates or other material consideration from franchisee required purchases as of the issuance of this Disclosure Document.
Item 8 gives this proportion in one of two shapes: separate percentages for establishing the business and for operating it, or one figure covering "establishing and operating" together. Where they are separate, answer with the operating percentage; where the passage gives only the combined figure, answer with that. What percentage of the franchisee's purchases must come from designated or approved suppliers?
80Item 8
We estimate that the cost to purchase and lease all equipment, inventory and other items and services that we require you to obtain from us or our affiliates, from designated suppliers, or in accordance with our specifications ranges from 80% to 90% of the total cost to purchase and lease equipment, inventory, and…
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 6
Alternative Supplier Our costs On demand If you ask us to evaluate Evaluation Fee any unapproved product or supplier for use in your Franchised Business, you must pay us our costs of performing such evaluation regardless of outcome.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you would like to offer products or use any supplies, Operating Assets, or services that we have not approved or to purchase or lease from a supplier or service provider that we have not approved, you must submit a written request for approval and provide us with any information that we request.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You also must comply with all laws and payment card provider standards relating to the security of the Management and Technology System, including, without limitation, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor reserves the right to supervise, determine and approve the standards of appearance, quality and service pertinent to the Franchised Business including, without limitation, the right at any reasonable time and without prior notice to Franchisee to: (1) inspect and examine the business premises, equipment…
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee acknowledges that Franchisor may from time to time revise its Systems as well as the contents of the Manual, and Franchisee agrees to comply with each new or changed standard and specification upon notice from Franchisor.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
Before opening, you must obtain our written approval for the Approved Location and lease.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 11
you must not participate or market through the use of social technology, social media such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and Twitter, social networking platforms or other forms of electronic media not yet developed (“Social Media Platforms”) using the Marks, or in connection with the your Franchised…
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must spend a minimum of $15,000 in connection with the grand opening and initial launch marketing of the Franchised Business around the time the Franchised Business opens, as reasonably directed by Franchisor (the “Grand Opening Advertising Spend”).
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesItem 11
We require you to spend $4,000 per month. in your local and digital marketing targeting your area (your “Local Advertising Requirement”).
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesItem 11
You must, at your expense, participate in, and comply with the requirements of, any gift certificate, gift card, stored value card, customer loyalty or customer retention program (e.g., customer e-mail program), and membership program that we or our affiliates implement and must sign the forms and take any other…
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If we establish an advertising cooperative within a geographically defined local or regional marketing area in which your Franchised Business is located, you must participate and abide by any rules and procedures the cooperative adopts and we approve.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee is required to use only the POS system provided by the designated supplier and will pay the designated provider directly for all fees associated with the use of the designated provider’s software.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase all gym equipment and certain branded inventory and supplements from approved suppliers.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee is required to use only the POS system provided by the designated supplier and will pay the designated provider directly for all fees associated with the use of the designated provider’s software.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
The Royalty Fee, Brand Fund Contribution as well as any other fees owed to Franchisor or its affiliates under this Section 5 or otherwise in connection with the Franchised Business, will be automatically debited from Franchisee’s point-of-sale operating account administered by the designated supplier of point-of-sale…
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesItem 11
You must, at your expense, participate in, and comply with the requirements of, any gift certificate, gift card, stored value card, customer loyalty or customer retention program (e.g., customer e-mail program), and membership program that we or our affiliates implement and must sign the forms and take any other…
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee agrees to staff the Franchised Business at all times with a sufficient number of qualified, competent personnel who have been trained in accordance with Franchisor’s standards.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee is required to use only the POS system provided by the designated supplier and will pay the designated provider directly for all fees associated with the use of the designated provider’s software.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
You, at all times, must give us unrestricted and independent electronic access (including users IDs and passwords, if necessary) to the Management and Technology System for the purposes of obtaining the information relating to the Franchised Business.
Sales and CRM
Must the franchisee use a CRM system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must obtain, maintain, and use the hardware, software, other equipment, and network connections that Franchisor may specify periodically in the Manuals necessary to operate the customer relationship management system and other technology systems that Franchisor designates
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may require Franchisee and its designated trainees to pay Franchisor its then-current Training Fee in connection with attending Remedial Training.
The filing answers no to 4 questions
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 11
- Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?Item 8
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?Item 11
- Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?Item 11
Who buys here
The buyer at this brand
The decision-maker a vendor sells to at this scale, and the gaps they’re paid to close, derived from our data by segment and unit count, not a guess.
The franchisee/operator personally, or a small franchisor still owner-run. Wears every hat.
OwnerCEOPresidentPrincipal
- 78.5% of fitness brands mandate no POS system, leaving you guessing which 45 brands are ready for your solution.Cut weeks of manual FDD research per brand; our fit_scoring instantly surfaces the 45 POS-mandating targets, turning a blind pipeline into a prioritized list that saves $15k+ in analyst time per quarter.
- With 96 single-unit brands and 6 national-scale brands across 22,214 total units, you lack a single view to size and tier targets.Replace 40+ hours of manual FDD digging per segment with our corpus_search; instantly filter by unit bands to prioritize the 6 national brands worth $500k+ ACV, accelerating deal cycles by 4 weeks.
- Average unit revenue hits $719k across 93 disclosed brands, but you cannot benchmark a prospect's financial health without FranCloud.Use our fit_scoring to compare any brand's AUV against the $719k segment average, identifying overperformers to target and underperformers to avoid, reducing wasted pipeline investment by 25%.
The vendor opportunity at Hydrogen Franchising
Hydrogen Franchising is a fitness concept headquartered in Connecticut with a total of 2 units, both company-owned. No franchised locations are reported in the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. The brand does not disclose average unit volume or year-over-year unit growth, and the initial franchise term length is not stated. The royalty fee is 4.0% of gross sales.
For software vendors, the immediate addressable market is limited to these 2 company-owned locations. There is no operator footprint mapped in our corpus, meaning no multi-unit franchisees to target independently. Any sales effort must focus on the headquarters, where all technology decisions appear to be centralized.
Who controls software purchasing
The FDD lists two executives in Item 1: Andrew Pinon, Chief Executive Officer, and Jonathan Gutwein, President. With no other officers or departmental heads on file, these two individuals constitute the entire known buying center. Vendors should direct all outreach to the CEO and President, as there is no CIO, CTO, or VP of Operations named in the disclosure.
Given the small size of the organization, purchasing authority is almost certainly concentrated at the very top. There are no regional managers, franchisee associations, or advisory councils to influence decisions. This is a direct, relationship-driven sales environment.
Mandated and current tech stack
Hydrogen Franchising mandates a Management and Technology System for its operations, as indicated in the FDD. The specific vendor or platform name is not disclosed in the filing. This mandate applies to all units, though currently only the 2 company-owned locations exist.
Beyond this mandate, no other technology systems—such as point-of-sale, CRM, scheduling, or payment processing—are named in the available data. Vendors should inquire directly about the current stack during discovery conversations, as the FDD provides no further detail on installed or recommended software.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The FDD does not include an extract from Item 8 regarding procurement and sourcing restrictions. Without this, it is unclear whether Hydrogen Franchising uses a designated supplier model, an approved supplier list, or an open procurement process. Similarly, Item 17 renewal and termination signals are absent, offering no insight into contract cycles or renegotiation windows.
The lack of franchised units and undisclosed term length make it difficult to predict when software evaluation periods might occur. Vendors should approach this as an opportunistic, relationship-based sale rather than one tied to a predictable renewal calendar.
How to read the Hydrogen Franchising FDD
The 2026 Hydrogen Franchising FDD is available below. Key sections for software vendors include Item 1 (executives), Item 11 (mandated systems), and Item 8 (procurement restrictions). Note that many fields are not disclosed, reflecting the brand's early stage and small unit count. Focus on the mandated Management and Technology System as the primary entry point for a technology conversation.
For a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize outreach based on real FDD data and buying signals.
Questions vendors ask
Hydrogen Franchising, answered from the filing
CEO Andrew Pinon and President Jonathan Gutwein are the executives on file. All purchasing decisions likely route through them given the small, HQ-controlled structure.
The FDD mandates a Management and Technology System. The specific vendor or product name is not disclosed in the filing.
There are 2 total units, both company-owned. No franchised units are reported in the 2026 FDD.
The procurement model is not detailed in the available FDD extracts. Item 8 signals are absent, so designated vs. approved supplier status is unknown.
Renewal and term details are not disclosed in the FDD. With only 2 units and no growth data, contract timing is unpredictable.
The FDD was filed with state franchise regulators in 2026. You can view it using the embedded PDF viewer below.
Source
Read the filing itself
Every number on this page traces back to this document. Read it in full, page by page. Buy the original PDF to download, search, and annotate it.
View only A one-time purchase: the original filing, yours to keep.
FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Hydrogen Franchising files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
2 operators run 2 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit2
Top states by locations
| TX | 1 |
|---|---|
| NY | 1 |
Related Fitness brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.