Ladder Secures $6.5 Mln in Funding to Make Fitness Planning Easier for Busy Professionals

Ladder, a fitness startup based in Austin, has closed a $6.5 million seed funding round to facilitate access to provide busy millennial professionals with personalized strength training programs.

The funding round was led by LivWell Ventures with participation from Keller Capital; Brett Hurt, former Co-Founder & CEO of Bazaarvoice; Danny Amendola, NFL wide receiver; and Bill Shufel, Co-Founder & CEO of Athletic Brewing. The capital will accelerate Ladder’s development of new programs as well as its R&D, hiring, and marketing efforts. Doss Cunningham, Livwell Ventures founder, referred to the firm’s participation by stating:

“Ladder fits in perfectly with our investment theme of challenging industry norms. They have shown that the key to fitness consistency and ongoing progress isn’t just an expert coach and having a plan, but also the relationships and social experiences we build through working out together.”

Ladder was founded with the mission to provide fitness enthusiasts with a platform that allowed them to easily plan and maintain progressive training programs. The startup’s app achieves this by providing learning resources created by expert coaches, community support, and comprehensive strength training programs. Greg Stewart, Ladder CEO, said in this regard:

“Ladder gives our members everything they need for efficient strength training to achieve their fitness goals. Before Ladder, they were struggling to plan their own workout programs. As busy professionals juggling demanding careers and families, they lacked the time or expertise to plan their daily workouts. Settling instead for random online content or cardio-based apps that offer a buffet of workouts without any real roadmap, they were losing motivation, not seeing results, and wasting precious time.”

With the COVID19 pandemic disrupting the fitness habits of billions of people around the world, Ladder experienced rapid growth as users realized they could use the app to maintain a routine at home with minimal equipment. By providing an accessible experience similar to that of a personal trainer via its in-your-ear and timing/pacing coaching, the startup is looking to become a major player in the fitness industry, all while helping millions to keep healthy fitness habits.