• LivWell Ventures led the round; additional investors include Keller Capital, Brett Hurt of Hurt Family Investments and former Co-Founder & CEO of Bazaarvoice, NFL wide receiver Danny Amendola and Co-Founder & CEO of Athletic Brewing Bill Shufelt
• Premier digital fitness experience delivers weekly comprehensive strength training programs with video demonstrations, in-your-ear coaching, and precise timing and pacing
• Women’s Health named Ladder the 2021 Best Strength Training Fitness App and the 2021 Best Fitness Community

Ladder, a strength training app that delivers comprehensive programming for people who are passionate about fitness but need help planning their workouts, announced today the closing of $6.5 million in seed funding, led by LivWell Ventures. Additional investors include Keller Capital, Brett Hurt of Hurt Family Investments and former Co-Founder & CEO of Bazaarvoice, NFL wide receiver Danny Amendola and Co-Founder & CEO of Athletic Brewing Bill Shufelt.

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Ladder member experience featuring the Body & Bell team led by Coach Lauren Kanski. Homescreen, Team Chat and Apple Watch experience. (Photo: Business Wire)

The fitness app landscape is crowded and focuses on casual fitness and choose-your-own-adventure playlists of workouts. Ladder is built for people who are motivated to maintain a consistent training routine but don't have the time or the expertise to plan their own workouts each day.

Ladder removes the guesswork and time it takes to plan and maintain a progressive strength training routine while still offering a variety of coaches and training styles. And unlike other fitness apps, the experience is designed for members to follow a single program, which delivers daily workouts that are always fresh and thoughtfully designed by an expert coach.

The company will use the funds to launch additional programs — such as the recently launched Boundless program, coached by New York Times bestselling author and fitness guru Ben Greenfield — while accelerating research and development, hiring and marketing.

A Solution for Shifting Consumer Behavior

While many of Ladder's members use the app to plan their workouts back in the gym, the company has observed a significant trend of former gym goers realizing they can maintain a strength routine at home with Ladder. Using only minimal equipment purchased during quarantine and the Ladder app, users get the same level of intensity and workout results without the commute.

One Ladder member commented, “During Covid, gyms shut down, and the gym used to be my primary method of working out. With Ladder, I literally would work out on the sidewalk with kettlebells and rubber bands. The biggest change is that I no longer need a gym, which I love, and I’ll continue to work out this way.”

“Ladder gives our members everything they need for efficient strength training to achieve their fitness goals,” said Greg Stewart, Ladder CEO. “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.”

Ladder is a mobile-first product that’s always with you, anytime, anywhere. With an experience specifically designed for strength training, with video demonstrations of every movement, in-your-ear coaching, and precise timing and pacing for each workout, Ladder is the premier digital fitness experience.

While the experience is comparable to personal training, Ladder is a far more affordable option, with monthly subscription options as low as $39 per month (compared to around $100 or more per individual session).

Women’s Health recently recognized the power of Ladder, awarding the product both 2021’s Best Strength Training Fitness App and 2021’s Best Fitness Community.

The Future of Fitness Combines Expert Programming with Social Experiences

The most unexpected benefit of Ladder? Meeting new friends! The Ladder app fosters real accountability through intentionally designed social experiences with other Ladder members who share a passion for fitness.

On Instagram, Ladder member Jenn Lohmann captured how the app changed her approach to fitness: “If you told me a year ago a fitness app would open me up to meeting new people I would have laughed. A fitness app that is about much more than just your workouts, it’s a community of people rooting you on and encouraging you to keep showing up for yourself. So thankful to have met these amazing women I get to call friends.”

“We have a lot of exciting things coming soon, but right now, we are relentlessly focused on our members, what we are learning from them and how we can deliver the greatest training experience possible, which includes the strongest, most authentic community of people who all share a passion for fitness and want to support each other,” Stewart said.

Ladder’s training programs, expert coaches, revolutionary workout experience and thriving communities help members stay consistent and see real results. Some 94% of Ladder members have made Ladder their primary or only training program, with members completing an average of over four Ladder workouts per week.

Investor Perspectives on the $6.5 Million Seed Funding Round

“Ladder fits in perfectly with our investment theme of challenging industry norms,” said Livwell Ventures founder Doss Cunningham, who also serves as the chairman and CEO of Nutrabolt, the world’s largest independently owned sports nutrition platform. “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.”

About Ladder

Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Ladder is a strength training app for people passionate about fitness that includes expertly designed weekly programming, a variety of coaches and training styles to choose from and a premier fitness experience. The Ladder app delivers the benefits of personal training in a simple, flexible and affordable way that doesn’t sacrifice results and at a fraction of the cost. Try it completely free for 7 days, no credit card required. Learn more at joinladder.com.

About LivWell Ventures

LivWell Ventures is a family office venture firm championing health, performance and wellness. We invest in a spectrum of visionary better-for-you brands across consumables and technology. We partner with passionate entrepreneurs who live their brands, fueling business with our unique advantage, experience and insight to help people Live Well. Learn more at livwell.vc.

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