Wheelhouse is adding muscle to its fitness business by investing in CLMBR, the new in-home, vertical climbing machine with on-demand, instructor-led classes that's backed by music titans like Jay-Z and Pitbull, athletes including tennis great Novak Djokovic, and YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley.
In addition to its financial stake, Wheelhouse will also partner with CLMBR in 2021 to help market the cardio and strength machine via special events to be held at the "Wheelhouses" in New York and Los Angeles when safe social gatherings can resume. Wheelhouse's investment in CLMBR follows its 2019 investments in live rowing machine Hydrow and men's activewear brand Rhone.
Part of the Wheelhouse group – including content and production division Wheelhouse Entertainment, in-house brand and marketing agency Wheelhouse Labs, investment arm Wheelhouse Partners, and real estate division Wheelhouse Properties – the club-inspired Wheelhouses feature exclusive yet relaxed environments where creators and entrepreneurs can mix with celebrities, athletes, musicians and business leaders, creating a forum for ideas to flourish and, potentially, meet opportunity.
Wheelhouse CEO Brent Montgomery and CLMBR Founder and CEO Avrum Elmakis made today's announcement jointly.
"If this year has shown us anything, it's that there is real upside in rethinking what we do at 'home,' and that applies to working out and even how we now see 'the gym,'" said Montgomery. "People have shown amazing resilience and willingness to adapt to changing paradigms, and we think CLMBR taps this sensibility perfectly. It's a killer, ultra-efficient workout that we believe has staying power for a new age of fitness and wellness, and it complements our investment strategy in this space."
"We're excited to partner with Wheelhouse as the at-home fitness market continues to accelerate," said Elmakis. "We're thrilled that Brent and the team have been able to dive in and get to work immediately to help us reach our goals and further develop our creative presence. We're also looking forward to working together for our special events at the Wheelhouses in NYC and LA to showcase CLMBR to our customers and other business leaders when safe social gatherings are possible."
About Wheelhouse:
Wheelhouse was launched in 2018 by award-winning producer and entrepreneur Brent Montgomery, in partnership with Jimmy Kimmel. A one-stop shop for content, talent, brands, entrepreneurs and investors, Wheelhouse Group harnesses business and programming opportunities across industries and platforms, helping companies and creators accelerate and manage their ventures. The company consists of four businesses: content and production division Wheelhouse Entertainment (WHE); marketing arm Wheelhouse Labs; investment arm Wheelhouse Partners; and Wheelhouse Properties.
WHE includes Kimmelot, Kimmel's creative lab for developing and producing television, digital platforms, mobile applications and products (ABC's Emmy-winning Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear's All in the Family and The Jeffersons; Comedy Central's Crank Yankers); premium film/TV company Campfire (HBO Max's Heaven's Gate, Netflix's The Innocent Man); live entertainment and production giant Den of Thieves (MTV Video Music Awards); award-winning, digital content studio Portal A (YouTube Rewind); as well as Wheelhouse's own production label Spoke Studios (Assembly Required (w/t) with Tim Allen; Compton Cowboys, I Quit). Wheelhouse's marketing division, Wheelhouse Labs, serves as the company's in-house creative and branding agency. Wheelhouse also maintains media partnerships with talent/brands including Kevin Hart's comedy and multi-platform entertainment company LOL; musician/actor/producer Adam Levine and his 222 Productions; TikTok/digital content-creator collective Hype House; actor and producer Zachary Quinto (Star Trek, Margin Call) and others. Wheelhouse has also partnered, acquired and/or invested in numerous companies and start-ups, including Rhone, premium activewear engineered for men; live outdoor rower Hydrow; culinary community Food52; children's multiplatform media companies GoldieBlox, pocket.watch, and Literati; premium dog food brand Jinx; and others in process across various industries. To learn more, please visit www.wheel-house.com. Montgomery serves as CEO of Wheelhouse.
About CLMBR:
CLMBR, an ergonomic and innovative vertical climbing machine, was launched by entrepreneur Avrum Elmakis. It's the first vertical climber to feature a large-format touch display with on-demand, instructor-led classes. CLMBR's patent-pending design has a high-quality build, a low level of required maintenance, and is easy to move – making it perfect for commercial or at-home use. The machine is beautiful with an open structural design that leaves the user's views unobstructed, supporting a natural athletic posture. It also offers the latest user interface technology and state-of-the-art companion app that provides on-demand climbing classes and displays key metrics to maximize the user's experience, including the vertical feet they have climbed and the workout targets they have reached. Unlike traditional climbing machines, CLMBR reaches for new heights and is ideal for any modern user. With zero impact, the machine is safe for most ages and levels of ability. To pre-order and learn more, please visit www.clmbr.com. Elmakis serves as CEO of CLMBR.
