Climbing District Raises €10M

Climbing District is scaling to new heights.

What’s happening: The French indoor climbing gym secured a €10M Series A extension from Pléiade Venture and 123 Investment Managers. Adding to a €5M raise in 2021, it will add three Parisian clubs to reach eight and open locations in Milan and London.

Designed around “la grimpe, le kiff, le taf” (the climb, the fun, the work), the family-friendly concept integrates climbing (bouldering and route), catering, coworking, yoga and Pilates, as well as social events like chess matches, DJ nights and film festivals.

French connection. As social fitness and wellness take off, Henri d’Anterroches, who co-founded Climbing District in 2019 with CEO Antoine Paulhac, believes community is at the heart of the business.

“Bringing communities together is the very essence of the Climbing District. We design spaces and offer an experience, services and content that strengthen social bonds in the city. We defend a society of ‘care’, of attention to others.”

Pitching in. Globally, climbing gyms are on the up. Bolstered by the sport’s inclusion in the Paris Olympics, France’s 2M participants and ~250 facilities are expected to climb.

• Climb Up, featuring coworking, fitness and spa spaces, has plans to scale from 30 to 100 clubs.
• With 24 clubs in France, Belgium and Spain, and nine in development, Arkose balances climbing with lifestyle services including alternative medicine.
• Running 14 gyms – with eight in the pipeline by 2025 – Vertical’Art champions after-work and family meet-ups alongside strength, cardio, sauna and yoga zones.

Takeaway: As demand grows for holistic hubs with fitness, recovery and wellness under one roof, indoor climbing clubs are leveraging the momentum. Positioning themselves as neighbourhood hangouts that tick all the well-being boxes, these all-in-one climbing centres aim to be the go-to third place beyond work and home.