Challenge: Translate an experiential product concept into a competitive commercial offer.
Hydrow™ founder and CEO Bruce Smith was a former USA Rowing national team coach with a vision: bring the authentic feel of rowing on water into off-water locations.
Solution: A connected rowing machine disguised as a piece of beautiful home sculpture.
The sculptural design of Hydrow stands apart in a category where the rugged chassis of most machines announces their utilitarian role. With its signature cast-aluminum top rail and slender profile, the machine is immediately inviting and approachable. The absence of the resistance flywheel creates an airy space for the rower to sit while they orient the seat, screen, and rowing handles and adjust their headsets. Once rowing, the sleek shape of the platform and the immediacy of the on-screen trainer quickly simulate the experience of gliding on water. Like a beautiful piece of furniture, the elegant Hydrow rower is a next-generation fitness solution that is at home at home.
Impact: Crowdfunding goals surpassed in minutes; equity funding secured soon thereafter.
The Hydrow™ Live Outdoor Reality™ rower debuted on Indiegogo to rave reviews. Trending immediately, it surpassed its $100,000 funding goal in just 4 minutes. Since then, the Hydrow crowdfunding campaign has raised over $1 million from over 1,000 backers. Favorably reviewed as the “Peloton for rowing,” Hydrow has been widely featured in mainstream media, including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Business Insider, Fast Company, and more.
In early February 2019, Hydrow announced $20m+ in growth equity funding from L Catterton, the private equity firm behind many of the world’s best-known, high-growth consumer and fitness startups, including Peloton, ClassPass, Equinox, and CorePower Yoga.
“Wow. This is my dream brought to life. What I had hoped for and then some!”
– Bruce Smith, Founder & CEO / Hydrow™
– Bruce Smith, Founder & CEO / Hydrow™
