FORME to Acquire CLMBR, creating a High-growth, B2B Focused, Connected Fitness Platform

 Austin, TX – October 11, 2023 – Interactive Strength, Inc. d/b/a FORME (Nasdaq: TRNR), maker of premium smart home gyms and provider of virtual personal training services, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of CLMBR, Inc., the maker of the first-to-market connected vertical climber. 

Trent Ward, Co-Founder and CEO of FORME, said: “We believe this will be a transformational acquisition that can accelerate the Company’s commercialization path. Further, we believe the combination of these businesses can create tremendous value for all of our shareholders.” Ward continues, “We expect this transaction can help us achieve immediate scale across all of our cost centers, resulting in a high-growth, profitable platform that sells connected fitness equipment and digital fitness services across B2B and B2C channels.” 

“Climbing is hands down the safest, most efficient and effective full-body strength and cardio workout,” said Avrum Elmakis, the Founder of CLMBR. “I have seen firsthand how incredible the fitness results are from climbing, and I believe the opportunity for the climbing modality is massive, having just scratched the service of the potential market in the past couple years. By joining forces with the very talented team at FORME, and gaining access to the public capital markets, we will be able to help more people and achieve the long-term vision for CLMBR of providing an accessible, low-impact and highly effective workout experience.” 

Mr. Ward further remarked, “We are impressed with the business that Avrum and his team have created and are honored that he and his investors have chosen to partner with FORME. After selling thousands of the consumer version of the CLMBR machine over the past few years to a very engaged customer base, we have a shared vision to expand into the commercial and medical channels with the CLMBR 02, which started shipping this summer after almost a year of in-house testing, including implementing feedback from loyal customers in their Denver-based flagship group fitness location, Studio CLMBR. By partnering with WOODWAY for sales and distribution, we believe Avrum selected the best possible go-to-market option for CLMBR given WOODWAY’s experienced domestic and international sales teams and the brand’s reputation for the highest quality equipment in the industry.” 

Eric Weber, WOODWAY’s Director of Sales and Marketing, stated, “We are blown away by the initial response from both our domestic and international customers and have not seen this level of excitement about a product since we introduced the CURVE treadmill in 2009. We believe CLMBR will be supplanting stair-steppers and elliptical machines on gym floors around the world due to its attractive price, small footprint and safe and efficient full-body workout.” 

“Commercial accounts have been a key area of demand for FORME and we believe that commercial distribution eventually leads to consumer demand as interacting with our products in person is such a great experience,” said Mr. Ward. “We are making deep inroads into the golf vertical as well, which is especially compelling to customers when delivering live 1:1 golf fitness training from Titleist Performance Institute certified trainers through the FORME Lift. We are looking forward to further penetrating this affluent and growing market with support from our new relationship with WOODWAY.” 

Commenting on his perspective on M&A, Mr. Ward concluded, “Our executive team has significant experience with M&A from my decade in finance, to the numerous acquisitions that our CTO, Deepak Mulchandani, effected while at Peloton, and of course, to the roll-up story at XPO, from where our CFO, Mike Madigan, joined. This transaction is a great example of checking all the boxes – accretive financials driven by cost synergies, strategic benefits such as gaining a very strong route to market with WOODWAY and shifting the business to be primarily B2B, and a complementary product with an attractive patent portfolio. Of course, it is also critical to have a shared vision and the investors in CLMBR are investing fully alongside our shareholders as long-term supporters of the combined platform.” 

FORME and CLMBR have executed a binding acquisition agreement and are proceeding towards closing the transaction as soon as all closing conditions are met by all parties involved, which is expected to be in the fourth quarter of 2023.