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Pro Climbing League raised a £3.2M seed round led by Redrice Ventures to launch a three-city head-to-head bouldering season in Berlin, Paris and London in 2027.
Key Takeaways
- Pro Climbing League raised £3.2M in seed funding led by Redrice Ventures, announced in November 2026.
- The 2027 season runs in Berlin, Paris and London from January to March, with five events planned for 2028.
- Valuation was not disclosed. The league sold 4,000 tickets on the first day of 2027 sales.
Lead
Pro Climbing League (PCL), a London-based professional bouldering competition, has raised £3.2M in seed funding led by Redrice Ventures. Active Partners, Accelerate Ventures and The International Bouldering Alliance also participated. The company did not disclose a valuation.
The money funds an inaugural three-date season from January to March 2027, followed by five events in 2028, including at least one in the United States. It also pays for commercial, content and operating infrastructure around the events.
What Does Pro Climbing League Actually Do?
Pro Climbing League runs a knockout competition in which two climbers attempt identical boulder problems at the same time, a format built for live arenas and broadcast. Sixteen athletes compete, eight men and eight women. The league pairs the arena events with multi-week city gym residencies, amateur wildcard qualifiers and a creator-driven content operation.
The company was founded by CEO Danaan Markey, a former German national team climbing coach and Patagonia sports marketer. Co-founders are climbing commentator Charlie Boscoe, former BBC Radio head of live events Neil Wyatt, and startup operator Eelco Bulten. Red Bull is a commercial partner.
What Has the League Shown So Far?
The league has run one proof-of-concept event, in Greenwich, London, on 28 February 2026. It featured Olympic champion Toby Roberts and sold its 2,500 seats in under a day. Attendees came from 27 countries, and 43% were women.
Demand carried into the second season: the league says it sold 4,000 tickets on the first day of 2027 sales. That is a strong early signal, though one sold-out debut and one strong on-sale day do not establish a repeatable ticket business across three countries. Per-event prize money rises about 40% to £50,000, which adds cost before sponsorship revenue is proven.
Who Is Backing It, and Why Does It Matter?
Redrice Ventures counts tennis player Andy Murray and Olympic triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee as associate partners. It was an early backer of the British sportswear brand Castore. A sports-focused lead with athlete-operators on its roster suggests the investment thesis rests on audience and brand rather than on technology.
Brownlee called a league built for both the climbing community and its athletes "a hugely exciting prospect." Markey said climbing "deserves a league worthy of the athletes, the audience and the culture."
The round is small by the standards of the new generation of franchise sports leagues. Kings League, the football-format league, secured $63M in February 2026. A £3.2M seed gives PCL room for roughly three arena events and a content team, not a continental build-out.
Where Does the Money Go, and What Are the Risks?
The funds cover three arena events in 2027 and the groundwork for a five-event calendar in 2028. Ticketing, sponsorship and prize-pool funding form the revenue model, and sponsorship is the weakest link until the league shows it can hold attention beyond a live crowd.
The league also competes for the same athletes and viewers as the established international competition circuit run by World Climbing, whose 2026 prize pool exceeds €1M. PCL's pitch is a tighter, head-to-head format with a shorter run time. Whether climbers split their calendars, and whether broadcasters pay for a second product, will shape its second year.
Indoor climbing is a large and growing leisure market, valued at about £36 billion and expanding 15% to 20% a year. That growth feeds the pool of gym-going fans who might buy tickets. It does not guarantee they will watch professional competition.
What Comes Next?
The Berlin event is scheduled for 23 January 2027, Paris for 13 February and London for 20 March. A US date is described as "definitely on the cards" for 2028, and Asia has also been discussed.
The next test is whether Berlin and Paris sell out as quickly as London did. A follow-on round would likely depend on those results and on early sponsorship deals.
Outlook
Pro Climbing League has a fast-selling debut, a sports-focused lead investor and a defined 2027 calendar. It lacks a disclosed valuation and a proven sponsorship base, and its seed covers a short runway. The January to March 2027 season will show whether the London crowd was a one-off or the start of a pan-European audience.
