- Pro Climbing League has raised a £3.2M seed round, with Redrice Ventures leading the investment.
- CEO Danaan Markey said 4,000 tickets for the 2027 season were sold on the first day.
- The 2027 season will be in Berlin, Paris and London with £50k on offer at each event.
The ticket map for PCL‘s London debut is focused on the city’s finance and tech areas. Danaan Markey, CEO, told Tech Funding News that Aldgate and Canary Wharf were the two main areas. PCL has raised £3.2 million to go to more cities.
Redrice Ventures led the seed round, joined by Active Partners, Accelerate Ventures, a London-based sports fund launched in 2023, and the International Bouldering Alliance, a European-based gym group backed by Verlinvest and Family Trust Investor.
PCL says this is one of the first instances of institutional capital backing a climbing event or media brand outside the gym environment.
The funding will underpin a 3-event 2027 season, including Berlin on 23rd of January, Paris on 13th of February, and London on 20th of March, and five events in 2028, one of which will be in the US.
Markey confirmed to TFN that the US is “definitely on the cards” and that PCL also hopes to run an event in Asia.
Demand before arenas
Markey said the London debut on 28th February sold out in less than a day. The venue had 2,500 seats, and tickets went on sale a month in advance. In the women’s final, France’s Oriane Bertone beat the double Olympic champion Janja Garnbret in front of over 2400 spectators.
Tickets for the 2027 season went on sale in early November. “We sold 4,000 tickets in the first day and are steadily climbing,” Markey said. He also noted that PCL had accelerated its expansion plans by a year and moved to larger venues because of demand.
PCL reported that 43% of ticket buyers for the first event were female, and attendees came from 27 countries.
How PCL makes money
“Our business model is fairly simple at the moment in that we sell tickets and sell sponsorship places,” Markey said. Red Bull, which broadcast the London event, is “a major partner,” and PCL is adding more sponsors.
Prize money is another big factor. PCL points out that first place at the major international events is currently £6,000, so many of the top climbers have to take on a second job. The London winners each got £10,000k, and prize money will go up by over 40% to £50,000 per event in 2027.
World Climbing, the world governing body, says its 2026 prize pool has now passed €1 million.
PCL operates independently of the Olympic federation system. “Most leagues fall into either a federation league where you compete for your country or a professional league where you compete for a team or a brand or a sponsor,” said Markey, adding that PCL has no direct competitors and is not owned by a gym, a brand or an agency.
Who is behind PCL
PCL was founded by Markey, a German national team climbing coach and Patagonia sports marketer; Charlie Boscoe, a climbing commentator; Neil Wyatt, a former head of live events at BBC Radio; and startup operator Eelco Bulten.
The idea came about while coaching the German team. “I saw how everyone moved to Munich and just committed everything to training and performing and being the best athlete they could. And even if they were to win competitions, they probably wouldn’t make back the cost of flights and hotel,” Markey said.
This funding round enables PCL to say to climbers, “We can deliver the next two, three years of events,” he said.
Alistair Brownlee of Redrice, a London-based consumer investor, said, “Indoor climbing has gone from a subculture to a global phenomenon, with mass participation, Olympic status and growing media recognition. […] Today’s climbers don’t just want to take part in their sport. They want to compete in it and watch it, and that’s an audience with real commercial value. A league built for both the climbing community and its athletes is a hugely exciting prospect, and we’re delighted to back Danaan and the team as they take it to the world stage.”
What comes next
In a competitive field, Kings League, Gerard Piqué’s seven-a-side football league, secured $63 million in February 2026. Elsewhere, Agentiq raised $4 million in October 2026, allowing fans to buy a share of an athlete’s future income. PCL has not disclosed its valuation or revenue.
PCL’s next step is to launch a content channel around athletes’ lives and their relationships with climbing gyms.“The ultimate goal is to be that global property that […] every climber in the world looks towards as a real opportunity to build their life around the sport,” Markey concluded.
It’s still unclear whether the £3.2 million will be enough to pay the athletes and fill venues across the three countries at the same time. Berlin on January 23 will be the first test.
