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Brooklyn Boulders

Climbing & fitness · 2+ locations · NYC, Chicago

Brooklyn Boulders was NYC's pioneering climbing gym. A distressed 2022 sale sent its Gowanus original to a family office-backed chain, and the co-founders are both gone. What's left is a two-location remnant.

Investor-backedDisplacement Risk

The Big Picture

Significant Concerns

Brooklyn Boulders sold three of its gyms — including the Gowanus original — to family office-backed Bouldering Project in a distressed January 2022 sale. Co-founders Lance Pinn and Jeremy Balboni are gone, and the remnant brand runs just two locations in Queensbridge and Chicago. What remains of NYC's pioneering climbing gym answers to no founder and carries none of its original ownership.

Let's Get Critical

Local ownership
2/10
Founder involvement
1/10
Worker pay & benefits
5/10
Environmental impact
6/10
Sourcing & labor
6/10

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Company data last updated July 2026

How does one person build and research all this? They don't: here's how it actually works. Verdicts are our opinions, based on the public sources cited above as of July 2026. Spotted something off? or learn more.