Crew by True Rowing on Monday announced $5 million in seed capital to bring a connected indoor rowing machine to market.
Olympian and indoor rowing world record holder Richard M. Cashin and avid rowing enthusiast P. Andrews McLane, both private equity executives, are among those funding Crew by True Rowing to deliver the benefits of on-the-water rowing to consumers worldwide.
Crew by True Rowing daily creates live content broadcast straight from the Charles River in Boston, MA. Instructors lead home workouts with music, real-time feedback and daily stories from their journey to the national team, all delivered on Crew’s proprietary, patent-pending broadcast-and-delivery system.
“We are extremely pleased with the support from investors,” said Bruce Smith, CEO of True Rowing. “We are taking the extraordinary experience that rowers have cherished for a century and a half on the water and delivering it for the first time to homes everywhere. We will broadcast live on the water to the 22-inch screen on the Crew rowing machine. Consumers get a better workout in half the time on our rower, and we focus on the rhythm and skill of world class rowers who are eager to share their passion for this uniquely beneficial sport.”
Crew by True Rowing has attracted a group of National Team rowing instructors and enthusiasts, led by Smith, a former U.S. National Team coach and executive director of Community Rowing, a worldwide leader in rowing that has been instrumental in the growth and development of the sport in the U.S.
“Rowing used to be something that was reserved for the top 1 percent,” Smith said. “Crew by True Rowing is dedicated to bringing the special benefits of this sport to the rest of the world.”
