Pro Climbing League raises £3.2 million seed from Redrice Ventures after 4,000 first-day ticket sales

Pro Climbing League has raised a £3.2 million seed round led by Redrice Ventures, with Active Partners, Accelerate Ventures and the International Bouldering Alliance joining the round. Tech Funding News reported the funding on November 13, 2026.

Redrice Ventures Leads PCL's £3.2 million Seed Round

CEO Danaan Markey told Tech Funding News that 4,000 tickets for the 2027 season sold on the first day. The London debut on February 28 sold out in less than a day, with the venue holding 2,500 seats and tickets going on sale a month in advance. In the women's final, France's Oriane Bertone beat double Olympic champion Janja Garnbret in front of more than 2,400 spectators.

The funding will underpin a three-event 2027 season: Berlin on January 23, Paris on February 13 and London on March 20. PCL plans five events in 2028, one of them in the US. Markey said the US is "definitely on the cards" and that PCL also hopes to run an event in Asia.

"We sold 4,000 tickets in the first day and are steadily climbing," Markey said. He said PCL 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.

"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. London winners each received £10,000, and prize money will rise by over 40% to £50,000 per event in 2027.

Alistair Brownlee of Redrice said, "Indoor climbing has gone from a subculture to a global phenomenon, with mass participation, Olympic status and growing media recognition."

Redrice Ventures' Fund II and Portfolio

Redrice Ventures is a London-based seed and Series A firm that deploys up to £10 million annually into early-stage consumer brands, according to akta.pro company records. The firm manages a £75 million Fund II, with a £45 million cornerstone commitment from the British Business Bank made in February 2026 under its Enterprise Capital Funds programme.

The same records list more than 20 portfolio companies, including Castore, Untamed, Lovetovisit, By Rotation, Ocean Bottle, Spacegoods, Luna Daily, Colors*Studios, HYLO, Puresport, Self Space, Skin Rocks, Winedrops, Mission, Mother Root, Finematter, Life Supplies, GoJoe, Epetome and Manors. In February 2026, Redrice co-led a multi-million-pound round in Epetome with Active Partners to accelerate international expansion and clinical research for the gut health brand.

PCL's Content Channel Plans

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 said.