Crossrope & The Connected Gym Equipment Market with Dave Hunt

Dave Hunt is the inventor, Founder and CEO of Crossrope, weighted jump ropes with a mobile app that lets you work out anywhere. Dave and I talk about bootstrapping his business and recently making Inc. 5,000 fastest growing companies. We also discuss the explosive growth of connected wellness devices and the at-home fitness market and how Crossrope differentiates itself from companies like NordicTrack, FightCamp, Peloton, Tonal, Mirror and Whoop. Dave and I also discuss the benefits of influencer marketing, brand building, customer acquisition strategies, building company culture, recovering from injuries and more. 

Prior to starting Crossrope, Dave was an Aviator in the Navy for almost a decade. He is a graduate of Babson College’s Entrepreneurship program and is currently completing a Masters program in Entrepreneurial studies at M.I.T. 

Connected at-home fitness is a high-growth and well-funded market with fierce competition. Dave’s insight and perspective provides valuable wisdom for anyone in the industry or direct to consumer product marketing in general. His story of founding and growing Crossrope is also very inspirational for any startup entrepreneur.

Discussion Topics:

(1:42) Recovering from serious injuries.

(5:01) Physical fitness as a requirement for CEOs and stressful jobs.

(10:56) Jump ropes as a highly efficient workout.

(13:44) The importance of making workouts fun.

(17:15) Business growth during the pandemic.

(19:29) Crossrope’s competition and the home fitness landscape.

(23:40) Managing logistics issues during explosive growth.

(26:34) Building a brand and community engagement.

(30:11) Customer acquisition and working with social media influencers.

(37:40) Bootstrap or raise money?

(45:30) Strategies for competing in the connected fitness device market.

(56:43) Education advice for entrepreneurs.

(1:00:14) Rapid fire questions.