Kenny kline
from hometown Roots to Startup Exit
Kenny Kline, Founder of BarBend
Kenny Kline was from small town beginnings and without any entrepreneur role models, but with a curiosity about tech and building ventures that scaled. Winning Venture Studio began to work with Kenny on our first viral startup in New York City, before Kenny went on to Cofound BarBend which grew to over 31 million users and drove Gross Merchandise Value of nearly $19,000,000 in 2022. In 2023, the company was acquired.
Between its founding and now, Barbend grew to be the largest independent source for strength content - everything from strength training, strength sports, and related topics in fitness, nutrition, recovery, and products. Kenny and his Cofounders started the company after seeing a hole in the market and deciding the opportunity was theirs for the taking. When first going out to raise money from VCs, Kenny heard “no” over and over again as VCs passed on investing.The Cofounders decided to raise what they could - an 800K seed round from small angel investors, and managed to make this the last money they raised, before becoming profitable.
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When looking back, Kenny’s keys to success include surrounding yourself with people whose values you trust, looking for Cofounders with complementary skill sets, and staying on your hustle. “Not every startup is an overnight success and what becomes important is your ability to stay the course, stay committed and add value every way you can.”
What’s next? Kenny is now angel investing, including in Broadway shows, and is also committed to hands-on climate change solutions including bee keeping and soil conservation.
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