So iLL

So iLL is a US-based climbing equipment brand that designs and sells hand-crafted climbing shoes, holds, training gear, and lifestyle apparel through direct e-commerce and wholesale channels across the US, Canada, Japan, and the UK.

Company typePrivate
Founded2004
HeadquartersSt Louis, United States
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingHardware or Manufacturing

So iLL firmographics

Firmographics

Name: So iLL
Legal name: So iLL
Website: https://soillholds.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2004
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: So iLL is a US-based climbing equipment brand that designs and sells hand-crafted climbing shoes, holds, training gear, and lifestyle apparel through direct e-commerce and wholesale channels across the US, Canada, Japan, and the UK.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

So iLL industry classification

Industry

Product category: Climbing Equipment
NAICS: Shoe Retailers (45821), Footwear Manufacturing (3162), Sporting Goods Retailers (45911)
SIC: Retail-Shoe Stores (5661), Footwear, (No Rubber) (3140)
akta.pro primary industry: Climbing & Mountaineering Gear Retail (CRAMAMAB)
akta.pro secondary industries: Outdoor Clothing & Footwear Retail (Camping/Hiking/Climbing) (CRAMAMAK), Outdoor & Hiking Footwear (CRAAACAD), Camping, Hiking & Climbing Specialty Retail (CRAMABAM)

Keywords

Climbing equipment
Climbing shoes
Climbing holds
Climbing apparel
Training gear

Where So iLL is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: St Louis
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

So iLL business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Hardware or Manufacturing
Cost components: Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

Direct E-commerce Sales: Primary revenue from direct-to-consumer online sales of climbing shoes, apparel, holds, training equipment, and accessories through soillholds.com website.
Wholesale/B2B: Sales to dealers, wholesalers, and distributors including international distribution partnerships for Canada, Japan, and UK markets.
Redpoint Rewards Loyalty Program: Points-based loyalty program driving customer retention and repeat purchases through earned rewards.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Introductory climbing shoes for beginners
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Intermediate climbing shoes
Unit Pricing	Pay-as-you-go	Advanced/Performance climbing shoes

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

So iLL product offering

Product offering

Core offering

So iLL designs, manufactures, and sells hand-crafted climbing shoes, climbing wall holds, training equipment, and lifestyle apparel primarily through direct-to-consumer e-commerce (soillholds.com) and wholesale distribution. Its climbing shoe line spans beginner to advanced performance tiers and is developed with input from elite climbers Fred Nicole and Jae Jung. The company also produces thermoformed climbing holds, home wall kits, hangboards, and a lifestyle footwear and apparel sub-brand called Roam.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

Roam: Lifestyle shoes and apparel collection including Chukkas, Drifters, Roamers, Sandals (Kanakas), and Winos, as well as beanies and tees.
Outset Labs

Products and services

Climbing Shoes (Torque, Torque LV, Athletic Bouldering 1, Catch, Roam Rigid, Roam Soft, Stay, Stay LV, Street, Street LV, Step, Start) Technical climbing shoes engineered for performance at all levels, from beginner to advanced, featuring hand-crafted construction with hand-shaped lasts, extensive toe rubber, adjustable straps, and soft or stiff material options.
Climbing Holds (Families, Mystery Boxes, Thermo Formed) Climbing wall holds available in multiple families and configurations, including vacuum-formed thermoformed holds for indoor and outdoor wall applications.
Home Wall Kits Complete kits for building home climbing walls, enabling climbers to set up indoor climbing surfaces.
Hangboards (Beastmaker) Training boards for finger strength and climbing conditioning, featuring Beastmaker brand hangboards and associated training accessories.
Training Accessories Supplementary training gear for climbing, including chalk, chalk bags, and other training necessities.
Macros Climbing wall macro holds for creating finger-intensive climbing routes and training features.
Stackable Volumes Modular climbing wall volume shapes that can be stacked and reconfigured for route variety.
Climbing Apparel (Men's, Women's, Denim) Climbing-specific clothing including shirts, bottoms, and denim designed for performance and durability during climbing activities.
Roam Lifestyle Shoes (Chukkas, Drifters, Roamers, Kanakas, Winos) Casual footwear line under the Roam sub-brand, offering everyday shoes inspired by climbing aesthetics including chukkas, drifters, roamers, sandals (Kanakas), and Winos.
Route Setting Products Equipment and products for professional route setting in climbing gyms.
Shoe Resole Service Shoe resoling service for extending the life of climbing shoes.

Companies that use So iLL

Customer profile

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

So iLL technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

So iLL partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

Sender One ClimbingflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Multi-year partnership starting 2026, culminating with the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. Includes exclusive products, co-branded merchandise, and climbing wall development to support the growth of climbing.
Serious Climbing DistributioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK distribution partner welcoming So iLL to their portfolio. Provides UK market access and distribution logistics.
BN3THminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on underwear products (So iLL x BN3TH On The Roam by Jason Momoa) featuring lifestyle apparel integration.
DreamWallminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSo iLL x DreamWall collaboration on climbing wall products and development, including dedicated collection pages.
Meagan MartinminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional climber ambassador with dedicated product collaboration (So iLL x Meagan Martin collection). Team athlete driving brand credibility.
On The Roam (Jason Momoa)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration with actor Jason Momoa's outdoor lifestyle brand for Roam Apparel, beanies, and lifestyle products.
Tokyo PowderminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on chalk products (So iLL x Tokyo Powder chalk collection).
Outset LabsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFeatured brand partnership featured in Newest Gear and collections on the So iLL website.
BeastmakerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBeastmaker hangboards featured in So iLL training collections, offering premium training equipment.

Scale indicators3 records

So iLL competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

La Sportiva: Italy-based technical climbing shoe manufacturer widely regarded as the category leader. Direct competitor to So iLL across beginner-through-elite performance climbing shoes, with comparable pro team endorsement strategy and similar price band.
Evolv Sports: US-based climbing shoe brand with strong specialty retail presence. Direct competitor to So iLL across entry-level through performance climbing shoes, with overlapping target customer of gym and outdoor climbers.
Boreal: Spanish climbing shoe brand with long heritage in technical climbing footwear. Competes with So iLL in performance and beginner climbing shoes, with similar emphasis on craftsmanship and fit innovation.
Mad Rock: US-based climbing shoe and hardware brand with broad product line. Direct competitor to So iLL across climbing shoes, holds, and training gear, and shares So iLL's small-batch US-rooted brand positioning.
Scarpa: Italian climbing and mountain footwear manufacturer with deep climbing shoe heritage. Competes head-to-head with So iLL in performance climbing shoes and shares the technical, hand-crafted positioning that So iLL's Fred Nicole-led design team pursues.
Unparallel: Climbing shoe brand founded by former Five Ten employees that competes directly with So iLL in the performance bouldering and sport climbing shoe segment, often cited by climbers in similar comparison reviews.
Tenaya: Spanish climbing shoe brand known for high-performance edging and sensitivity. Directly competes with So iLL in the advanced/performance climbing shoe segment, including models positioned against So iLL's Torque and Roam lines.
Entre-Prises: Leading manufacturer of climbing wall holds and volumes for commercial gyms and home walls. Direct competitor to So iLL in the climbing holds product category that was So iLL's original business before expanding into shoes.

Broad incumbents

Black Diamond Equipment: Major US-based climbing equipment brand offering holds, climbing hardware, and apparel. Competes with So iLL in the holds and home wall segment, and as a broader climbing brand for the same end customer.
Five Ten (Adidas): Climbing shoe brand now owned by Adidas with Stealth rubber technology. Competes with So iLL in performance climbing shoes but operates as part of Adidas's broader outdoor and lifestyle portfolio, giving it materially larger marketing and R&D resources.

Market position

Customer concentration

So iLL financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

So iLL leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

So iLL funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

So iLL M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about So iLL

What does So iLL do?

Is So iLL a public or private company?

So iLL is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was So iLL founded?

So iLL was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is So iLL based?

So iLL is headquartered in St Louis, United States, in the North America region.

How does So iLL make money?

Three revenue lines are on record. Direct E-commerce Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale/B2B and redpoint Rewards Loyalty Program.

Who are So iLL's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are La Sportiva, Evolv Sports, Boreal, Mad Rock, Scarpa, Unparallel, Tenaya and Entre-Prises. Broad incumbents are Black Diamond Equipment and Five Ten (Adidas).

Does So iLL have an API?

No public API is recorded for So iLL.

What industry is So iLL in?

So iLL's product category is Climbing Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAMAMAB, Climbing & Mountaineering Gear Retail, with a secondary code of CRAMAMAK, Outdoor Clothing & Footwear Retail (Camping/Hiking/Climbing). Its NAICS code is 45821 and its SIC code is 5661.