Raw Athletics

What Raw Athletics does

Raw Athletics is a privately held company headquartered in Arlington, Virginia that operates a portfolio of niche brands serving the sports and fitness industry. Founded in 2008 by Stephen Steinberg, a former University of Maryland Club Hockey player, the company's flagship brand Vapor Fresh produces plant-based cleaning, deodorizing, and disinfecting products designed for athletic use. The product line is built around proprietary formulations including an essential oil-based sports equipment cleaning spray, citric acid-based EPA-registered disinfecting gym wipes, an advanced enzyme laundry detergent pod engineered for cold water performance, a patent-pending Glove Dog boxing glove deodorizer, and biodegradable moisture-absorbing odor eliminating inserts. The underlying technology relies on plant-derived chemistries — essential oils, citric acid, and enzymes — selected to deliver effective cleaning without the harsh chemicals (bleach, quaternary ammonium compounds, phenols) common in competitor products.

Raw Athletics monetizes through a combination of direct-to-consumer e-commerce on VaporFresh.com and Amazon, physical retail distribution at select grocery chains, and direct institutional sales to gyms, universities, and sports teams. Pricing is transparent for consumer SKUs (laundry pods at $13.99 for a 30-count pack; bulk gym wipes in cases of 4 × 1,200 wipes). Since launching its gym wipes in 2015, the company reports adoption by 15+ universities and 30+ commercial gyms, alongside professional and collegiate sports teams as institutional buyers and an unspecified consumer base served through Amazon and retail channels. Earned media coverage in Men's Journal, Reader's Digest, Washington Business Journal, and HAPPI Magazine supports brand awareness.

Beyond the core cleaning products business, Raw Athletics has expanded into adjacent verticals: GymGPO operates as a Group Purchasing Organization serving independent gym owners, and the company launched IceHockeySkills.com in November 2024 as a wholly-owned digital media property publishing hockey training content. The company is publicly soliciting acquisitions of sports, health, and wellness ecommerce, Amazon FBA businesses, and community or content sites with $100,000 to $2 million in revenue, signaling a roll-up strategy for niche sports and fitness assets. Raw Athletics has operated without disclosed external institutional funding for over 15 years and runs with a small team of 1–10 employees.

Name

Raw Athletics

Legal name

Raw Athletics

Website

https://rawathletics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Raw Athletics is a privately held company that develops plant-based cleaning products for athletes and gyms through its Vapor Fresh brand, while operating GymGPO for gym owner purchasing and IceHockeySkills.com as a hockey media property.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports and Fitness Cleaning Products

NAICS

Sporting Goods Retailers (45911), Sporting Goods Retailers (459110), Sporting and Recreational Goods and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (423910)

SIC

Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Team Sports Equipment & Uniforms Retail (CRAMABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Athletic/Team/Sports Uniform Laundry (HSAJAEAG), Team & School Athletic Uniforms Retail (CRAMACAJ)

Keywords

• Sports equipment cleaning
• Plant-based disinfectants
• Athletic gear deodorizers
• Eco-friendly laundry detergents
• Gym hygiene products

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel

Revenue model

1. E-commerce Product Sales: Direct sales through owned e-commerce storefront (VaporFresh.com) and Amazon marketplace. Products include sports cleaning sprays, laundry detergents, gym wipes, and accessories. Revenue generated through one-time purchases with repeat customer acquisition.
2. Retail Distribution: Sales through select grocery retailers and physical retail stores for consumer laundry detergent products. Revenue generated through wholesale distribution and retail partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Raw Athletics develops and sells plant-based cleaning, deodorizing, and disinfecting products for sports equipment, gym facilities, and athletic wear under its Vapor Fresh brand—including sports cleaning sprays, laundry detergent pods, disinfecting gym wipes, Glove Dogs, and odor-eliminating inserts. The company also operates GymGPO, a group purchasing organization serving independent gym owners, and IceHockeySkills.com, a digital media property publishing hockey performance content.

Product overview

Raw Athletics operates as a multi-brand portfolio company in the sports and fitness industry. The company is organized around three main portfolio brands: Vapor Fresh (plant-based cleaning and deodorizing products for sports equipment and fitness facilities), GymGPO (a group purchasing organization for independent gym owners), and IceHockeySkills.com (a digital media property providing hockey training content). Vapor Fresh, the flagship brand launched in 2008, encompasses the core product lines including sports equipment cleaning sprays, laundry detergent pods, disinfecting gym wipes, glove dogs, and odor eliminating inserts. The company also expanded into digital media in 2024 with the launch of IceHockeySkills.com, marking its move beyond physical products into content-based properties. All products are available through VaporFresh.com and Amazon.com.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vapor Fresh: Plant-based cleaning, deodorizing and disinfecting products for sports and fitness industry including sports cleaning spray, laundry detergent pods, gym wipes, and odor eliminating inserts
• GymGPO
• IceHockeySkills.com

Products and services

• Vapor Fresh Sports Equipment Cleaning Spray Plant-based cleaning spray using a proprietary blend of four essential oils to clean and deodorize sports pads and gym equipment without harsh chemicals; originally developed for ice hockey and football gear and targeted at individual athletes and fitness enthusiasts.
• Vapor Fresh Travel-Sized Sports Cleaning Spray (4oz) 4oz travel-sized version of the flagship plant-based sports cleaning spray for portable use on yoga mats, boxing gloves, shoes, and gym bags; targeted at on-the-go athletes and fitness consumers.
• Vapor Fresh Laundry Detergent Pods High-performance eco-friendly laundry detergent pods using an advanced enzyme blend that works in cold water; free of fragrances, dyes, brighteners, and softeners, designed for gym clothes and everyday laundry; sold at $13.99 for 30 pods on Amazon.com and at select grocers.
• Vapor Fresh Disinfecting Gym Wipes Disinfecting gym wipes using citric acid as the active ingredient; EPA-registered to kill 99.9% of microbes on surfaces, free of bleach, quaternary ammonium compounds, and phenols; offered in 1200-wipe rolls targeted at gyms, universities, and fitness facilities.
• Vapor Fresh Glove Dogs Patent-pending boxing glove drying and freshness devices with removable/replaceable inserts, machine-washable shell, and antimicrobial breathable fabric; designed to extend glove life and improve hygiene in boxing gyms.
• Vapor Fresh Odor Eliminating Inserts Moisture and odor eliminating inserts filled with super-absorbing biodegradable material and wrapped in antimicrobial fabric; designed for shoes, boxing gloves, hockey gloves, lacrosse gloves, gym bags, and compatible with Glove Dogs.
• GymGPO Group Purchasing Organization for independent gym owners, providing collective purchasing power and cost savings on gym equipment and supplies; targets small and independent fitness facility operators.
• IceHockeySkills.com Digital media website publishing tips, drills, exercises, nutrition, coaching, and equipment reviews for hockey players, coaches, and parents, drawing on experienced players and coaches as contributors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Energy savings of up to 90% from cold water laundry washing
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 July 2017Raw Athletics partnered with WABA to support their advocacy work for better, safer, and more robust cycling experience in Washington DC, including bike lanes, safer commutes, and biking trails. The partnership includes sponsorship support and collaboration with other business sponsors to further WABA's mission.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Defense Soap: Defense Soap makes antimicrobial, natural-ingredient personal care and hygiene products targeting athletes (MMA, wrestling, BJJ, gym-goers). It is one of the closest direct competitors to Vapor Fresh, also selling plant-based hygiene SKUs into the athletic community with a similar brand-led, niche positioning.
• The Laundress: The Laundress is a premium, eco-conscious laundry and fabric care brand sold through DTC and specialty retail. It is the most direct analog to Vapor Fresh's laundry detergent pods in the high-performance, eco-friendly laundry niche.
• Benefect: Benefect makes botanical, EPA-registered disinfectants using thyme oil as the active ingredient, serving institutional and janitorial customers. Comparable to Vapor Fresh's institutional B2B push into gyms and universities with EPA-registered, non-toxic chemistry.
• CleanWell: CleanWell produces plant-based disinfectants and cleaning wipes using thyme-oil based chemistry, positioning itself as a safer alternative to bleach and quats. It is functionally analogous to Vapor Fresh's citric-acid gym wipes on the safer-disinfectant side of the category.
• Hex Performance: Hex Performance makes performance laundry and deodorizing products targeted at athletic gear and activewear. It is the closest direct competitor to Vapor Fresh's athletic-fabric laundry and deodorizing product line with overlapping retail presence and use cases.

Broad incumbents

• Method Products: Method (owned by Ecover) is a mainstream plant-based cleaning brand with strong retail presence and overlap with Vapor Fresh's green cleaning chemistry. It is a broader incumbent targeting the same eco-conscious consumer segment.
• Seventh Generation: Seventh Generation is a major plant-based household cleaner and laundry brand owned by Unilever, sold in mass grocery. It overlaps with Vapor Fresh's laundry detergent pods and eco-cleaning positioning, but at vastly larger scale and broader distribution.
• The Clorox Company: Clorox is the dominant incumbent in disinfectant wipes (Clorox Disinfecting Wipes) and competes head-on with Vapor Fresh Disinfecting Gym Wipes in the gym and facility channel. It is a broad incumbent rather than a direct niche competitor, but it directly pressures market share in facility disinfection.

Emerging players

• Athletic Greens / AG1: AG1 is a vertically integrated DTC wellness brand built on athlete-targeted content and a subscription model. While adjacent rather than directly competing, it is a relevant comp for IceHockeySkills.com's media-plus-product ambition and Raw Athletics' broader sports/wellness portfolio strategy.
• Pure Green: Pure Green produces plant-based, alcohol-free hand sanitizer and surface disinfectants, with institutional distribution including gyms and fitness facilities. It is an emerging player in the same safer-than-bleach disinfectant category where Vapor Fresh positions its gym wipes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/raw-athletics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Raw Athletics