Queer Crush Climbing

What Queer Crush Climbing does

Queer Crush Climbing is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in May 2018 in Los Angeles, California, that operates as a community-led climbing collective for LGBTQ+ individuals. The organization hosts free indoor and outdoor rock climbing meetups across 31 chapters primarily in the western United States, with active chapters in California, Colorado, and Vermont. As of the latest reported figures, Queer Crush serves approximately 1,500 members with support from 70 volunteers and has facilitated 472 meetups to date, with recent events nearing 100 participants each. The organization specifically serves queer, trans, Black, Indigenous, and people of color of all abilities seeking safe and inclusive climbing environments.

The core offering consists of monthly meetups hosted at partner climbing gyms (including Movement, Touchstone, Sender One, Pacific Pipe, Dogpatch Boulders, Benchmark, Gravity Vault Marin, and others), augmented by trauma-informed DEI workshops led by climbers who are also mental health professionals, and an educational blog covering climbing gear and outdoor climbing guidance. The organization has no proprietary technology platform; operations rely on community tools including Google Calendar, Facebook, Meetup.com, Substack for newsletters, and Discord for member engagement. Revenue is generated through donations via the GiveButter platform rather than membership fees, and the distribution model depends on partner gyms donating facility space.

Queer Crush's go-to-market motion is community-led growth, with volunteer captains hosting monthly meetups at partner gyms and expansion occurring through volunteer applications for new chapters or co-captain roles. Marketing channels include Instagram, Facebook, Discord, Substack newsletters, blog content, and earned media coverage in outlets such as LA Times and Bay Nature. Leadership transitioned in 2024, with Jay Louie elevated to Co-Founder and President alongside VP Juniper and Treasurer/Director of Operations Eric Chad Ho; co-founder Tyler Poston and former president Zoey Grinstead moved to alumni status. The organization reports 44 states currently without a Queer Crush chapter, framing substantial geographic expansion potential relative to its current footprint.

Name

Queer Crush Climbing

Legal name

Queer Crush Climbing

Website

https://queercrush.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Queer Crush Climbing is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2018 that operates free, queer-led rock climbing meetups across 31 chapters in the western US, serving 1,500 members through partner gyms, trauma-informed DEI workshops, and volunteer-driven community programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

LGBTQ+ Community Recreation Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Social Advocacy Organizations (81331)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Rock Climbing, Via Ferrata & Mountaineering (THAJABAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Climbing & Mountaineering Gyms/Guides (Indoor, Outdoor, Via Ferrata) (THAAAKAG)

Keywords

• LGBTQ+ community meetups
• Indoor rock climbing
• Outdoor rock climbing
• Trauma-informed DEI workshops
• Inclusive recreation nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices30 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: 501(c)3 non-profit funded primarily through donations via GiveButter platform. Accepts volunteer contributions and community support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Queer Crush Climbing organizes free, volunteer-led indoor and outdoor rock climbing meetups at partner climbing gyms across 31 chapters primarily in the western United States, serving 1,500+ members. The organization complements meetups with trauma-informed DEI workshops, an educational blog, and a centralized calendar, all delivered through donated gym space and volunteer labor without membership fees.

Product overview

Queer Crush Climbing is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates a community-focused meetup platform rather than a traditional software product. The core offering consists of regular indoor and outdoor rock climbing meetups hosted across 30+ chapters primarily in California and the western United States, with recent expansion to states like Colorado and Vermont. Supporting offerings include trauma-informed DEI workshops for the climbing community, educational blog content covering climbing gear, outdoor climbing guidance, and community-building resources. The organization serves approximately 1,500 members and has facilitated 472 meetups across 31 locations with support from 70 volunteers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Queer Crush Climbing Meetups Free, volunteer-led indoor and outdoor rock climbing meetups hosted monthly at partner climbing gyms across 31 chapters, serving approximately 1,500 members and frequently drawing close to 100 participants per event. Designed for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies seeking safe, inclusive climbing community.
• DEI Workshops

Quantifiable outcome

• 472 meetups hosted to date
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting partner, partner, core partner and expansion partner.

• Wondery (In Solidarity Project)supporting partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor supporting Queer Crush through the In Solidarity Project initiative. Wondery provides resources and support for the organization.
• Nice Queer PalspartnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner organization focused on queer community building. Nice Queer Pals aligns with Queer Crush's mission of creating inclusive spaces.
• Blue Granite Climbing Gymcore partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner climbing gym that provides space for Queer Crush meetups. Blue Granite donates facility access to host community climbing events.
• G1 Climbing + Fitnesscore partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorColorado-based climbing gym partner hosting Queer Crush chapter meetups. Provides donated space for community events.
• Long Beach Risingcore partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong Beach-based partner gym hosting Queer Crush meetups. Donates space for community climbing events.
• Movement (Belmont, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Fountain Valley, San Francisco)core partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMultiple Movement gym locations host Queer Crush chapters, providing donated space for meetups across the Bay Area and Southern California.
• Touchstone Climbing (LA Boulders, Hollywood Boulders, Berkeley Ironworks, Mission Cliffs, Verdigo, MetalMark, Diablo, The Post, Pipeworks)core partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor Touchstone gym chain provides space for multiple Queer Crush chapters including LA Boulders, Hollywood Boulders, Berkeley Ironworks, and others across California.
• Sender One (LAX, Playa Vista, Santa Ana, Westwood, Lakewood)core partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSender One gym locations host multiple Queer Crush chapters in Los Angeles area, providing donated space for community meetups.
• Pacific Pipecore partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOakland-based climbing gym partner hosting Queer Crush meetups for East Bay community.
• Dogpatch Boulderscore partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSan Francisco neighborhood climbing gym hosting Queer Crush chapter meetups.
• Benchmark Climbing (Berkeley, San Francisco)core partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBenchmark gym locations host Queer Crush chapters in the Bay Area.
• Gravity Vault Marincore partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMarin County climbing gym hosting Queer Crush chapter meetups.
• Great Western Power Companycore partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOakland-based climbing gym hosting Queer Crush meetups for the East Bay queer climbing community.
• MetroRock Essexexpansion partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVermont-based climbing gym hosting Queer Crush's New England expansion chapter.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• OutClimb: OutClimb is an LGBTQ+ climbing community that hosts meetups at gyms across multiple cities. It is a direct competitor for the same queer-climber audience with a comparable meetup-based, chapter-style operating model.
• Venture Out Project: Venture Out Project runs LGBTQ+ outdoor backpacking, hiking, and climbing trips led by queer guides. It is a direct peer in mission (queer-led outdoor community building) and delivery model (volunteer-led, partnership-driven programming).
• Brown Girls Climb: Brown Girls Climb is a climbing community for women and non-binary people of color, hosting meetups, festivals, and educational content. It is the closest direct peer to Queer Crush along the intersectional-identity + climbing-community axis, with a similar grassroots, volunteer-driven model.

Emerging players

• Melanin Base Camp: Melanin Base Camp is a media and community platform highlighting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the outdoors. It is an adjacent peer that targets a related identity-based audience in outdoor recreation but focuses on media/advocacy rather than in-person meetup infrastructure.
• Flash Foxy: Flash Foxy is a women's climbing community that ran the popular Women's Climbing Festival and curated climbing content. It is a relevant adjacent peer in women's climbing community building with overlapping audience and event-driven programming.

Broad incumbents

• The Mountaineers: The Mountaineers is a long-established Pacific Northwest outdoor club offering climbing, hiking, and skiing programming to a member base. It is a comparable membership-style outdoor recreation organization though much larger, older, and broader in scope.
• SheJumps: SheJumps is a non-profit increasing female participation in outdoor activities including climbing, skiing, and hiking. It is a comparable identity-based outdoor community organization with broader activity scope and larger national footprint.
• Outdoor Afro: Outdoor Afro is a national non-profit connecting Black communities to outdoor recreation and nature. It is a broader incumbent in the identity-based outdoor recreation space with national scale and a more generalist outdoor programming model.

Regional players

• ClimbAide: ClimbAide is a non-profit that provides adaptive climbing programs for people with disabilities. It is an adjacent peer in mission-aligned (accessibility + inclusion) climbing community building, with a narrower population focus.

Others

• GirlTrek: GirlTrek is the largest non-profit health organization for Black women and girls, organizing walking and community-based health activities. It is thematically relevant as a community-led, identity-based, volunteer-powered health/recreation movement with a similar grassroots operating model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/368411080523991
• Instagraminstagram.com/queercrushclimbing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/queer-crush-climbing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Queer Crush Climbing