BalancePlus Curling
BalancePlus Curling Equipment is a Canadian manufacturer founded in 1995 that designs and sells patented curling shoes, brooms, grippers, and accessories to competitive and recreational curlers worldwide via direct e-commerce from its Barrie, Ontario headquarters.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersBarrie, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What BalancePlus Curling does
BalancePlus Curling Equipment (legal entity: BalancePlus Sliders Inc.) is a Canadian specialty sporting-goods manufacturer founded in 1995 and headquartered in Barrie, Ontario. The company designs, produces, and sells curling equipment — including four series of curling shoes (400, 700, 900, and Delux), four lines of brooms (LiteSpeed, Carbon Fibre, Comp-Lite, and Comp), gripper and slider pods, helmets, gloves, pants, and accessories — targeted primarily at competitive and professional curlers. Its core technology is mechanical: patented slider pod designs (#2,160,974), proprietary broom handle architectures (#2,487,599), and the EQualizer faceplate system (#2,728,267 and #8,677,548) form the foundation of an integrated equipment ecosystem in which replacement parts are series-specific, supporting recurring revenue from the installed base.
The company operates as a vertically integrated direct-to-consumer brand, selling exclusively through its own e-commerce storefront (balanceplus.com) with worldwide shipping from its Barrie facility. Pricing is unit-based across a tiered portfolio, ranging from low-priced consumables (insoles at $14.95, replacement pods at $34.95) through mid-range accessories (helmets at $89.95) and into complete equipment. A professional installation service for grippers and sliders ($44.95–$99.90) adds a service-attach layer and requires customers to ship shoes to the Barrie facility, reinforcing direct customer relationships. The company holds World Curling approval for competitive equipment and CE EN 1077 certification for its helmet.
The business is privately held and founder-operated by Lino Di Iorio, with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, subsidiaries, or M&A activity. Endorsement by professional curler John Epping and Team Epping serves as a brand-credibility anchor rather than a revenue concentration source, as the underlying customer base is a long-tail of individual competitive and recreational curlers worldwide. Total revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the company's small headcount (11–50) and niche end-market indicate a specialized, founder-led enterprise rather than a high-growth venture-backed business.
BalancePlus Curling firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BalancePlus Curling
- Legal name
- BalancePlus Sliders Inc.
- Website
- https://balanceplus.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- BalancePlus Curling Equipment is a Canadian manufacturer founded in 1995 that designs and sells patented curling shoes, brooms, grippers, and accessories to competitive and recreational curlers worldwide via direct e-commerce from its Barrie, Ontario headquarters.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BalancePlus Curling industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Curling Equipment
- NAICS
- Sporting Goods Retailers (45911), Footwear Manufacturing (31621), Sporting and Recreational Goods and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42391)
- SIC
- Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sports & Outdoor Accessories Manufacturing (Performance Gloves/Headwear) (IMAOAFAI)
Keywords
Where BalancePlus Curling is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Barrie
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
BalancePlus Curling business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Gripper Installation (Pods) - Professional service with durable gripper pods securely applied |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Gripper Pods - Replacement pods for 400, 500, 700, and 900 Series shoes |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Delux Gripper Pods - Replacement pods for Delux curling shoes |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Curling Helmet - Lightweight, breathable head protection with CE EN 1077 certification |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Curling Shoe Insoles - Replacement insoles for 400/500/700/900 Series and Delux shoes |
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
BalancePlus Curling product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BalancePlus designs, manufactures, and sells specialized curling equipment, including four series of curling shoes (400, 700, 900, and Delux), four lines of curling brooms (LiteSpeed, Carbon Fibre, Comp-Lite, and Comp), slider and gripper pods, and accessories such as helmets, pants, gloves, and carrying gear. The company also offers professional gripper and slider installation services and replacement parts that support the full lifecycle of its curling equipment.
Product overview
BalancePlus Curling Equipment offers a comprehensive portfolio of curling equipment and accessories for curlers of all levels. The core product lines include four series of curling shoes (400, 700, 900, and Delux) with various slider and gripper configurations, and four lines of curling brooms (LiteSpeed, Carbon Fibre, Comp-Lite, and Comp) with modular components. The product ecosystem is designed for interoperability, with replacement parts (gripper pods, slider pods, sleeves, faceplates, handles, baseplates, foam) available for all broom lines, and gripper pods sized specifically for each shoe series. Professional installation services for shoes are offered alongside retail accessories including helmets, gloves, pants, and carrying gear. The company holds multiple patents on their slider technology, LiteSpeed handle, Carbon Fibre handle, Comp-Lite handle, Comp handle, and EQualizer faceplate.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 400 Series Curling Shoes Curling footwear with velcro slider pods, designed for recreational to competitive curlers.
- 700 Series Curling Shoes Mid-range curling shoes with velcro slider pods for enhanced performance.
- 900 Series Curling Shoes Premium curling shoes with velcro gripper pods for advanced curling players.
- Delux Curling Shoes Flagship curling shoes marketed as the most winning shoe in curling, featuring velcro slider pods.
- Pull-On Sliders Sliding solution that pulls on over regular footwear for curling delivery.
- Step-On Sliders Sliding solution that steps onto the shoe for curling delivery.
- GRIPPERS Anti-Sliders Protective footwear accessories that provide traction when not delivering the rock.
- LiteSpeed Brooms High-performance curling brooms with LiteSpeed technology, marketed as hot new sticks for the ice.
- Carbon Fibre Brooms Premium curling brooms with carbon fibre handles for lightweight performance.
- Comp-Lite Brooms Competitive-level curling brooms with lightweight construction.
- Comp Brooms Competition-grade curling brooms for serious curling players.
- Curling Helmet Lightweight, breathable head protection designed specifically for curlers with CE EN 1077 certification and adjustable fit system.
- Curling Pants/Trousers Specialized pants designed for curling, providing comfort and flexibility on the ice.
- Gloves & Mitts Hand protection gear for curling, including LiteSpeed curling gloves.
- Curling Accessories Miscellaneous curling accessories including backpacks, broom bags, stopwatches, sliding tape, tongue pads, heel grips, and shoe polish.
- Gift Cards Gift cards for BalancePlus curling equipment purchases.
- Gripper Installation Service Professional installation service that applies durable gripper pods to curling shoes for maximum traction and safety.
- RS Foam Foam component for RS curling brooms, approved by World Curling for competitive play; version 3.0 is the newest release.
Companies that use BalancePlus Curling
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
BalancePlus Curling technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
BalancePlus Curling partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- John Epping / Team EppingcoreTeam Epping is a professional curling team that uses BalancePlus exclusively. John Epping is quoted as endorsing BalancePlus equipment, stating 'BalancePlus Curling Equipment provides me with the best possible chance at winning. Every product they develop is a winner'. This represents a brand ambassador/endorsement partnership for marketing and credibility purposes.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
BalancePlus Curling competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Performance Curling: Specialty curling equipment supplier focusing on performance-grade products. Direct competitor in brooms, brushes, and accessories for competitive curlers.
- Hardline Curling: Canadian maker of curling equipment including shoes and brooms, with similar product focus on competitive curlers. Closely comparable business model and customer base to BalancePlus.
- Brat Sport Curling: Canadian maker of curling shoes and equipment with comparable target market of competitive curlers. Direct competitor in footwear and accessories.
- Asham Curling Supplies: Canadian manufacturer and retailer of curling shoes, brooms, and accessories. Direct competitor to BalancePlus across the core curling equipment categories with similar product breadth and target customers.
- Goldline Curling (Tournament Sports): Long-standing Canadian curling equipment brand offering brooms, shoes, and accessories. Direct competitor in the same product categories with comparable DTC distribution approach.
- Olson Curling: Curling equipment specialist producing brooms, brushes, and accessories. Smaller-scale direct competitor with overlapping product offerings aimed at club and competitive curlers.
Emerging players
- True Curling: Smaller, more recent entrant offering curling brooms and accessories. Partial product overlap with BalancePlus but narrower catalog; competes primarily in the broom category.
- Pirca Curling Brooms: Specialty manufacturer of curling brooms with comparable product focus. Partial overlap — competes primarily in broom/brush category against BalancePlus's broom lines.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BalancePlus Curling social profiles
Digital presenceBalancePlus Curling compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
BalancePlus Curling financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BalancePlus Curling leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
BalancePlus Curling funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BalancePlus Curling M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BalancePlus Curling
What does BalancePlus Curling do?
BalancePlus designs, manufactures, and sells specialized curling equipment, including four series of curling shoes (400, 700, 900, and Delux), four lines of curling brooms (LiteSpeed, Carbon Fibre, Comp-Lite, and Comp), slider and gripper pods, and accessories such as helmets, pants, gloves, and carrying gear. The company also offers professional gripper and slider installation services and replacement parts that support the full lifecycle of its curling equipment.
Is BalancePlus Curling a public or private company?
BalancePlus Curling is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was BalancePlus Curling founded?
BalancePlus Curling was founded in 1995. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is BalancePlus Curling based?
BalancePlus Curling is headquartered in Barrie, Canada, in the North America region.
Who are BalancePlus Curling's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Performance Curling, Hardline Curling, Brat Sport Curling, Asham Curling Supplies, Goldline Curling (Tournament Sports) and Olson Curling. Emerging players are True Curling and Pirca Curling Brooms.
Does BalancePlus Curling have an API?
No public API is recorded for BalancePlus Curling.
What industry is BalancePlus Curling in?
BalancePlus Curling's product category is Curling Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAOAFAI, Sports & Outdoor Accessories Manufacturing (Performance Gloves/Headwear). Its NAICS code is 45911 and its SIC code is 3949.