Obstacle Design Group

What Obstacle Design Group does

Obstacle Design Group (ODG) is a privately held LLC founded in 2010 and headquartered in Fresno, California, specializing in the design, engineering, and supply of custom obstacle courses and ninja warrior training facilities. The company serves health clubs, dedicated ninja/OCR training gyms, family entertainment centers, and obstacle course race organizers across North America, with licensed agents covering all 50 US states for building approvals and at least one international build completed in Brantford, Ontario. Its core technology stack centers on aluminum truss-based modular rig construction, proprietary hardware for truss integration, and reconfigurable obstacle elements; the product portfolio spans full-service Custom Facility Solutions, pre-configured Obstacle Class Training (OCT) and Turn Key packages, the MOTUS RIG, supplemental standalone obstacles, and ancillary flooring, padding, and safety systems.

The company's competitive positioning rests on four patent-pending innovations: Liquid Hardware (truss-integrated assembly enabling 2-person build of large rigs), the Quick Change System and Element Exchange System (modular reconfigurable obstacle components enabling under-one-minute element swaps), and Stealth Rungs (rubber-damped salmon ladder rungs reducing decibel output by 12-15 dB). ODG monetizes through three channels: enterprise custom facility design-and-build projects sold via free consultation, direct e-commerce sales of pre-configured training rigs and supplemental obstacles, and IP licensing of proprietary technologies to manufacturers. Marketing relies on content (blog, newsletter, social), earned media (Athletic Business Magazine, American Ninja Warrior coverage), and community partnerships (UNX NOW, The Ninja Passport). ODG remains founder-led by Jason Huewe with a 1-10 employee headcount, has not raised outside capital, and operates without disclosed revenue, acquisitions, or leadership transitions through 2024.

Name

Obstacle Design Group

Legal name

Obstacle Design Group, LLC

Website

https://obstacledesigngroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Obstacle Design Group (ODG) is a Fresno, California-based designer and manufacturer of custom obstacle courses, ninja warrior training rigs, and modular training hardware for health clubs, ninja gyms, and family entertainment centers across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fitness Facility Design and Obstacle Course Equipment

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (541420)

SIC

Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Obstacle Course & Adventure Races (OCR, Mud Runs, Adventure Racing) (MPAKAIAE)

Keywords

• Obstacle course design
• Ninja warrior training
• Custom fitness equipment
• Obstacle course training
• Fitness facility design

Headquarters

HQ city

Fresno

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Facility Solutions: Full-service custom obstacle course and facility design and build. Process includes analysis, design, safety planning, utilities, structures, obstacles, flooring, and installation. Licensed agents in all 50 states for building approvals.
2. Pre-configured OCT Solutions: Turnkey and feature solutions including pre-configured obstacle training spaces and modules. Categories include low elevation courses, challenge towers, and training rigs at two difficulty levels.
3. Supplemental Obstacles: Standalone obstacles for facilities with less than 150 sqft. Three state-of-the-art obstacle options available.
4. IP Licensing: Licensing of proprietary technology including Liquid Hardware, Quick Change System, and Element Exchange System to manufacturers and facilities.
5. Technology Licensing: License offerings for select products and technology not currently available on the main site. Targets manufacturers interested in ODG's different IP offerings.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Obstacle Design Group designs, engineers, and manufactures custom obstacle courses and ninja warrior training facilities for health clubs, ninja gyms, family entertainment centers, and obstacle course race venues. The company provides full-service Custom Facility Solutions from analysis and CAD design through certified installation, alongside pre-configured Obstacle Class Training (OCT) turnkey solutions and standalone supplemental obstacles. It also licenses proprietary patent-pending innovations including Liquid Hardware, Stealth Rungs, Quick Change System, and Element Exchange System.

Product overview

Obstacle Design Group (ODG) is a physical product and services company specializing in obstacle course architecture and ninja warrior training facility solutions. The core offerings consist of Obstacle Class Training (OCT) — pre-configured and custom training space solutions — and Custom Facility Solutions covering full-service design-to-installation for obstacle courses and ninja gyms. The product portfolio includes Turn Key plug-and-play training spaces, the MOTUS RIG, Training Ring, standalone Supplemental Obstacles, and custom structures with safety padding and flooring. ODG's proprietary innovations include Liquid Hardware (patent pending, integrating with Milos and Global truss systems), Stealth Rungs for salmon ladders, and the Quick Change System/Element Exchange System (both patent pending) enabling rapid obstacle reconfiguration. The company also offers ancillary services for gymnastics, rock climbing, and strength training integration. ODG primarily serves health clubs, ninja warrior gyms, family entertainment centers, and obstacle course race facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Obstacle Class Training (OCT) Custom and preconfigured obstacle training space solutions for sports facilities, health clubs, and obstacle course race environments seeking effective, scalable, and profitable training areas.
• Custom Facility Solutions Full-service design and build service for custom obstacle courses and ninja warrior gyms, covering analysis, design, safety, utilities, structures, obstacles, flooring, and certified installation. For health clubs, ninja gyms, and family entertainment centers.
• Turn Key Solutions Pre-configured plug and play obstacle training spaces for playground style or OCT environments, designed for flexible, scalable, and profitable group training in gyms and fitness facilities.
• MOTUS RIG Training rig product designed for obstacle class training spaces, available with multiple loading configurations for varied group training programs.
• Training Ring Training ring equipment for ninja and obstacle course athletes, released as a standalone product in March 2020.
• Supplemental Obstacles Standalone obstacles for facilities with less than 150 sqft of available space, offering three state-of-the-art obstacle options to build interest and create in-house training goals.
• Liquid Hardware (patent pending) Patent-pending proprietary hardware series that integrates with Milos America and Global conical style truss systems, enabling easier modification of truss structures with added safety benefits and allowing 2-person teams to assemble larger rigs.
• Stealth Rungs Solid ABS construction salmon ladder rungs with integrated rubber inserts, first in the industry to incorporate rubber for sound dampening and joint impact reduction. Reduces decibel reading by 12-15 decibels (30+ with carbon fiber bar).
• Quick Change System (QCS) (patent pending) Patent-pending system that reconfigures obstacles and changes elements in and out of obstacle bodies, enabling modification of an obstacle in less than one minute.
• Element Exchange System (EES) Patent-pending tool-less modular system that allows users to create any combination of obstacles with appropriate parts, providing unparalleled variability and control over obstacle configurations. Works with the Quick Change System.
• Technology/IP Licensing Licensing of proprietary ODG technology including Liquid Hardware, Quick Change System, and Element Exchange System to manufacturers and facilities interested in investing in obstacle technology progressions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200+% increase in build speed when using Liquid Hardware
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Support Our SportminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 May 2020Online silent and live auction organized by The Ninja Passport and Monstro Holds to benefit ninja community affected by coronavirus closures. ODG contributed factory blemish obstacles for auction and a virtual conference with founder Jason Huewe.
• AirTrackminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on a ROUND 1 family entertainment park build. ODG provided bright orange obstacles for one of AirTrack's new builds. Quality companies working together to build beautiful attractions.
• ROUND 1minorOthersFamily entertainment park where ODG obstacles were installed. Located inside North Star Mall at 7400 San Pedro Ave., San Antonio, TX 78216. ODG worked with AirTrack on this project.
• Kardia NinjascoreOthersComplete gym design and build project completed during pandemic. Located in Brantford, ON Canada. Featured on All Around Champion Season 4. Gym features many new and innovative obstacles developed by ODG.
• Ninja NationcoreOthersClient featured in Athletic Business Magazine article. Location in Frisco, TX. Represents ODG's work with major ninja gym chains.
• The Ninja PassportminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNinja community organization co-organizing Support Our Sport auction with Monstro Holds to support ninja athletes affected by COVID-19 closures.
• Monstro HoldsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNinja brand co-organizing Support Our Sport auction with The Ninja Passport to support ninja athletes affected by COVID-19 closures.
• UNX NOWminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNinja sport media platform providing athletic coverage for $5.99/month. Founder Jason Huewe expressed excitement about the service bringing measurable recognition to ninja obstacle competitions.
• SoiLLminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTraining ring giveaway partnership. ODG gave away SoiLL Black Wolf Chalk bags with purchase of ODG Training Rings.
• Tokyo Powder IndustriesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerChalk supplier included in training ring giveaway. 135g bags of Tokyo Powder Industries Black chalk included with SoiLL chalk bag prizes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Get Air: Operates indoor trampoline and ninja warrior park franchises that incorporate obstacle attractions, making it both a potential customer of ODG and a benchmark operator within the same ecosystem. Useful comparable for understanding facility-level demand.
• Rock Solid Group / Rebounderz: Operates indoor trampoline, ninja, and obstacle adventure parks as a franchise. Direct adjacency to ODG's family entertainment center segment — both a customer and an indicator of demand for obstacle-based attractions in FEC formats.

Broad incumbents

• Rogue Fitness: Major fitness equipment manufacturer and retailer with a growing line of functional rigs, climbing equipment, and obstacle-style training gear. Serves the same B2B gym and CrossFit/functional-training customer base but at vastly larger scale, with broad fitness catalogs beyond obstacles.
• Nautilus Inc. Public fitness equipment company behind Bowflex, Schwinn, and Octane, serving commercial and consumer fitness markets. Competes for the same health-club and franchise facility budgets; broader product breadth but less specialization in obstacle/ninja course design.
• Life Fitness: Global incumbent fitness equipment manufacturer serving health clubs, hospitality, and recreation facilities. While not specialized in obstacles, it competes for the same commercial facility CapEx budget that ODG's customers spend, and has expanded into functional training areas.
• PlayPower / ECI Play: Large commercial playground and recreation equipment manufacturer serving parks, schools, and family entertainment centers. Highly comparable end-customers (FECs, parks) and overlapping custom-design capability, though broader park/recreation portfolio versus ODG's obstacle focus.

Direct peers

• Playcraft Systems: Designs and manufactures commercial playground, obstacle course, and outdoor fitness equipment for parks, schools, and recreation facilities. Highly comparable product category and end-customer base (parks and recreation venues), with a similar design-and-install model.
• Sorinex: Manufactures modular fitness rigs, functional training systems, and obstacle-style training equipment for gyms, military, and tactical facilities. Directly comparable to ODG's custom rig and obstacle hardware business, serving overlapping B2B gym and facility customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/obstacledesigngroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Obstacle Design Group