Tom Digan

Co-founder, President @joinladder. Recovering bond trader, HF manager, options junky. These days fitness, startups and investing.

[Ladder @joinladder]

“No woman should lift more than 3 pounds.”

This is a literal quote from the most popular celebrity trainer of the last 20 years.

And for years, @hilaryduff believed it.

Until she started to lift. Then everything changed. 🧵

[Tom Digan @ThomasDigan]

🎧 Watch the full conversation here: https://t.co/XfX1x2FmJz

[Tom Digan @ThomasDigan]

@joinladder was dead at the end of 2019

[Tom Digan @ThomasDigan]

Grateful to our investors—especially the early ones. Our cap table isn’t tidy; it’s a party. Endless respect for @GregoryFStewart and the @joinladder team.

It’s been a ride.
Still Day One.

[Tom Digan @ThomasDigan]

@joinladder was dead at the end of 2019 https://t.co/TaUedH2PZw

[Patrick OShaughnessy @patrick_oshag]

.@joinladder was my first angel investment, made entirely on trust in @ThomasDigan when I had no idea what I was doing in venture. What followed is one of the most unlikely and dramatic business stories I've been part of.

Today, Ladder is the number one strength training app approaching $100M in ARR with over 300K members. But it should have died several times and survived through sheer force of will from Tom and CEO @GregoryFStewart.

Tom left a lucrative hedge fund career and moved his family to Austin. He raised money from me, my family and his friends. Tom talks about how when you take money from people that close to you, you have to know deep down that you're willing to do whatever it takes.

During the early years, they were in constantly in debt with no customers and no sign of PMF. They celebrated raising $10k checks at night while negotiating with creditors and rebuilding the product during the day.

Greg describes copying thousands of App Store reviews into Word documents and color-coding them by theme to know exactly what feature to build next. He talks about going into what he calls a "cave process," disappearing to study a single problem until he masters it. He spent months cracking TikTok with no background, dissecting every minute detail -- the hook in the first three seconds, what the coach was wearing, the gym setting -- to grow from $3M to nearly $100M in ARR in four years.

Ladder is becoming the operating system for health and fitness, but this conversation is about how hard it really is to build something valuable, told by two people who were willing to do absolutely anything to make it work.

Enjoy!

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:07 The Genesis of Ladder
3:04 Engineering DNA vs. Content Libraries
4:31 Scaling to 300,000 Paying Members
5:36 Leaving the Safety Net
9:00 Restructuring
13:58 Survival Mode
25:48 Ruthless Prioritization
27:15 Integrating Nutrition and Listening to Members
33:53 Cracking the TikTok Growth Loop
44:25 Expanding the Brand Beyond Short-Form Video
46:54 Financing Growth
51:10 Leveraging AI
58:10 Long-Term Vision
1:05:32 Kindest Thing

[Ladder @joinladder]

Big Fitness has failed you.

Every January, millions dedicate themselves to new fitness routines — only to quit weeks later.

That expensive machine, the new tech gadget, didn’t follow through on its promise.

Which is why we’re launching our newest initiative, Ladder Cares. 👷‍♂️♻️

[Ladder @joinladder]

This is Ladder.
The Operating System for Results.
Your weekly workout plan,
programmed by an expert coach.

A personal trainer in your ear.
A team in your corner.
A nutrition coach in your pocket.
All designed to keep you on track
and fuel your consistency.

This is the blueprint for discipline.
The engine for progress.
The framework for strength.

Your workouts.
Your nutrition.
Your plan.

[Alex Cohen @anothercohen]

I don't know who needs to hear this, but Ladder is the greatest fitness app ever made.

You pick a coach's group based on their workout style, they program your week, and you follow along with videos, timers, and logging.

It genuinely feels like having a personal trainer in your pocket.

[Alex Cohen @anothercohen]

I’ve been waiting so long for Ladder to build a nutrition app 😍

RIP MyFitnessPal

[Tom Digan @ThomasDigan]

Building the Health & Fitness OS

[Ladder @joinladder]

Introducing Ladder Nutrition!

Not just another calorie tracker — but actually bridging the gap between how you train and how you fuel.

Workouts 🤝 Nutrition

🧵

https://t.co/QwJRrOeUne

[Ladder @joinladder]

On Monday, we change the game. Again. 💪🥬

[Tom Digan @ThomasDigan]

Much appreciate the love from @Apple today at the keynote for @joinladder!

[Sara Dietschy 🍑y @saradietschy]

Love to see my bae Ladder app featured

[Tom Digan @ThomasDigan]

@thesamparr Love it, Sam! 🙌

If you’re new to LADDER, here’s a free 30-day pass to see what the hype’s about: https://t.co/Eoe74kvLle

[Tom Digan @ThomasDigan]

@businessbarista AI

[The Wall Street Journal @WSJ]

Personal training is expensive. These strength training apps help you build muscle and save you money. https://t.co/BvQCuD2zor