Strategic Technical Leadership Catalyzing CITYROW's Acquisition by WaterRower
Provided strategic technical leadership as Fractional CTO at CITYROW during their post-Series A growth phase, optimizing their digital fitness platform and aligning technology with business objectives, culminating in successful acquisition by WaterRower in January 2024.
The Client
CITYROW started as a boutique fitness studio in New York City, offering rowing-based workouts that combined cardio and strength training. The studio gained a devoted following for its unique approach to full-body fitness using premium WaterRower equipment. Founder and CEO Helaine Knapp saw an opportunity to scale beyond physical studio locations through digital transformation.
After raising a Series A round, CITYROW evolved from a studio business into a technology-driven fitness company. They launched a connected fitness platform combining premium WaterRower hardware with digital content—live and on-demand classes that subscribers could take at home. This pivot positioned them in the rapidly growing connected fitness market alongside companies like Peloton, Mirror, and Tonal.
The Challenge
Post-Series A startups face a unique set of technical and strategic challenges. CITYROW had successfully built an initial digital platform and proven the concept, but now needed to scale that platform to serve thousands of subscribers reliably. The technology roadmap needed to align with aggressive growth targets while maintaining product quality and user experience.
Connected fitness is particularly challenging technically. The platform had to integrate with physical WaterRower hardware, sync workout data in real-time, stream high-quality video content, and provide a seamless user experience across mobile apps and web interfaces. Any technical issues directly impacted subscriber satisfaction and retention.
The company also needed to optimize cross-functional collaboration between product and engineering teams, and be strategic about where they invested limited engineering resources in a competitive market.
Our Solution
We served as Fractional CTO for CITYROW during their post-Series A growth phase through their acquisition by WaterRower in January 2024. The role focused on aligning the technology roadmap with business objectives, optimizing the digital platform for scale, and improving cross-functional collaboration.
For technology strategy, we worked closely with the executive team to translate business goals into technical priorities—identifying which platform features would drive acquisition and retention versus which could be deferred. We led platform optimization efforts including architectural reviews, infrastructure improvements, and quality assurance processes. Cross-functional alignment was a key focus, establishing collaboration patterns between product and engineering teams.
We also provided technical due diligence support as strategic conversations with WaterRower progressed, helping articulate the platform’s technical strengths and address questions from their team.
The Impact
The CEO’s testimonial captures the impact: “Having Gabriel’s level of talent on a fractional basis has been an absolute game changer for us.” The technology roadmap became strategically focused, platform reliability improved significantly, and cross-functional collaboration became more effective.
Most significantly, the engagement contributed to CITYROW’s successful acquisition by WaterRower in January 2024. The technical foundation—a scalable platform, clear roadmap, and strong team collaboration—helped demonstrate the asset’s value during acquisition discussions. For the CITYROW team, the acquisition represented a successful outcome for their Series A investors and validation of their vision to combine premium hardware with digital content.
