The Gravity Vault Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $1.7M – $3.3M
- Disclosed sales
- $1.1M
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Limited · 14 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
The Gravity Vault is a recreation franchise operating indoor rock climbing gyms with walls, lessons, and fitness programs. Franchisees run the gyms, managing climbing operations, instruction, safety, and memberships.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A The Gravity Vault franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.7M – $3.3M, including a $80K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.5% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.1M[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored8 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $1.7M – $3.3M
- 98th pct Health & Fitn…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.1M
- 32nd pct Health & Fitn…
- Royalty
- 6.5%
- 35th pct Health & Fitn…
- Units
- 14
- 41st pct Health & Fitn…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Health & Fitness · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Health & Fitness median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $1.7M – $3.3M including a $80K franchise fee, 6.5% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $1.1M/year (median $922K).
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 51/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +2 franchised outlets in the latest year (2 opened, 0 closed); 5 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Rock Climbing Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Climbing Baron Holdings, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 9 of the 2025 FDD
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Lucas Kovalcik
- Incorporated in
- New Jersey
- HQ
- 107 Pleasant Avenue, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
- Auditor
- Perlson LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $670K
- vs $733K prior year
Affiliated brands
- owns and operates a The Gravity Vault Facility
- The Gravity Vault
- maintains a pr
- GV IP Holder
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Lucas Kovalcik
- Headquarters
- NJ
- Founded
- 2012
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 4
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 544% above the typical health & fitness franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $80K | $80K | |
| Construction and Leasehold Improvements | $436K | $1.2M | |
| Lease Deposits - Three Months | $16K | $93K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment | $993K | $1.5M | |
| Signage | $5K | $15K | |
| Computer, Software and Point of Sales System | $10K | $12K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $8K | $8K | |
| Initial Inventory | $30K | $75K | |
| Utility Deposits | $2K | $3K | |
| Insurance Deposits - Three Months | $5K | $8K | |
| Travel for Initial Training | $0 | $23K | |
| Additional Training | $0 | $10K | |
| Professional Fees | $51K | $80K | |
| Licenses and Permits | $7K | $16K | |
| Additional Funds - Three Months | $106K | $162K | |
| Total initial investment | $1.7M | $3.3M |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $1.7M – $3.3M
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $106K – $162K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $80K – $80K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Royalty
- 6.5%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.5% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Transfer fee | $40K |
| Renewal fee | $20K |
| Inventory (initial) | $30K – $75K |
| Total fee load | 7.5% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 122% above the health & fitness norm.
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for The Gravity Vault until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$2.7M
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one The Gravity Vault unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.1M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $922K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 8 outlets
- vs category median 11
- Range (low → high)
- $519K→$2.0MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 62 of the 2025 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 9 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 173 Health & Fitness brands
Revenue is only 0.4x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $1.1M/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 0.4x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.5% — below the Health & Fitness median of 9.0%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 9/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Health & Fitness medians
How The Gravity Vault Compares
Category median of published Health & Fitness brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 14
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 71%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 5
- 0.36 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 7
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 4 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
4
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 14
- Loan volume
- $17.2M
- Median loan
- $849K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- Limited · 14 loans
- Limited SBA coverage: 14 loans, rate hidden until 10 have resolved and loans reach 2% of franchised units
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Limited · 14 loans
- 5-yr charge-off
- Limited · 14 loans
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 5
- Defaults
- 1
- Typical loan rate
- 6.9%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 15.8%
- n=7,965 loans
- Jobs supported
- 216
- 3.2 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 38%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 100% went to startups / new businesses, 0% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in fitness and recreational sports centers, franchised businesses charge off at 15.8% vs 18.2% for independents — franchising is associated with 13% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing The Gravity Vault franchisees
Showing 3 of 5 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for The Gravity Vault from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 0.0%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 63%
- Avg interest rate
- 6.93%
- Lender concentration
- 37.5%
- Job velocity
- 3.2 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 12.5%
- NAICS 713940
- Jobs supported
- 216
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 38% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Financial Resources Federal Credit Union | 3 | $3.8M | N/A |
| 2 | JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | 2 | $757K | 0.0% |
| 3 | KeyBank National Association | 1 | $798K | N/A |
| 4 | Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 1 | $1.0M | N/A |
| 5 | SpiritBank | 1 | $293K | 100.0% |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| NJNew Jersey | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NYNew York | 2 | 0 | -- |
| PAPennsylvania | 1 | 0 | -- |
| TXTexas | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
financial_distress flag set but no going-concern note and no litigation or bankruptcy. Small system (14 units, thin $694K revenue) with strong avg unit sales of $1.06M and +16.7% growth. Treated as minor given absence of auditor doubt.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Perlson LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Item 21 states audited financial statements for 2022-2024 are attached as Exhibit D for franchisor Rock Climbing Franchising, LLC (fiscal year ends Dec 31), but Exhibit D is NOT present in the extracted text — no balance sheet, statement of operations, or auditor name available. The only franchisor financial figure disclosed in the FDD body is total revenue of $694,718 for fiscal year ending Dec 31, 2024 (Item 8, rebate disclosure). the franchisor revenue shown is this FY2024 figure; all balance-sheet fields null (absent from text).
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 51 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORSmall/young, thin $694K revenue, 14 units
- 02MINORNo litigation/bankruptcy, audited, Item 19, +16.7% growth
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 1 mi |
| Territory population | 250,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Bergen County, New Jersey |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | New Jersey |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation disclosed.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 24 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 56 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and franchisor location
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- franchisee_with_approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
11 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a The Gravity Vault franchise?
The total investment to open a The Gravity Vault franchise ranges from $1.7M – $3.3M, with an initial franchise fee of $80K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do The Gravity Vault franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the The Gravity Vault FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.1M. The median is $922K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns The Gravity Vault?
The Gravity Vault is franchised by Rock Climbing Franchising, LLC. Its parent company is Climbing Baron Holdings, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the The Gravity Vault FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the The Gravity Vault FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is The Gravity Vault's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for The Gravity Vault (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many The Gravity Vault franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, The Gravity Vault has 14 total units in the United States, including 10 franchised units and 4 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is The Gravity Vault a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates The Gravity Vault as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 51 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.