Baker Tilly Advises Family Trust Investor (FTI) on the Founding of the International Bouldering Alliance

The international consulting and auditing firm Baker Tilly advised Family Trust Investor (FTI) on the establishment of the International Bouldering Alliance (IBA) in collaboration with Verlinvest. As part of the launch of the new platform, five leading bouldering brands from Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, and Denmark are being brought together under the IBA umbrella. These include The Climbing Hangar, Boulders, Urban Apes, Der Steinbock, and Café Kraft. With a total of 39 fitness studios across four countries, this creates the world’s largest bouldering platform in terms of the number of locations. 

An international Baker Tilly team led by Stefan Greger advised FTI on financial and tax due diligence: 

• Financial Due Diligence:Stefan Greger (Partner, Munich), Felix Ptok (Manager), and Sercan Kanal (Junior Manager) 
• Tax Due Diligence: Chris Denning (Partner, London) and the team from MHA (Baker Tilly UK Member), as well as Pernille Pless (Partner, Copenhagen) and the team from Baker Tilly Denmark 

The merger creates an international platform with more than 40,000 members and over 3.4 million annual visits. IBA aims to further accelerate the growth of bouldering and, in addition to operating existing and new fitness studios, to develop events, competitions, digital offerings, and other formats. The group’s expansion will initially be driven in Europe through new locations and the acquisition of complementary operators. 

The five brands will remain independent and are expected to continue developing their established structures and respective communities. At the same time, shared expertise, data, and digital infrastructure will be leveraged to further enhance the customer experience and tap into additional growth potential. 

About the International Bouldering Alliance 

The International Bouldering Alliance (IBA) was founded in 2026 and brings together five leading bouldering brands with a total of 39 fitness studios in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, and Austria. The IBA aims to further develop bouldering as a sport and lifestyle and make it accessible to a wider audience through new locations, partnerships, events, and digital offerings. 

About Family Trust Investor 

Family Trust Investor (FTI) is a private equity firm headquartered in Munich. FTI acquires mid-sized companies as part of succession planning and also specializes in buy-and-build strategies. FTI supports its portfolio companies with management succession, the professionalization of structures and processes, and acquisitions as part of consolidation strategies. FTI’s investor base consists of family offices, institutional investors, and high-net-worth individuals.