Exploring Life & Business with Alice Kao of Sender One Climbing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alice Kao.

Hi Alice, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m Alice Kao, the co-founder and CEO of Sender One Climbing, but my story didn’t begin in a climbing gym. I immigrated to Los Angeles as a teenager, and for a long time, I never saw myself as an athlete. I was the kid who hid during dodgeball because I was terrified of anything involving a flying object. Sports were something other people did.

Everything changed in my twenties when I was living and working in London. One day, I wandered into a climbing gym, not knowing anything about the sport. Climbing immediately spoke to me in a way sports never had. It wasn’t about being the fastest or the strongest — it was about problem-solving, being present, and discovering what I was capable of. That first experience planted a seed that eventually grew into my life’s work.

Years later, back in LA, my husband and I dreamed of creating a climbing gym that felt different from anything we had ever experienced — a place where people could discover themselves and connect with others through climbing. A place where community mattered just as much as the walls.

We opened Sender One in 2013 with the help of local investors who believed in us before we fully believed in ourselves. In the early days, they handed out flyers, hosted birthday parties, and told everyone they knew about this little climbing gym in Santa Ana. That sense of community — people lifting each other up — became the foundation of everything we built.

My journey hasn’t been smooth. I’ve dealt with self-doubt, setbacks, near-missed deals, moments of feeling like I was failing, and the weight of leading a growing company. I’ve had to learn how to trust myself, how to be the CEO my team believes I am, and how to lead with vulnerability instead of perfection. I never expected to become the CEO of a climbing company, but every step — even the painful ones — pulled me closer to who I’m meant to be.

Today, Sender One has multiple locations across Southern California, with more on the way. We’ve become a place where people find community, build confidence, and sometimes even heal. And as we look toward the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, climbing is about to be spotlighted in a whole new way. I’m proud that our gyms will help welcome new climbers from all over the world.

If there’s a thread that runs through my story, it’s this: you don’t have to be who you once were. You can grow, evolve, and surprise yourself. Climbing taught me that. And building a company taught me that community is what makes anything possible.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not a smooth road. I don’t think entrepreneurship ever is. For me, the hardest parts weren’t the obvious challenges like raising money, finding real estate, or managing construction delays—although we’ve had plenty of those too. The hardest parts were the emotional ones.

In the early days of Sender One, I constantly questioned whether I was capable enough or experienced enough to lead a company. I didn’t come from a sports background, I didn’t have a blueprint for “how to run a climbing gym,” and I was learning everything in real time. There were moments when deals fell apart at the last minute, when investors walked away, when banks said no, or when I felt like I was failing my team. There were nights I lay awake thinking, “Maybe someone else should be doing this.”

One of the toughest moments for me happened during a major real estate deal when a landlord blamed me for mistakes he had actually made and tried to intimidate me into backing down. I remember feeling so small and so shaken. But that moment forced me to step into my own leadership and advocate for myself—and for our company. Experiences like that shaped who I am as a CEO today.

We also went through the unimaginable during COVID. We furloughed 135 people overnight—some of whom I had watched grow up with us. Walking into an empty gym that had once been full of life was heartbreaking. It tested everything: our finances, our resilience, and my belief in myself. But our community showed up for us in ways I never expected, and that kept us going.

And even now, as we grow, the road isn’t smooth—it’s just different. Raising capital locally, opening new locations, and leading through rapid expansion all come with their own struggles. I’m constantly learning, constantly growing, and constantly navigating discomfort. But I’ve learned that “smooth” isn’t the goal. The goal is to keep climbing, to surround myself with people who believe in what we’re building, and to become a little braver every time the road gets hard.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Sender One is an indoor climbing gym company based in Southern California, but we’ve always seen ourselves as more than a gym. Our purpose is simple: to discover ourselves and connect with others through climbing. Everything we do flows from that.

We specialize in creating beautiful, thoughtful spaces where people of all backgrounds—first-time climbers, kids, seasoned athletes, families—can feel safe, welcomed, and inspired. We offer bouldering, rope climbing, fitness, yoga, youth programs, camps, and our signature Sender City, which is a climbable playground that introduces kids (and adults!) to climbing in the most joyful way possible.

What truly sets us apart is our focus on community. We don’t just build climbing gyms; we build places where people belong. Our team is trained not just to teach climbing but to make human connections—to meet people where they are, celebrate their progress, and create an environment where everyone feels seen. Hiring for kindness and attitude is more important to us than whether someone has climbed V10.

I’m incredibly proud of the culture we’ve built. During the pandemic, our community kept us alive. And to this day, members tell us they come for the climbing but stay for the people. That’s the highest compliment we could receive.

I’m also proud that so many of our gyms were funded by local investors—parents, neighbors, friends, and climbers who believed in us. They didn’t just write checks; they handed out flyers, hosted birthday parties, and became ambassadors of the Sender One experience. That grassroots support is part of our DNA and is something I cherish deeply.

As we grow, including our upcoming Aliso Viejo and Thousand Oaks locations, we continue to design each space with intention. Every gym looks different because every community is different. We spend months obsessing over wall angles, natural light, the way people move through the space, and the feeling you get the moment you walk inside.

If readers take away one thing, I hope it’s this: climbing isn’t just a sport. It’s a way to grow, to connect, to rebuild confidence, to heal, and to find belonging. Sender One exists to make that experience accessible, meaningful, and joyful for as many people as possible.

Pricing:

• Memberships $113 /month
• Intro to climbing classes $39
• Birthday Parties $699+
• Kids Camps and afterschool programs $475+

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sender.one
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/senderone
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-kao-ca/

Image Credits
Hans Wang