# Making waves with CITYROW Founder and Author Helaine Knapp

By Adam Morrisey · Published 2024-08-27 · Updated 2026-03-26 · Engineering & Construction on MarketScale
Canonical: https://www.marketscale.com/industries/engineering-and-construction/making-waves-with-cityrow-founder-and-author-helaine-knapp

> The fitness founder shares hard-won lessons from building a startup through industry booms, busts, and an unexpected exit

## Key points

- The fitness founder shares hard-won lessons from building a startup through industry booms, busts, and an unexpected exit

Block Field

The narrative around startups is often [glamorized](https://medium.com/@shreepriyajindal/why-the-glamourisation-of-start-up-culture-is-regretted-50fc559d1331), focusing on success stories, but the true journey of entrepreneurship is much more complex. The [rise of connected fitness](https://marketscale.com/industries/sports-and-entertainment/how-technology-can-make-fitness-more-accessible/), followed by its decline, brought unexpected challenges for many companies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. **Helaine Knapp**, the founder of **CITYROW**, navigated this tumultuous landscape, ultimately selling her company to **WaterRower** in early 2024. But what does it really take to build a business from scratch, and what happens when the journey doesn't end with fairy-tale success?

How do entrepreneurs cope with the emotional and practical challenges of winding down a business?

Welcome to [*Tuesdays with Morrisey*](https://marketscale.com/shows/tuesdayswithmorrisey/). In this episode, host [Adam Morrisey](https://www.linkedin.com/in/adammorrisey/) sits down with [Helaine Knapp](https://www.linkedin.com/in/helaine-knapp/), founder of [CITYROW](https://www.cityrow.com/en-us/) and author of [*Making Waves*](https://www.amazon.com/Making-Waves-Start-Up-Founders-Unexpected/dp/B0CMP7ZXJL). They explore the highs and lows of Helaine's entrepreneurial journey, from founding CITYROW to the tough decisions leading to its sale, and the lessons learned along the way.

Key Points:

– **The Realities of Entrepreneurship**: Helaine shares the often untold, gritty aspects of the startup journey, emphasizing that success isn't always a fairy tale.

– **Founding and Growing CITYROW**: Helaine discusses how a personal injury led her to create CITYROW, a fitness brand that became an early adopter in the digital at-home fitness space.

– **Winding Down and Moving On**: The emotional and strategic challenges of navigating the end of CITYROW's journey and why asking for help is crucial for founders.

### About the Guest

[**Helaine Knapp**](https://www.helaineknapp.com/) is the founder and former CEO of CITYROW, a nationwide fitness brand that she led for over a decade before its acquisition by WaterRower in 2024. With extensive experience in early-stage SaaS companies and a strong background in business strategy, she now focuses on coaching, advising, and consulting for growth-stage companies and executives. Helaine is also an author, with her first book, *Making Waves*, detailing her entrepreneurial journey and offering insights to other founders.

Tags: Adam Morrisey, CITYROW, Helaine Knapp, Making Waves, Tuesdays with Morrisey

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