Venture Everywhere
Riding the Wave: Helaine Knapp with Pau Sabria
Venture Everywhere
•February 10, 2026•24 min
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Venture Everywhere•Feb 10, 2026
Why It Matters
The conversation bridges the gap between digital startup tactics and physical‑world enterprises, offering founders actionable insights for navigating market shifts and exits. By spotlighting transparent storytelling and adaptive resilience, the episode provides timely guidance for entrepreneurs facing rapid industry changes and the emotional complexities of scaling and exiting businesses.
Key Takeaways
- •Built City Row, a brick‑and‑mortar fitness franchise, pre‑COVID.
- •Wrote candid book during pandemic, documenting failures and boardroom tears.
- •Faced lawsuits, investor pressure, and franchise collapse amid COVID.
- •Shifted to consulting and podcasting to navigate post‑startup liminality.
- •Advocates patient idea cultivation, avoiding rushed, forced ventures.
Pulse Analysis
Helene Knapp’s journey illustrates how a seasoned tech executive can pivot into the gritty world of brick‑and‑mortar fitness. After early stints at Condé Nast, Buddy Media and a brief Salesforce tenure, she launched City Row, a boutique studio concept that grew to 70 locations before COVID‑19 shattered the sector. The pandemic forced an abrupt shutdown, exposing legal battles, investor strain, and franchisee fallout, while also prompting her to chronicle the experience in a raw, real‑time memoir that captures boardroom tears and the underbelly of startup life.
The book became more than a cathartic outlet; it served as a strategic bridge to the next chapter. While City Row collapsed, Knapp leveraged her deep operational expertise into consulting gigs and launched the "Step Into Next" podcast, a platform that normalizes the liminal space between ventures. This transition underscores a broader lesson for founders: embracing vulnerability, building a personal brand, and diversifying income streams can mitigate the psychological toll of failure and keep momentum alive during uncertain periods.
Knapp’s narrative also champions a patient, garden‑like approach to idea generation. Rather than forcing rapid launches, she advocates nurturing concepts until they self‑select as viable opportunities. This mindset, coupled with transparent storytelling, positions her as a thought leader for entrepreneurs navigating post‑exit realities, especially in industries disrupted by macro events like COVID‑19. Her experience offers actionable insights on resilience, legal prudence, and the power of media—book, podcast, and consulting—to sustain relevance and lay groundwork for future success.
Episode Description
In episode 106 of Venture Everywhere, Pau Sabria, co-founder of Remotely.works—a platform helping companies hire software engineers in Latin America—talks with Helaine Knapp, founder and former CEO of CityRow, a rowing fitness franchise that was acquired. Helaine reflects on how her career in tech startups at Buddy Media and Olapic gave her the foundation to build a brick-and-mortar fitness business. She discusses writing Making Waves, using brutal honesty to tell the entrepreneurial story most founders won’t share, and navigating the in-between as host of Step Into Next, a podcast about walking together from what was to what’s next.
In this episode, you will hear:
Adapting startup playbooks to the physical fitness business model
Insights into the rise and fall of Connected Fitness, and lessons learned
The power of honest storytelling during a company’s challenging exit
The real challenges of entrepreneurship: navigating legal battles and team dynamics
Reimagining success and personal growth while transitioning between ventures
Learn more about Helaine Knapp | CITYROW
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helaine-knapp
Website: www.helaineknapp.com
Learn more about Pau Sabria | Remotely.works
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pausabria
Website: https://www.remotely.works/
Show Notes
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