“I’m not one of those people that always saw myself as an entrepreneur…”
Marie Kloor
Co-Founder & CEO
Hydra Studios
Marie is a trailblazer for changing how we crank through our daily grind. Having traveled for much of her career, she knows how important it is to have a place to find inspiration and recharge. Amidst the metropolitan hustle, she not only created a network of highly curated wellness studios that do just that but a culture around it too.
Fundraising is a hard, stressful and huge undertaking. It’s important to embrace and hone your negotiating skills.
Marie is the Co-Founder and CEO of Hydra Studios, a network of highly curated wellness studios in metropolitan areas, providing a second home base for members to refresh, recharge and regroup while on the go. She loves the hustle of NYC and wanted to create a space that brings more convenience and flexibility to people’s lives, allowing them to do more with their day. The first studio opened in Manhattan on June 2019. Previously, she led Revenue & Business Development at News Deeply, a media startup building single-topic news platforms covering complex global issues. She began her career at Goldman Sachs in institutional asset management. Originally from Colorado, Marie is an avid snowboarder and hiker and tries to get outside and explore as much as possible.
Marie Kloor, Co-founder and CEO and Dan Nielsen, Co-founder and COO of Hydra Studios.
Tell us about your first entrepreneurial venture: How did you come up with the idea, and how did you start your business?
MK: I’m not one of those people that always saw myself as an entrepreneur — Hydra Studios is my first entrepreneurial venture. I began my career in at Goldman Sachs, and worked at smaller and smaller companies before starting my own. That said, Hydra Studios was actually inspired by the amenities at the GS headquarters in downtown Manhattan. They have an onsite wellness center that I used constantly. I love boutique fitness, so would take a class in the morning, then come to the office to get ready before work. I also traveled a lot in my role, so it was great to have onsite showers and nap rooms available after a flight. In the evening, the space was always packed with people prepping for one of the many events going on every night in NYC. The wellness center became my second home base at the office.
I realized that everyone in NYC is hustling, and most of us don’t work traditional 9 to 5 jobs anymore. We’re always on. I’m usually out of my apartment from 7 am – 9 pm, and am trying to fit so many roles in during that time. From work to working out, to client events, socializing and trying to find some time for myself. I wanted to create a unique space that allows people to harness the city’s energy. Providing simple but beautifully designed amenities, like showers, steam rooms, lockers, vanity stations, and bookable nap/meditation suites. We also have a wellness showroom dedicated to discovery, where we bring in innovative wellness treatments, classes, workshops, and pop-ups. Although we’re launching in NYC, we’re planning on expanding nationally as we think our product can serve a lot of different places.
Did you raise venture capital? If so, can you tell us about that process?
MK: We raised a seed round of financing from a few venture capital funds. It was not an easy process. Raising venture capital as a pre-revenue company definitely has its challenges. Many investors won’t fund companies that don’t have revenue. For those investors that will, the pitch becomes a lot more about your vision and why you are the right team to execute. That said, we found that once we had a few notable venture capital funds onboard, the rest of the round came together and we ended up oversubscribed. I definitely honed my negotiation skills through this process, and am actually looking forward to raising our next round of financing.
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Hydra Studios Opens First Location with Convene at RXR’s 530 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan