In 2017 Bruce Smith had been involved with rowing for nearly 30 years, leading crews to the World Championships and building one of the largest rowing programs in the United States. After years working to make rowing accessible to his community, Bruce was witnessing an increasing trend of loneliness and isolation all around him, and he wanted to impact even more people. He launched Hydrow in 2018 with the goal to create a piece of fitness equipment that could change human connection as we know it. Bruce is aiming to bring the athlete experience to your living room, creating fitness communities around the world, and solving loneliness one workout at a time.