Peak Performance & Courage
Alex Honnold
Professional Rock Climber & Star of Free Solo
Investment
$70,000 - $100,000
The Biography
Alex Honnold is a professional rock climber whose audacious free-solo ascents of America's biggest cliffs have made him one of the most recognized and followed climbers in the world. A gifted but hard-working athlete, Honnold is distinguished for his uncanny ability to control his fear while scaling cliffs of dizzyingly heights without a rope to protect him if he falls. His humble, self-effacing attitude toward such extreme risk has earned him the nickname Alex "No Big Deal" Honnold. In 2017 Alex completed the first and only free-solo of El Capitan's "Freerider" route (5.13a, 3,000 feet), a historic accomplishment which has been hailed by many as one of the greatest sporting achievements of our time. This achievement was captured in the Oscar-winning film Free Solo. Whether climbing with a rope or without, Honnold believes climbing is a fantastic vehicle for adventure, an opportunity to seek out those high-test moments with uncertain outcomes in which you're forced to push through to survive.
Signature Topics
Known for free-soloing El Capitan without ropes — documented in the Oscar-winning film Free Solo — Alex speaks on the mechanics of preparation and risk management behind feats that look fearless but are, by his own account, the product of years of meticulous, incremental practice. In January 2026 he added to that reputation by free-soloing Taipei 101, one of the world's tallest buildings, live on Netflix's Skyscraper Live.
Alex's keynote distinguishes between real risk and perceived risk — a framework leaders use to think more clearly about calculated risk-taking in business — grounded in the exact preparation discipline that made both El Capitan and Taipei 101 survivable rather than reckless.
In Their Own Voice
Video reel — captions available on the platform. Open original.