Erin and Rob Arnold founded Launch Entertainment in 2012, a trampoline park that has since added offerings such as laser tag, bowling and ninja courses. 

Erin and Rob Arnold founded Launch Entertainment in 2012, a trampoline park that has since added offerings such as laser tag, bowling and ninja courses. 

Launch Entertainment—a franchisor of year-round family entertainment centers—bought AirTime Trampoline & Game Park in 2019, including two franchisee locations in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which were rebranded as corporate-run Launch units. Around the same time, the company acquired and converted a Sky Zone in Westborough , Massachusetts.

Founded in 2012 by Rob and Erin Arnold, Launch’s offerings run the gamut from ninja courses and laser tag to bowling and trampolines. Launch has 30 locations open and about 10 more in the development pipeline.

Launch attracted a majority investment from private equity firm Silver Oak Partners in November 2020, and since then, has bolstered its C-suite and support team to support its acquisition strategy and franchise development. Launch added former Quiznos and Jersey Mike’s executive Tim Lumpkin as director of real estate and Bobby Morefield, former executive at Radio Shack, as director of construction.

“A lot of these growth initiatives are made possible by having a strong financial partner,” Arnold said. “We added a project manager who was a Dunkin’ executive who cherry picks sites to build corporate" locations. "We’re able to grab the best seasoned franchise talent to add to our team, and we’re always looking at growing our team and adding new key hires.”

Though Arnold admits Launch got started a bit later than others in the trampoline park business, many of those players got into warehouse spaces, he explained, whereas Launch focused on shuttered big-box stores such as Toys R Us, Sears and K-Mart. “Very few people are willing to take 45,000 square feet,” he said, but those businesses are typically in prime real estate locations.

In January, Launch Entertainment bought another AirTime Trampoline & Game Park unit in Novi, Michigan, and transformed the 30,000-square-foot space into its third corporate-owned Launch Entertainment.

Arnold is going after strategic tuck-in acquisitions of mom-and-pops looking to sell, as well as franchisees of other brands or even operators within his own system. His growth strategy also includes adding other chains or franchisors if it makes sense, plus corporate development. But his primary focus is developing the franchise arm of the business. Launch recently inked a four-unit development deal with physician Clay Ritchie to bring Launch Entertainment to Florida, for instance.

With locations open in Chicago, Phoenix, San Antonio, Houston and the Pacific Northwest, Launch also has a few units in development in New York City and New Jersey. “We’ve identified 15 markets total that really feel like a lot of white space for our industry, with opportunities especially on the real estate front,” he said.

The investment range for a Launch Entertainment is about $2.7 million up to $4.1 million.

Read more about Arnold’s backstory, and why he and his wife, Erin, founded Launch Entertainment, in the April issue of Franchise Times. Plus learn how they’ve undergone three different model transformations since inception and how they use their family farm to unwind.

Look for more insight from Arnold during a panel discussion, “Founders Attracting New Investors and How You Can Join the Club,” as part of Franchise Times Dealmakers Week, April 25-28.

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