"The Timing Was Off!" — Strava Co-Founder Mark Gainey on Popularizing Fitness on the Internet

Mark Gainey, Co-founder and Chairman of Strava, recently joined our podcast at Terra API, to discuss the history of Strava and its future plans. Gainey spoke about the company's origins, which date back to 1990 when he and his co-founder, Michael Horvath, aimed to create a virtual locker room on the nascent internet. Though the initial idea didn't take off, the pair revisited it in 2008, and Strava was born.

As serial entrepreneurs, Gainey and Horvath approached Strava with a focus on building a healthy, profitable business. They targeted a niche audience of cyclists and relied on customer feedback to shape the Strava experience. By focusing on engagement rather than rapid growth, the company achieved 99% organic growth, with users often learning about Strava through friends.

Strava's strategy has always been to work with wearable devices rather than compete with them. In terms of the future, the company plans to continue supporting its users and community while also building infrastructure to help partners succeed.

Strava remains committed to keeping users motivated and inspired the company doesn't plan to become an intense data analytics platform, it does aim to connect users to other services and tools that can further support their athletic journey.

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