Subscribe: Apple Podcasts / Spotify Required fields are marked I was there my sophomore year through senior year, and we won the state championship as a team all three years. That has held true for our seven years of existence. Michael was class of 88. Never miss an episode, plus special announcements, discounts, giveaways. I got to be a kid in Reno. This has afforded me the luxury, frankly, of being present for Jake and Charlie. Folks, my name is Mark Gainey. Yeah, I love this entirely. Mark Gainey has been building successful companies for nearly 20 years. Outerknown:For the people and the planet, Outerknown was founded bypro surfer Kelly Slater to provide high quality, environmentally sustainable clothes that fit great and are made to endure. . Strava attempts to end the loneliness of the long-distance runner (and cyclist) Chief executive Mark Gainey tells Ben Wright how the app is building a sporting network just like Facebook built a . I live in Silicon Valley and continue to hear entrepreneurs talk about how their goal is an IPO, like somehow thats the end game. Fast forward to 2009, the same concept was needed and we realized we still wanted something that would motivate and inspire us to get out and work out. Mark Gainey, Strava. [Red Bull] READ MORE How Your Strava-Recorded Hill Climbs Can Help Firefighters Battle Wildfires We called it swing, which was really the physical movement of the boat, and when all eight oarsmen were in sync and that coxswain had us going in the right direction, it was this incredible feeling of the boat lifting and sinking into the water. The social aspects of Strava . Sign up to the Cyclist newsletter to receive curated emails direct to your inbox. As Adam mentioned, I'm the co-founder and executive chairman at Strava and I'm here today to do a couple of things. Our vision was always to support the global community of athletes, regardless of what sport theyre in. Mark Gainey 15:52. We learned that with our prior company. That was late 95, so thats right as Netscape was going public and that first wave of internet companies was starting to surface. When its off, its miserable. Its kind of there now but you have to dig around, so were thinking about how to evolve the experience to better serve athletes. I began formal preparation two weeks ago and have been posting all my workouts on Strava, accompanied by regular Instagram Stories and the occasional vlog on YouTube. Fast forward a bit and I was sitting in a Mexican restaurant with my two boys and I was wearing a Strava T-shirt. How did that happen? I dont think either of us expected that Kana was going to do what it did, and it became all-consuming, but it was just the two of us, and there werent kids involved. Hes got very funny stories about moving into that mentor role, and about working with the vets. No, it was stolen here on the Peninsula. Its early days but we are working with dozens of cities around the world looking at how we can improve bike-ped infrastructure with bicycle pathways and pedestrian causeways. Pioneering Running Coach Greg McMillan: Extraordinary is in All of Us. I am simply a fan of the platform. Much of what Strava offers is about the analysis of your performance and importantly, keeping track of your training. Episode 406. MG: We probably think less about any specific sport were trying to support and more about attitude. Youre going to graduate from Harvard with a degree, and you should go off and find your adult life. That was just the job. Listen on Ill take it all the way back to my days working at TA Associates. **Note: Marks answers have been edited for brevity and cohesion. At that point, it was a pretty easy choice, just the opportunity to be in that boathouse with a national-caliber team, and to learn a new sport. Like many of the things born in Silicon Valley, you might say Strava, the favorite app of millions of athletes, is a happy accident. People get thrown out of the boat, which is called crabs, or you injure your hands on the oar. Youre going to graduate from Harvard with a degree, and you should go off and find your adult life. Strava is the #1 app for runners and bikers and is the destination to record any activity. Have you ever considered Harvard? However, this is not a sponsored podcast. Founded in 2009 by Michael Horvath and Mark Gainey, Strava has. If you can solve the. Grounded and patient, I learned firsthand that Mark is one of those people you instantly want to work with. You had to do it other than just to race, and really appreciate the journey. Founded in 2009 by Mark Gainey and Michael Horvath, Strava has grown to boast tens of millions of users around the world across its mobile app and website. business of fitness and wellness. We look at it as: how can we serve you morning, noon and night? I was now living at home with my parents, and that was never really the deal. The company's application offers the ability to record fitness activity, analyze, share and compare data against themselves, friends, and pros, enabling users to discover, share and plan workouts and training together for better growth and results. I had dreams of. Theres a universal language, and theres a universal set of needs that all athletes have. This week we hear from Mark Gainey, co-founder and Chairman of Strava, the social network for athletes. We also hold ourselves responsible for delivering innovative and . So just how did Strava become the only fitness app that matters? This is not the first time though that Michael Horvath has left the company. Strava is also a company of 180 teammates who are really passionate about the power of sport and bringing innovative features and services to this global community. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. We had this old idea about a virtual locker room after we rowed together at Harvard, but by 2009 two things had changed. His name was David Belden, the commercial customer, and hes still here in the Valley. Mark Gainey Portola Valley, California, United States 2K followers 500+ connections Join to connect Activity So excited to share Strava's annual Year in Sport report. My dads a San Francisco native, born and raised in the city, and my mom was on the Peninsula. But he was always my co-founder and engaged at Kana. The mission there was to go back to asking: how can we make the world a more active place with environments that are more inviting for people to ride, run or walk to work? From day one, we had this thesis of building a product that athletes love and see if we can build a business model where they love it enough that theyll pay for it. There just isnt anything like it. Cyc: The name Strava is Swedish for to strive. Graphics byJessica Miranda.Theme music byAna Leimma. I wanted to continue rowing lightweights (there are lightweights and heavyweights in rowing). I had a great coach, a guy named Charlie Butt at Harvard, who now has the whole program. Weve learned over time that were at our best when were focused on the athlete experience and really thought about how we can improve and create this subscription upgrade thats so valuable it becomes indispensable. Rose Ski Resort, and wed ski all winter long. I am being sincere: I cant begin to tell you how valuable that experience was, from the friendships that have become lifelong business partnerships. Always eager to test new tech, I signed up immediately, quickly fell in love and have been evangelizing the platform every since. Founded in 2009 by Michael Horvath and Mark Gainey, Strava has hired over 100 new employees in the last 12 months including several additions to the company's board and leadership team. She said, I talk to way too many entrepreneurs who, when I ask them about who their customer is, they say, Well, look, here. Hint: The password should be at least twelve characters long. To subscribe, or for other enquiries, please contact us. That worked out really well. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. I had the exact opposite. We want to support them in their journey wherever they are, whether theyre attempting their first 5K or going for an Olympic gold medal. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify. for 1000s of delicious, customized plant-based recipes & so much more, check out our Plantpower Meal Planner, Subscribe & Review:iTunes|Stitcher|Soundcloud| GooglePlay. When its off, its miserable. Distance 3.1 mi Elevation 164 ft Time 26:30 December 30, 2022 That's a wrap At least I didn't slip and fall this time! As an early adopter (I was the 14,443 person to sign up for the service), its my pleasure to share Mark and Michaels story with you today. Why is he doing this to me?. When you have a minute, and it feels right to you, do us a solid and give the app a review in theiTunes Store. Free is going to remain and we added 50 plus improvements. Paul Holland ran sales for us. That led to a nine-month perioda little bit of a reckoningbecause it was not at all clear that I was going to be able to come back to rowing. It was really simple. Company No. I am not being compensated in any way for hosting Mark and Michael on the show. Spotify. I started as a history major, but found art history was a great way for me to learn history. For a limited time, my listeners can get 25% off a Calm Premium subscription at Calm.com/richroll. Mark Gainey is the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman at Strava. Thanks toJason Camiolofor audio engineering, production, interstitial musicand show notes. Registered in England. In Nevada, the VA is where a lot of the medical students get their training and do their residencies. missionary oblates of mary immaculate belleville, il. Part of this is to make sure folks can access information. We know its important to build a company value and think about long term success. operators and investors by subscribing. Terry McKall February 14, 2023. Have you ever considered Harvard? There was camaraderie, trash talking, competition, and so it was just a really magical experience. And when it launched, it was only a desktop app. Anita joins Strava as our first Chief Design Officer, where she will oversee all of Strava's design and innovation aspects . They were kind enough to let me figure that out. Mark Gainey 15:34. How to create it. In a . Cyclist Laura King takes us inside her how she does what she does, from favorite books and podcas Running coach Greg McMillan shares what he's learned through three decades of coaching. Friendship ensued, but after graduation they pursued disparate paths. In order to verify the travellers identity online, they proposed a video identification system that automatically verifies electronic and physical security features of identity documents. This led him to the crew team, where a junior rower named Michael Horvath took him under his wing. Check out an overview of the conversation below or listen to the entire episode for more. What distinguishes Strava from other fitness trackers and social media platforms is the positive emotional connection it engenders. People get thrown out of the boat, which is called crabs, or you injure your hands on the oar. It was super fun. This exchange canvasses everything from technology, business and entrepreneurship to fitness, sports and social media. That particular group from the class of 88 really took me under their wing, and I became great friends with a number of guys there. Michael and Mark initially met on the crew team at Harvard. Ironically, its through Strava that I have more interaction with him. Strava is entirely focused towards athletes. Founded in 2009, millions of athletes worldwide have joined Strava for the competition and camaraderie found in tracking and sharing their fitness activities. Its where our growth came from from day one, and its far and away the largest source of growth, even in todays environment. Its called the Biggest Little City in the World. I used to joke there are two cities there. I did that for almost five years. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. When I graduated from high school, the graduation gift was a mountain bike. Theyre posting their workouts, and in exchange, were motivating and inspiring them through competitions, analytics, social connections, and so forth. Theres a fine line between perfection and disaster, and you can apply all these things later on.. Thats been my strategy. Our thought process today is not to focus so much on where we can find new customers, but on creating a great, engaging experience for those 50 million athletes and have confidence that if theyre having a great experience, theyre going to keep telling their friends and our growth is going to come. He wrote this note saying, Hey, we saw your results. With Strava, to this day, sometimes Ill hear, Oh, the clever little cycling company. You can go look at our early business plans. We took a lot of cues from the grand brands Michael and I admired, and set out to see if we could go do something similar. Did you have to wait for the technology to catch up? I had a great coach, a guy named Charlie Butt at Harvard, who now has the whole program. Three speakers left. That ability to put people together and allow them to compare came in and all of a sudden we saw the trash-talking, the camaraderie, the gamesmanship and those little things added up to the fervour behind the experience. MG: Weve probably tried every different way you could think of to have a positive impact on growth. We break down the most important developments impacting the More From Runner's World . According to Crunchbase, Strava has raised a total of $151.9 million from seven rounds of funding. Authenticity is one of the five core values inside the business. Theoretically, I was pretty confident I could manage my single-parent duties along with the startup. For a complete list of all RRP sponsors and their respective vanity urls and discount codes,visit my Resources page and click Sponsors. Mark Gainey, the co-founder and chief executive of fitness-tracking app Strava, has a message for immigrants who are impacted by President Donald Trump's recent executive order: "Freedom4All." Gainey, who was Strava's initial CEO from 2009 to 2010, reassumed the role. He saw all these guys coming in on their motorcycles with cracked goggles, and he was like, Theres got to be a better way. Long story short, he ended up with this amazing business that, at the time we talked to him, had better margins than a software company. Nothing more, nothing less. MG: When we made the decision to raise outside capital and bring investors in, we were conscious of who we brought in. $ % ^ & ). Strava's co-founders Michael Horvath and Mark Gainey have returned to run the company they started. You get injured. Video, editing byBlake CurtisandMargo Lubin. CYC: How might the data from Strava Metro help to influencecity infrastructure? So rather than focusing on exits or IPOs and things like that, its kind of back to fundamentals. Strava is a social fitness platform with more than 76 million users in nearly every country worldwide. Download Our Free App! In this talk, he explains the "inch wide, mile deep" strategy that informed both Strava and his previous startup, Kana Communications. Co-founders Michael Horvath and Mark Gainey spoke with Guy about the recent surge in users . The social network connects athletes in . Welcome Anita Patwardhan Butler! There were probably half a dozen high schools in Reno at the time, but I happened to go to Reno High, and just happened to enter that school right when we just had this incredible mix of runners. These apps will help you meet new running partners based on your pace and where you run, or compare your Suffer Score with other athletes on a matched activity. With Captain Lee Rosbach and Captain Sandy Yawn being the longest-running cast members, fans always assumed they were the richest Below Deck cast members. Strava did that. Video Clips 2 minutes Inch Wide, Mile Deep 11 minutes Strava Finds its Niche 2 minutes Vision vs. Go-To-Market 2 minutes Be a Niche #1 2 minutes The Art of Leveraging Customer Feedback View Video Clips Clip 4 of 5 Insights Like many of the things born in Silicon Valley, you might say Strava, the favorite app of millions of athletes, is a happy accident. He and Anna had four children in a pretty short period of time, and then he found himself, largely for family reasons, leaving the Bay Area, staying in academia, and ultimately ending up in Hanover, New Hampshire, where he taught entrepreneurship at the business school at Dartmouth. We knew if we could keep it fun and inspirational you would get the fitness, the strength and the speed too, but it should be secondary to: can we keep this entertaining? Mark Gainey: Yeah, Michael [Horvath, the other Strava co-founder] and I had families, we were on opposite coasts of America he was on the east coast and I was in California. It also raised yet another round of funding in October 2014, this time adding $18.5 million to its balance sheet. You only had maybe a half-dozen races for your season, yet you trained from the minute you got to school in the fall, through the winter, and into the spring. And if we do those two things, things like liquidity and so forth are byproducts of doing those well. How can I help support those interests?. Sign up for STRAVA The #1 app for runners and cyclists! I had a Ritchey Ascent mountain bike from 1986. I often refer to them now as the three Ps: patience, persistence, and perspective. Thats not our background, and so you heard running, and rowing, and so forth. Youre the one! There are certain days when the smell in the office is not from the servers and computers. Its one of the few apps still featured on the home screen of my phone years after downloading it. The funny thing was, the good companies all said the same things: attention to detail, focus on the customer, and build great teams. Ive got a younger brother whos two-and-a-half years younger than me, and a sister, same, so five years between us. It was a big stack, but I did manage to get a job offer here in the Bay Area at a little firm called TA Associates, which is now highly respected in private equity. In this conversation we talk about how Mark's passion for sports compelled him to Strava, what focus really means as a founder and Mark has some amazing examples of that, we also talk about scaling and . Could I make one of those lightweight teams? I love to ride my bikes. Apple I used to remind everybody, Yeah, and what happens to rocket ships once they run out of fuel? Probably very few people would know of the ones I was involved with, firms likes Ontrack and Diamond, which were in the video space. Prior to Strava, Michael co-founded enterprise software firm Kana Communications and was the CFO and VP of Operations at GlycoFi, a biotech company. Fast-forward three decades, and Mark and Michael have been at the center of two of the internets big eras as friends and business partners. Its not that I dont enjoy going back to visit, but I just dont have the connections anymore. What happened was a very nice coach sent me a handwritten note in the fallit wouldve been fall of 1985. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. To get the story behind the story, today I sit down with Mark Gainey and Michael Horvath the dynamic duo co-founderswho gave birth to Strava and continue to guide its ongoing growth and evolution. For me, patience isnt necessarily about speed, but just an acknowledgement of that old adage. We called it swing, which was really the physical movement of the boat, and when all eight oarsmen were in sync and that coxswain had us going in the right direction, it was this incredible feeling of the boat lifting and sinking into the water. MG: A funny story there was a time when I had lots of CRs [course records] throughout my neighbourhood. Learn how they built a product for THEMSELVES (super niche at first). Youre just getting started. Over the last 10 years, weve experimented with a handful of different business models, everything from e-commerce to even some forms of advertisement within the feed. Michael Horvath and Mark Gainey STRAVA. What I saw in my father as a surgeon was somebody who was incredibly dedicated to his patients, to his work. Visit: Outerknown.comtoday and enter promo code RICHROLL at checkout to receive 25% OFF your full price order. We face a constant tension at Strava around this. The company raised $110 million . We had a go-to-market strategy that said we were going to focus somewhat maniacally on the cycling community, but dont confuse go-to-market with vision. There just isnt anything like it. If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. I really dont have a primary care physician, so thankfully, my dad still takes my calls. Little cycling company features and functions athletes have to test new tech, I firsthand! And engaged at Kana acknowledgement of that mark gainey strava net worth adage or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features functions! 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