Runna, a London-based training app for runners, has been acquired by the US fitness startup, Strava in a move described as a “dream come true” for its two founders.
Despite only launching four years ago, clever marketing strategies including brand partnerships with reality TV stars, fitness brands, and Olympians had seen the startup shoot ahead in the competitive fitness market. In January, it placed fifth in the Startups 100 Index.
Co-founder and CEO, Dom Maskell shared the news on LinkedIn this morning. “Strava has always been the natural home for Runna from the first day we started working on it,” he wrote. “This is honestly a dream come true for me and the Runna team.”
Strava has purchased the startup for an undisclosed sum. However, The Times today reported that the deal will secure its founders a multimillion-pound payday.
What is Runna?
Runna is a personal running coach app designed for all fitness levels, offering tailored training plans, injury management advice, and mobility workouts.
Launched in 2021 by Maskell and Ben Parker, it began life as a personalised PDF service for fitness fans. In the four years since, it has grown a dedicated user base in the hundreds of thousands and an online community of enthusiastic “Runnas”.
Its savvy, brand-building efforts have recalled the early days of Uber. Runna partners include Olympic triathlete Alex Yee; the New York Marathon; parkrun UK; and sportswear brand LuluLemon. Its impressive growth seems to have surprised even its founders.
“We didn’t think that in less than 4 years we’d be able to launch the app, raise investment, grow the team to >120 people across London and Boston, get rated a top rated running coaching app in the world and reach millions of Runnas”, added Maskell on LinkedIn.
In 2023, the app secured £5m in funding in a venture capital round that was led by JamJar Investments. That amount brings the total funds raised since 2021 to over £8m. Dealroom estimates the value of Runna at around $40m.
Game on for fitness apps
In a letter to Runna users, Maskell and Parker confirmed that Runna and Strava will remain separate apps, with the option to sync data between both platforms.
“As keen users of [Strava], we’re excited,” they wrote. “We set out to build Runna to improve people’s lives through running and this deal enables us to do that even more.”
According to Maskell, the team will use the investment from Strava to grow the Runna team more, improve the app, and integrate with Strava “where it makes sense to”.
The acquisition is the latest in a string of strategic moves by Strava, which launched in 2009. In 2023, the company also acquired Fatmap, a London-based 3D outdoor mapping platform.
Today, over 100 apps connect to Strava’s API, and the platform has cemented its position at the heart of the fitness startup ecosystem.
Commenting on the Runna news, Strava CEO, Michael Martin said: “Coming off Strava’s accelerated innovation and unprecedented growth last year, it was the right time to look for complementary businesses that could create even greater value for our users”.
The deal is also a smart step for Runna’s co-founders. In its Startups 100 application, the company said it was chasing a £1bn valuation and an audience in the millions.
Now part of Strava – a platform with more than 150 million users and unicorn status since 2020 – Runna is pacing confidently towards that goal.
