Runna · B2C · running coach app
Give each runner AI coaching feedback on every run, built by an ex-coach
Grew fast and was bought by Strava; no growth numbers given
Workedproduct-activationpositioning-nichepaid-social
What they did
Co-founder Ben was a former coach for triathletes and runners, so knew what people pay for; co-founder Dom's team built an AI-native app that personalizes each run ('you ran a little slower on this block', how to speed up). Timed with the run-club trend among younger people. Integrated with Strava early. Runs strong performance marketing around episodic goals (training for a race).
What happened
Growing 'insanely fast' (host) and acquired by Strava without needing to sell.
- Stage
- growth
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · Why AI Probably Won’t Kill Your App (But Ignoring It Will) — Eric Crowley, GP Bullhound“Ben was a former coach for triathletes and runners, so he really knew what the consumer wanted and was willing to pay for to get value-add advice, to get faster, to get better.”
“It turned into a magical moment for consumers, and then they also nailed the run club, health fitness trend among the next generation”
“Two, I mean, Runna does some really good performance marketing.”
Related topics
Get tactics like this every Monday
New tactics from the week's founder interviews, each linked to where it was said.
More from Runna
All 8 Runna tactics- Target serious runners with training plans that adapt after every runWon the race-training niche; later bought by Strava
- Use AI tools to go from tens to 400+ ad concepts a month400+ concepts/month; said to lower CAC and speed up learning
- Aim the app at first-time runners doing couch to 5K, not all sportsEarned a strong valuation; Strava bought it to reach beginner runners
- Give each running influencer their own workout plan in the appGuest says it built a strong brand and rocketed up the charts; no numbers
- Buy a beginner running app so new runners later move up to your app
- Keep a bought app separate and sell one subscription for both apps
More from this episode
- Strava: Buy a beginner-friendly app and sell it to your users as a bundleDeal closed; adviser calls it '1+1=6'; no post-deal numbers shared
- Build a web checkout to win back 15-20% margin from app store feesEvery one of the banker's clients is building or evaluating one; big wins at $100M+ revenue
- Bending Spoons: Buy mature apps, let go of almost all staff, and run them on one central teamEvernote kept ~2 of hundreds of staff and still rates 4.4 stars; company valued at $11B
- Tractive: Ping owners when their dog hasn't been walked in a dayGuest, a user, calls it phenomenal; no business numbers