Mark Gainey, Chairman and Co-Founder of Strava on Building a Social Network for Athletes
Release Date: 09/27/2017
Roger Joseph Manning, JR. Songwriter and Musician on The Creative Process Behind Timeless Music
Unconventional Genius
It is quite common these days to hear people talking about the creative process. Anyone from graphic designers to app designers legitimately use the phrase to describe what it takes to be successful at what they do. But a long-time area of fascination for me has been the creative process that goes into making timeless music. And when that process is done in the context of a group of people - a band - it’s nothing short of amazing. I’m immensely honored to be able to present you with this conversation I recorded with Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. formerly of the bands Jellyfish and Imperial...
info_outline
Nate Kelly, Stress Relief Products To Prevent Stress In The First Place
Unconventional Genius
Nate Kelly leads the team at Adero - a company that has created a technology solution that organizes your things so you can save time, reduce stress, and simplify your busy life. It sounds too good to be true, but once you hear how it works you’ll wonder why someone hasn’t created it before now. Listen to learn more about Adero and to hear how Nate’s path has formed him into the exact leader needed in order to make it happen.
info_outline
Beth Comstock, Vice Chair at General Electric on Courage, Creativity, and the Power of Change
Unconventional Genius
My guest on this episode of Unconventional Genius is Beth Comstock. She’s one of the most powerful women in the business world right now and has recently released an amazing book that recounts her transformation from a shy publicist to the first woman Vice-Chair at General Electric.
info_outline
Andrew Yang, 2020 Presidential Candidate, on The Freedom Dividend and the Future of America
Unconventional Genius
On this episode of Unconventional Genius, I talk with Andrew Yang about The Freedom Dividend and the future of America. Andrew is an entrepreneur, author, and founder of Venture for America, a national entrepreneurship fellowship that has helped create over 3,000 jobs in major cities across the United States.
info_outline
Inbal Etgar, Creative Director at frog Design, on The Importance of Design
Unconventional Genius
The Unconventional Genius podcast welcomes guest Inbal Etgar, Creative Director at frog Design, to discuss the importance of design. Inbal leads the product development team of mechanical engineers and industrial designers at frog, which has been in business for over 50 years. During our conversation, Inbal talks about her role at frog, how they help companies succeed and what she sees for the future of design.
info_outline
Stuart Lombard, Founder and CEO of Ecobee, on Becoming the Smart Thermostat Leader
Unconventional Genius
This week on Unconventional Genius, I talk with Stuart Lombard, Founder and CEO of Ecobee about how he led his company to overcome adversity to become the smart thermostat leader. Even what sometimes seems like a victory in business can sometimes turn in to an unexpected setback..
info_outline
Gene Marks, President of The Marks Group on Technology Trends in Business
Unconventional Genius
On this episode of Unconventional Genius, I talk with Gene Marks, author, speaker, and President of the Marks Group, about the top technology trends in business. Gene talks to entrepreneurs all around the country about the issues that impact growth and success. During this conversation, we discuss several trends in business that can improve your company.
info_outline
Zoli Honig, Founder and COO of Waivecar, on The Crazy Idea of a Free Car-Sharing Program
Unconventional Genius
On this week’s episode of Unconventional Genius, I talk with Zoli Honig, Founder and CEO of Waivecar, about how he is building a truly free car-sharing program. By harnessing advertising capital, Zoli is seeing his dream of transporting people from place to place for free become a reality. He shares with me how he got his start in business and some of the keys to being a successful entrepreneur.
info_outline
Enis Hulli, Associate Partner of 500 Startups Istanbul, on Providing Funding for Startups
Unconventional Genius
Enis Hulli is on a mission to provide funding for startups. His company, 500 Startups Istanbul is looking for the best possible companies to invest money in so that those companies can achieve success while providing premium returns. However, landing an investment deal with 500 Startups Istanbul is far from easy. Listen to this episode of Unconventional Genius to hear how Enis Hulli is leading 500 Startups to make a difference in the lives of entrepreneurs around the world.
info_outline
Mark Palfreeman, CEO of Nixplay, on The Power of Doing Hard Things
Unconventional Genius
On this episode of Unconventional Genius, I talk with Mark Palfreeman, CEO of Nixplay about the power of doing hard things. NIxplay was founded in 2007 with a vision to use technology to connect people in a meaningful way. The company accomplishes this vision through their digital photo sharing service by which families can access and share pictures over the cloud
info_outlineOn today’s episode of Unconventional Genius, I talk with Mark Gainey, Chairman and Co-Founder of Strava about how he helped build a successful social network for athletes. What began in 2008 as a website for cycling enthusiasts has become a community of tens of millions of runners, cyclists, and triathletes around the world. Mark shares the mission of Strava and the challenges that come with leading a global social community in a niche athletic market.
Men’s Journal says that Strava is “the only fitness app that matters.” That kind of recognition didn’t come overnight. Now eight years old, Strava is adding one million new users from around the world each month. Mark shares how his athletic background and desire to motivate others through social connection led to the inception of Strava.
The secret to Strava’s success
During our conversation, Mark Gainey explains how he and Michael Horvath created Strava with the goal of trying to recapture the competition and camaraderie they experienced through college athletics. Mark says what makes Strava special is the ability to connect with other users.
The community aspect of being able to compare performance against your peers and even engage in good-natured trash-talking is what users really enjoy. Mark also says that they never set out to develop an app that helped people get fitter or faster or stronger, but rather their goal in creating this social network for athletes was to “keep it fun.”
The international appeal of a social network for athletes
One of the unexpected accomplishments of Strava is its international appeal. Mark Gainey attributes this broad reach to the fact that they focus on universal sports. I talk with Mark about how that reality affects the way he leads the company and how it impacts user experience.
Mark says that “the noise of opportunity” within a global social network for athletes presents a layer of complexity. He shares how they adjusted to fully capitalize on their global reach, not only getting the technology and language right, but also understanding how cultural differences change the dynamic of particular sports.
Keys to the growth of Strava
Strava started out small. Mark Gainey explains that they originally only targeted cyclists in their go-to-market strategy. This allowed them to understand the potential opportunity and then build a full-scale social network for athletes based on what they learned. Mark says, “We always said It is better to be great than to be big. Big will come with time, let’s focus on just being great.”
Starting small allowed the Strava team to focus on the quality of the experience. It also helped them stay true to the mission of motivating people to be active and athletic. Mark shares more about the keys to growth and his aversion to what he calls “vanity metrics” during this conversation.
Strava’s commitment to serving users
Because users log their workout experiences, Strava has access to an incredible amount of data. This data helps Mark Gainey and his team maximize the experience of those utilizing his social network for athletes. It also helps them develop new features on the platform for the diverse group of people that use Strava.
Mark says that because of the data, they know who they serve. Their commitment is to keep current users engaged and motivated to meet their goals, whether it’s training for the Olympics or running their first 5K. Listen to my entire conversation with Mark Gainey on this episode of Unconventional Genius.
If you are with a consumer technology company planning to launch a new product at CES or are even looking ahead to CES 2019, the Max Borges Agency can help you succeed. To learn more, check out: www.maxborgesagency.com.
Topics Featured In This Episode
- [2:42] Introduction of Mark Gainey, Chairman and Co-Founder of Strava a social network for athletes
- [3:11] What is Strava?
- [4:05] The genesis of Strava and how the company started out right
- [7:42} How the Strava team stays committed to their mission
- [9:21] The impact of the international audience on the user experience
- [11:25] Mark Gainey shares keys to the growth Strava continues to see
- [14:33] Insights about runners and cyclists from the data collected through the app
- [17:40] The diversity of athletes who are using Strava
- [20:14} How future innovation might create new opportunities for Strava
- [23:58] Mark Gainey on what he’s learned from building a social network for athletes
Resources & People Mentioned
Connect with Mike Gainey
Connect With Max Borges
Subscribe to Unconventional Genius on
Apple Podcasts, Otto Radio, Player FM, Soundcloud, or Spotify