Strava Gobbles Up A.I. Coaching App Runna

Strava is buying U.K. tech company Runna, the latest in a string of acquisitions aimed at distinguishing itself from competitors like MyFitnessPal and Fitbit.

The San Francisco exercise-tracking app boasts more than 150 million users across 185 countries, according to its website. Runna claimed in 2023 to have “hundreds of thousands” of users.

Runna had grown dramatically in popularity in recent years by offering personalized coaching plans that it says are “powered” by artificial intelligence.

The deal “unites the world’s largest fitness community with a leading app in the fiercely competitive running training space,” the companies said in a Thursday statement. 

The deal is meant to give Strava users feedback and insights on their activities in real time.

While Strava intends to integrate Runna’s technology, both brand names will continue to be available as independent apps, the companies said. Both Strava and Runna offer free versions of their app as well as paid subscriptions that provide additional features.

The deal follows a few other relatively recent acquisitions for Strava. In 2023, it bought 3D mapping platform Fatmap, and before that it purchased injury prevention app Recover Athletics.

The fitness app industry is in a transformative phase thanks to the rise of technology like AI. Last year, Canadian market research firm Emergen said the overall fitness app market, which in 2022 was valued at $8.21 billion, is expected to reach nearly $40 billion by 2032. Emergen counts MyFitnessPal, Fitbit, Nike Run Club, RunKeeper and more among Strava’s competitors.

Financial details of the Runna acquisition were not disclosed. A representative for Strava declined to comment on the value of the deal, and representatives for Runna did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A report in U.K. publication The Times said “it is thought” that early investors in Runna will “net a 30-fold return on their investment.” As of late 2023, Runna had raised a total of 8 million pounds since its 2021 founding.

The deal was not met with universal praise from Runna users. A Reddit thread about the deal started Thursday by Dom Maskell, co-founder and CEO of Runna, quickly racked up more than 200 comments, some of which were congratulatory while others were suspect. Users expressed worries about the app eventually becoming more expensive and clunky. Their fears are not unfounded. Last year, Fatmap was fully integrated into Strava and ceased being its own app.

Strava’s paid service starts at $11.99 per month or $79.99 for a whole year; Runna’s paid service begins at $19.99 per month or $119.99 for a whole year. In 2023, Strava apologized for a rollout of a price hike that was widely seen as confusing. The company also said last year that it had taken steps to improve its privacy controls after a report that politicians’ locations could be easily tracked through the app. 

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