Runna app screenshots
Strava has announced plans to acquire one of the hottest exercise apps of the last few years, Runna.
Runna provides tailored training plans for runners, in return for a fairly substantial $19.99-a-month subscription fee. But that has not stopped the start-up gaining significant momentum.
While it seems likely Runna may eventually be subsumed into the Strava platform, there are no plans to do this any time soon according to Martin.
“Our plan is to keep the apps separate for the foreseeable future, to invest in growing the Runna team and further accelerate the development of the Runna app.”
There are also no current plans to change the subscriptions of either Strava or Runna.
“There are no immediate changes to subscriptions,” Martin told T3. “Both platforms have strong free offerings, and we intend to keep it that way.”
It seems unlikely the status quo will remain forever, though.
While Strava’s paid plan does include training plans, they are not at the same level as those provided by Runna, meaning it could potentially slot comfortably into the wider Strava platform. But for now? Subscribers can continue as normal and will, no doubt, be informed of any planned changes.
What Is Runna?
Runna was established in 2021 by Ben Parker and Dom Maskell.
“I have been deeply impressed with Dom, Ben and the Runna team,” says Strava CEO Michael Martin.
Statements surrounding the acquisition also suggest Parker and Maskell will continue working with Runna, at least for the time being.
“We have spent many hours together with Strava senior management and we couldn’t be more excited to be on the same team,” says Maskell, while fellow co-founder Parker also released a statement.
“This investment allows us to make even more improvements to everything we do at Runna, benefiting runners worldwide,” Parker says.
The Runna acquisition is not yet complete, but Strava says it has “entered into a definitive agreement” to buy the company. How much it will pay, and what form that payment comes in, is not yet known.