Michael Horvath: Co-founder and CEO of Strava, the fitness social network with over 99 million registered athletes; former economics professor and co-founder of Kana Software.
What this episode covers
Michael Horvath traces Strava back to a 1995 idea he and co-founder Mark Gainey had to recreate the camaraderie of their Harvard rowing team online, which they tabled for the company Kana Software before reviving it in 2006. He explains why Strava was deliberately built to be a long-lasting '100-year brand' rather than a fast Silicon Valley exit, and how its ABC values (balance, commitment, craftsmanship, camaraderie) guide the culture. He shares the early product struggles, including launching web-only while competitors built mobile apps, and how a basic mobile app drove explosive community growth. Most movingly, Horvath discusses stepping down as CEO in 2013 when his wife Anna was diagnosed with a terminal illness, caring for her until her death in 2017, and how returning to lead Strava out of a 2019 cash crunch helped him rebuild his identity and find purpose again.
Also referenced (named, not recommended)
Garmin 305 cycle computer
Garmin
“You used a third-party GPS device. An example of one was a Garmin uh 305 cycle computer. It was largely cycling only to start with.”— Michael Horvath
RunKeeper
RunKeeper
“Companies like RunKeeper. They were one of the first 100 apps in the App Store. Imagine that.”— Michael Horvath
MapMyFitness
MapMyFitness
“MapMyFitness was acquired by Under Armour. Runtastic was acquired by Adidas.”— Michael Horvath
Runtastic
Runtastic
“MapMyFitness was acquired by Under Armour. Runtastic was acquired by Adidas.”— Michael Horvath
Peloton
Peloton
“You know when I'm on my Peloton or when I'm on Strava you get little something.”— Steven Bartlett
Apple Watch
Apple
“my Rolex was exchanged for my Apple Watch. And there's something quite symbolic in that. It went from being about signaling status to others to caring about my health.”— Steven Bartlett
Rolex
Rolex
“I had a Rolex at the time. I don't have one anymore. But my Rolex was exchanged for my Apple Watch.”— Steven Bartlett
Big reveals from this episode
- Horvath's wife Anna was diagnosed with a terminal illness in September 2013, prompting him to step down as CEO and move back to New Hampshire to care for her.
- Anna, an artist, worked in her studio until nearly her last day on projects she knew she would never finish, motivated by the experience rather than the outcome.
- Horvath returned to lead Strava in November 2019 during a cash crunch, calling himself 'the least bad of all the bad options.'
- His first day back leading the company required laying off about 32 of roughly 200 employees before unveiling the turnaround plan the next day.
- After Anna's death he initially imagined his purpose was 'rescuing people,' but realized that was trying to fill the hole in his heart; he found purpose through Strava instead.
- 'I don't at all subscribe to the idea that I saved Strava, but Strava saved me.'
- Strava launched web-only in 2009 with heavy friction, missing the mobile wave that competitors caught.
Worth remembering
- Horvath moved from Sweden to the US at age 5, not speaking English and learning it from television.
- As a Stanford economics professor in the mid-90s, he had sent only one email in his life before the internet was introduced to his department.
- Early web companies told Horvath and Gainey their fitness-sharing idea was terrible and people would never share personal data with strangers online.
- Strava segments originated from Dave 'Davey' Kitchel, who was using GPS to compare his bike climb times up a road near his house.
- After launching a basic mobile app, Strava jumped from adding ~100 athletes a week to 10,000 a day, then 100,000 in a day after being featured in the App Store.
- MapMyFitness was acquired by Under Armour and Runtastic by Adidas, yet none of these acquirers ever approached Strava.
- Strava doubled from 50 million to roughly 99 million registered athletes during the pandemic.
- Strava data shows the key change in users is not getting faster but becoming more consistent and regularly active.
- Horvath cites cooking for friends and family as a core creative outlet and part of his identity outside the company.