Runna launched in 2021 with a simple mission: to make personalized coaching more accessible, help everyday runners train better and blend human expertise with artificial intelligence-driven training plans.
Just four years later, its early backers struck gold.
In April, fitness and social-media behemoth Strava — now valued at $2.2 billion — acquired the London-based startup in what has become the running industry’s most notable business deal in recent memory.
While the exact terms weren’t disclosed, the outcome is clear: it’s a fairy tale exit for Runna and a major windfall for the investors who believed in its vision early in the game.
Founded by McKinsey alum Dom Maskell and ultra athlete Ben Parker, Runna quickly gained traction through high-profile partnerships with influencers and large organizations like New York Road Runners, organizer of the New York City Marathon. Runna’s coaching tools use artificial intelligence to deliver customized plans across experience levels.
Across multiple funding rounds, the startup raised more than $8 million, prior to its acquisition, from various European venture capital firms, angel investors and a crowdfunding campaign.
Now, after Strava purchased Runna, those investors are reaping the rewards. A Mile. A Minute. compiled a list of the company’s most notable backers using press releases, data from Pitchbook and directly from investors and Runna.
Here are 13 investors who just won big following Strava’s acquisition of Runna.
1. JamJar Investments
Pitchbook and a Runna revealed that JamJar led Runna’s $6.3 million funding round in late 2023. The London-based, early-stage venture capital firm was founded by the creators of smoothie brand Innocent Drinks and has also backed startups like UK snack company Graze, food delivery service Deliveroo and snack food Popchips.
2. Jon Coker, Eka Ventures
Jon Coker, one of Eka Ventures’ founding partners, led Runna’s $2.36 million seed round in late 2022 and participated in the company’s $6.3 million funding round a year later, according to Pitchbook and q Runna press release. He co-founded UK-based Eka Ventures in 2018 and the firm focuses on early-stage consumer startups that are “building a healthy, inclusive and sustainable economy.” His other bets include UK flower delivery startup Bloom & Wild, fintech Interactive Investor and meal kit company Gousto.
3. Sasha Trower, Venrex Investments
Early-stage VC fund Venrex participated in Runna’s 2023 $6.3 million funding round, according to Pitchbook and a Runna press release announcing the funding round. The firm is also known for making bets on tech-enabled consumer startups including British fintechs Revolut and Tala. Trower, the then-partner at Venrex who led its investment in Runna, left the firm in 2024 and earlier this year raised $15.5 million for a solo fund called Circle & Co to back early-stage consumer tech startups.
4. Creator Ventures
Creator Ventures, which has also backed voice artificial intelligence darling Eleven Labs and sustainable body-care startup Wild, participated in Runna’s 2023 $6.3 million funding round, according to Pitchbook and a Runna press release.
5. Fortitude Capital
London-based Fortitude Capital participated in Runna’s 2023 $6.3 million funding round, according to Pitchbook and Runna. The firm is also known for making bets in companies including healthtech startups Sollus Health and Maximus as well as Armor Therapeutics, which is developing a vaccine to end fentanyl overdoses.
6. Stephanie Davis
Stephanie Davis, a British marathoner who competed in the 2020 Tokyo games, participated in Runna’s earliest round of funding, which was raised from a handful of athletes and angel investors throughout 2021 and 2022 and pulled in around $750,000, based on a Pitchbook and a Runna press release. She was also a follow-on investor for Runna’s 2022 seed round.
7. Joshua Patterson
Running 76 marathons in 76 days in 2023, Joshua Patterson is an ultra athlete who boosted his profile with his seemingly unreal feat. He participated in Runna’s first wave of funding as well as Runna’s $2.36 million seed round in 2022.
8. Marc Cohen, unbundled vc
Cohen is a solo venture capitalist based in Guernsey who has backed a host of tech startups, including clean-tech startup Magrathea and B2B alternative-asset fintech Ctrl Alt. These days, he’s eyeing European artificial intelligence and software startups that want to break into the United States market and he was an early Runna backer, he confirmed to A Mile. A Minute.
9. Gregory O’Shea
Gregory O’Shea is an Irish rugby union player — and the winner of Love Island’s fifth season — who invested in Runna during its 2022 initial funding stage, which Pitchbook and Runna noted in a press release announcing the funding round.
10. Alex Yee
British triathlete Alex Yee won both the 2024 World and Olympic championships in the standard-distance triathlon and backed Runna in 2022 as part of its seed round, Pitchbook and Runna revealed at the time.
11. Beth Potter
Also participating in Runna’s 2022 seed funding round, according to Pitchbook and a Runna media release announcing the funding round, was Beth Potter, a Scottish runner and triathlete who represented Great Britain in both the 2016 Rio and 2024 Paris Olympic Games, winning a bronze in the triathlon in Paris.
12. Crowdcube
Crowdcube is a British crowdfunding platform where 303 investors purchased shares in Runna during its early days, according to a Runna press release announcing the funding round. The startup, at the time, said it had a £5 million valuation — about $6.7 million — with £40,000 ($54,000) of revenue, based on a LinkedIn post analysing the crowdfunding period. Runna sold 8.8 percent of its equity for £483,899 ($650,000) during its Crowdcube round and investors made thirty times on their investment.
13. DFG Elements
Early-stage venture capital firm DFG Elements is based in London and focuses on startups in the climate tech, fintech, proptech and artificial intelligence verticals and invested in Runna’s early $750,000 round of pre-seed funding, according to Pitchbook.
