Coopah, a London-based run coaching app, just scored £1.5 million in seed funding. Redrice Ventures, which backed Lovetovisit and Luna Daily, and Active Partners led the round alongside existing investor London Marathon Events. Other investors participating in the round are Amrock Ventures, Tom Singh (Rianta Capital), notable pro athlete investor Alistair Brownlee MBE, and athletics super agent Ricky Simms.
The funds will be used to fuel Coopah’s growth and move the company towards its vision of bringing the medicine of running to everyone. The startup will scale its marketing efforts and continue to invest deeply into its core product. It also intends to make its training plans smarter and more adaptive using AI, and more flexible and social knowing that runners like to plan and complete their training runs together.
In addition to the investment, the former Strava executive Gareth Nettleton, who previously served as a board member at Coopah, has now joined as Chief Marketing Officer. Also, it is now the official training partner for the TCS London Marathon which has helped spur the company’s growth in 2024.
How was the idea born?
Pete Cooper turned to running therapy to come out of depression after losing his mum to a heart attack. It gave him a purpose and challenge in life and transformed his physical and mental health. However, running clubs are intimidating to join though, they feel elitist. Due to this, it took him 3.5 years to benefit from running.
When running clubs were too intimidating, he turned to the online plans but found these were too generic and hard to access. Later, he looked at private coaches but they were too expensive. When nearly 74 people turned up to Coopah’s first social run, he knew he wasn’t alone. This is where he joined with Dan Strang and founded the company in 2020. The virtual run coach app was built to help runners easily access the right training for them and find a community to engage with.
Personalised AI-powered training
Although running has never been more popular, 58% of new runners give up on the sport within 30 days of starting. Coopah helps solve this by offering personalised training plans, real-time AI-powered workout feedback, and community-driven motivational support. It syncs seamlessly with all of the most popular fitness devices and platforms and helps people to both develop a running habit and beat their race goals.
Subscription plan for users
A Coopah subscription costs £79.99 annually or £14.99 per month. This subscription model provides access to its personalised running coaching and training plans. It lets users receive customised training programs based on their goals, current fitness levels, and schedules. It also includes features like 24/7 access to coaches, progress tracking, adjustments to plans in real-time, and access to the app’s community and social challenges. It lets users train smarter and stay motivated with ongoing support and adaptability to their changing needs.
What holds for the future of Coopah?
The company has gained traction in the fitness tech market with a dedicated following and positive reviews. Its focus on innovation and accessibility has positioned it well in the expanding digital fitness space. The company’s growth trajectory reflects the increasing popularity of health-focused apps and AI-driven fitness solutions.
Coopah CEO and Co-Founder Dan Strang said: “We can’t wait to show the 500m existing global runners, and the thousands of people that start running every day, the power of Coopah. Securing these funds and bringing this group of high quality investors on board is giving us the opportunity to invest in new growth channels which will put Coopah in front of the global running world. Bringing Gareth on board to spearhead this growth effort is an incredibly exciting moment for the business. His passion for our mission and his wealth of knowledge on how to scale a consumer sports app make him a fantastic addition to Coopah’s leadership.”
Jonathan Heilbron of Redrice Ventures said: “Great team, great brand and as ever, it’ll be a marathon not a sprint!”
Courtney Sawatzke, Investor at Active Partners added: “Coopah’s approachability and personalised approach, centred on promoting running as a means to improve mental wellbeing, sets it apart in the market. With its fantastic team, a partnership with London Marathon Events, and new funding, we’re excited to work with Coopah to bring their community-first approach to runners everywhere.”
Gareth Nettleton, new CMO at Coopah added: “The world is in a physical and mental health crisis. Running is one of the things that we believe can have a huge impact on that. It is medicine for both body and mind. I’m delighted to join Dan and Pete on this journey and look forward to scaling Coopah’s active community across the globe.”
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