Strava, the social network for athletes, will relocate their international operation to Bristol from London, in conjunction with new staff hires in the marketing team.
Strava lets athletes track their rides and runs via iPhone, Android or dedicated GPS devices. The platform helps its members analyse and quantify their uploaded activities, as well as providing motivation and camaraderie from the global Strava community.
Strava was founded in 2009 by Michael Horvath and Mark Gainey. Since its founding, Strava has grown from a handful of members to tens of millions of athletes around the world. At present, 150,000 new members sign up to Strava every single week. In 2015, globally, Strava athletes uploaded a staggering 5.3 activities every second.
The social network chose Bristol as the location for their International Headquarters because of the city’s growing reputation as one of the UK’s pre-eminent creative and technology hubs. The strong talent pool and international and national transport connections were also key factors. Bristol is also the perfect fit for Strava because of its surrounding countryside, ideal for enacting the company’s belief that “there is always time for a run or a ride”.
Gareth Nettleton, VP of Marketing for Strava, said: “We are delighted to be relocating to Bristol as a significant step in 2016 to expand our international marketing team and achieve our ambitious international growth goals. Bristol is the perfect location for us as a business; it reflects our ethos as a company in terms of innovation, creativity – and importantly – practicing what we preach in being active in the cycling and running communities.”
Matthew Cross, Head of Inward Investment at Invest Bristol & Bath, said: “It is a testament to the strength and scope of this region’s world-class digital tech cluster that a San Francisco company like Strava has decided to relocate its European headquarters to Bristol, as it expands its international team. Strava is a forward-thinking and innovative brand that is having an impact across the world – so we’re very pleased they’ve chosen this city as the place for them to do business in Europe.”
