Strava acquires outdoor adventure app Fatmap

Strava has announced the acquisition of Fatmap, a mobile app for discovering, planning, navigating and memorialising outdoor adventures.

The acquisition will give Strava subscribers access to the full Fatmap offering and is part of Strava’s ongoing investment to provide a ‘best-in-class digital experience for people who are striving for an active lifestyle’.

Michael Horvath, CEO and co-founder of Strava, said: “In 2022, nearly 10 million routes were saved and recommended by active individuals around the world on Strava. Maps and tools are powerful unlocks to deliver daily value and motivate our active community.

“We have a shared vision with Fatmap to inspire more people to move by empowering them to discover and experience the joy of the outdoors. For us, the opportunity to reimagine the purpose of maps and how they inspire exploration is an outsized advantage for a differentiated outdoor experience.”

Fatmap’s technology enables people to safely discover, navigate and share adventures, even without a mobile connection. Its community of hikers, mountain bikers, skiers and trail runners are already active in over 100 countries around the world.

Paired with Strava’s data set of more than eight billion activities, the acquisition will enable a universal map for human-powered experiences whether moving on the slopes, trails, city streets or suburban neighborhoods.

Based in Europe, Fatmap was founded in 2013 by Misha Gopaul and David Cowell and has nearly 50 highly skilled team members that will join Strava’s workforce across the continent including offices in Chamonix, Berlin and Vilnius. Gopaul will shift from his current role as Fatmap CEO to serve as a Strava vice president of product, reporting to Steve Lloyd, Strava’s chief product and technology officer.

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Gopaul said: “We started Fatmap with a mission to make outdoor experiences more accessible. Where other map platforms have been designed for navigating streets and cities, we wanted to build a map designed specifically to help people explore.

“Joining forces with Strava opens up new exciting possibilities and will accelerate our progress to enable millions more people to explore the world’s wild places, safely and sustainably.”