Instagram’s Head of Product Kevin Weil is joining the board of social fitness application, Strava. Weil, who has also been a VP of Product for Twitter, will be part of Strava’s board of directors and will help guide the company in expanding its business.
In case you are unaware of it, Strava is a social fitness application that allows runners and cyclers to do a whole load of stuff like posting maps of their routes, tracking physical activities and even allows connecting with folks who could be potential workout mates.
Founded in 2009, the startup has managed to raise over $40 million as of now. The board, that Weil is joining, also includes names like Strava CEO Mark Gainey, co-founder Michael Horvath, VP of marketing Gareth Nettleton, Jackson Square Ventures’ Greg Gretsch and investor Ariel Poler.
Speaking on the topic to TechCrunch‘s Josh Constine, Weil said:
Hundreds of millions of people exercise every day, and for almost everyone it’s a social activity—whether you’re running or cycling with a group, or just meeting friends for a class at the gym. Strava has the opportunity to expand upon these existing real-world communities, to deepen the connections you have in real life and also help you make new ones.
Apparently, Weil is a regular user of the Strava app and even runs regularly with CEO Gainey. He added:
I’ve always been passionate about the idea that everyone can be an athlete if they want to be
Strava has been working hard to increase the range of its offerings of late. For example, the company recently expanded the range of activity tracking devices it can work with. What’s more, it has also added a slew of real time safety features that are meant to allow workouts out on the streets.
By getting Weil to join its board, Strava is taking up a mentor who is quite well versed with launching a new product and expanding it to reach a greater audience. If you are unaware of the fact, Weil had an important rule to play in the launch of Instagram Stories. Let’s hope he can deploy his skills to as much effect on Strava’s behalf as well.
