Your Name: Mette Lykke
Business Name: Endomondo, a digital fitness tracking service
Type of Business: Social Fitness Community
Business Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Website www.endomondo.com
Twitter @endomondo
Facebook www.facebook.com/endomondo
Reason for starting
The co-founders of Endomondo wanted to create a company and service that makes a difference in the lives of people. Our overarching mission was to make fitness more social, more engaging and more fun. Even after five years, the difference Endomondo makes in people’s lives is by far the biggest motivator for me.
How do you define success?
Success for us is having millions of people using and enjoying Endomondo. The fact we have a growing user base means more and more people are getting active and fit rather than just sitting on a couch. Because of this we know we’re successfully achieving our overall mission.
Biggest Success
Currently our biggest success rests in having 13+ million people using Endomondo. It’s taken a while to reach this goal, and hopefully we’ll accelerate growth in 2013, but it’s still nice knowing so many people around the WORLD have found a use for our creation. That really makes you feel like you’re having an impact and making a difference.
What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it?
Like many other entrepreneurs developing technology, our top challenge by far was raising capital to turn our idea into reality. It took many months to raise Endomondo’s first round of funding, and none of the co-founders earned any income during the first 18 months … which was pretty tough and really tests your fortitude as far as seeing your dream come true.
Who is your most important role model?
I don’t really have any specific role models. I find that there is an inspiring story behind most successful startups and companies and I love hearing those stories.