Reflecting on 2021: Can you tell I’m smiling behind this mask?

CEO and co-founder, Kresten Juul Jensen, reflects on this past year and what's ahead for Motosumo in 2022.

Well. I think it’s safe to say that this past year has been a bit of a doozy. Between the uncertainty and the unpredictability provided by the pandemic, 2021 was a lot to handle. For all of us, both personally and professionally.

At Motosumo, we faced no shortage of obstacles, as most businesses have during this time (...except probably facemask and hand sanitizer companies). That being said, the Motosumo team has a lot to be proud of. Through the madness, everyone stayed tough, rolled with the punches, and led us to our most successful year yet.

A calendar year

Having originated as a purely B2B company, adding our B2C product was a big learning curve for us at Motosumo. The beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020 created a large demand for at-home fitness solutions, and we decided to shift our business to meet that need. We created an app for live indoor cycling classes to be used on any bike, with the goal of making indoor cycling as accessible as possible.

Things were a bit hectic at first, but as we got a better grasp on things, our new live solution began to run rather smoothly. Moving into 2021, our at-home indoor cycling app took shape - and the press took notice.

Motosumo in the news

At the start of 2021, CNET named Motosumo as an inexpensive way to bring the studio home. In March, TechCrunch described us as a challenger to Peloton in their announcement of the $6M Series A funding round led by Magenta Partners we received. After a massive rebranding over the summer, Motosumo was officially launched in the US.

Heading into autumn, SHAPE Magazine featured Motosumo as one of the Best Cycling Apps for Indoor and Outdoor Rides. In October, Motosumo was named one of the “50 Innovative Companies to Watch in 2021” by The Silicon Review. By November, Motosumo became the global leader in live indoor cycling classes, offering members 300+ classes a week.

To close out 2021, in December, Women's Health Magazine named Motosumo as the Best At-Home Cycling App for their 2022 fitness awards.

2021 by the numbers

When our live app first launched, we were streaming about 5-10 Live classes a week. That wasn’t gonna cut it. Our new goal was to run 300+ Live classes every month, which we knew would be no small feat. To meet the demand, our instructor team grew both in size and in geographical locations represented.

Our team now stands at nine talented instructors, with two more joining in January. It all started with our Master Trainer Brooke Emory (San Diego), and grew to include Ben (UK), Alyssa (Philadelphia), Matthew (Australia), Dallas (Dallas), Leroy (Philadelphia), Chloe (Singapore), Jaws (Malaysia) and Jamilla (Denmark). From Chloe in Singapore to Dallas in… well, Dallas, we are now able to offer more classes in more time zones than ever before. And if you can’t make a Live class, we’ve got you covered with On Demand workouts whenever you want them.

Not only has our class offering improved, so has the quality of our streams. Users rate our Live classes 4.88 out of 5, and our app is currently rated 4.9 stars on the App Store. Over the year, we’ve accumulated over 23,000 registered users. Data also shows that, on average, our subscribers take about 11 cycling workouts with us a month, which is really consistent and awesome.

Challenges

As a fit-tech app, technical hiccups are par for the course. Our tech wizards have handled them with grace, and have remained vigilant in making our app better, faster and stronger every day.

Not unlike everyone else, the pandemic put quite a damper on things. Many of us were confined to our homes, rather than spending time together with coworkers and loved ones. Doubling the size of the team with most located remotely was definitely a challenge, but we are thrilled with our growth and what each new hire brings to the table.

Despite having to work remotely and missing out on office culture, the Motosumo team still achieved some remarkable things. (Besides being caught up on laundry.) They stay motivated within this ever-changing environment, and their effort and dedication is evident in the milestones we reached this year.

The Motosumo family

Now, for our biggest point of pride: Our members. They hail from all over the world, they train for all different reasons, and they are constantly supporting each other. Suffice it to say, our members are pretty badass.

Whether they’re riding to train for their next outdoor race, to break a sweat, or to hear Ben’s cute English accent (maybe just my girlfriend?), they are consistently showing up and giving a massive effort. Generally speaking, our members are making our app an integral part of their fitness routine and riding with us several times a week. Our Motosumo Community Facebook group continues to grow quickly, and is filled with encouragement, love, and positive feedback.

A look at what’s to come

2021 was undoubtedly a successful year for Motosumo. But our work is far from done. We must continue to prove why our solution is worthwhile, and keep making our members (new and old) happier and healthier. We are looking to grow the platform, establishing our app as the live solution for working out with friends and bringing people together.

So what exactly will 2022 bring from Motosumo? It’s difficult to say. But if it’s anything like years past, we won’t be afraid to get our hands dirty. And then sanitized, of course.