Our story

The idea for building KULG was born as its founder Maris started coaching runners and recognized the need for a better overview and faster feedback to provide personalized and effective guidance. As a runner herself, having tried various analytics tools for years without finding the right solution, she had resorted to maintaining her training data in a Google Sheet, which she had used for more than a decade to share the findings with her coach. The methodology she had developed provided profound insights into her training progress, leading to continual improvement and an Estonian masters marathon record.

From runners to runners

After tailoring her training analytics approach for the runners she was coaching, Maris discovered that it worked for others as well. She witnessed the remarkable progress her athletes were achieving but, even more significantly, she observed that it instilled a sense of accountability and motivation in runners of all levels. Their progress, often not apparent on a day-to-day basis, became unequivocally clear on the graphs. Following discussions with Jevgeni and Henri, they decided to transform this approach into a more enhanced and automated experience that other runners could also benefit from.

-> Read the full story behind KULG

kulg ET noun /ku:lg/ - flow, progress, forward movement

Our mission

Runners receive a lot of data from wearables, but understanding which metrics are both useful and reliable can be challenging. Relying on apps to tell us how we score and following metrics as goals tends to encourage us to go faster and train more, not to balance load and recovery for sustained long-term training consistency. Runners struggle to see their training trajectory and coaches face delayed feedback on individual responses to training, affecting athlete health and performance outcomes.

Our mission is to transform running with smart, data-driven software that empowers runners to train better, and reach their goals.

Who we are

Maris, a competitive long-distance runner and a running coach, joined forces with Jevgeni, a former professional figure-skater, and Henri, a recreational runner. Over time, more runners joined us - Katharina, who is also a running coach, along with Kelly, Johan, and Kurt. We understand the commitment and perseverance required for progress as well as the potential pitfalls in running. We also know a thing or two about building great products, having worked together at Pipedrive and Monese for years.

Maris Heinaru

FOUNDER, CEO
A seasoned marathon runner and running coach. 15+ years of experience in team leadership and over a decade of expertise in developing SaaS products for Pipedrive, Monese, et al. and consulting tech companies. Skilled in UX and acquisition. MSc in Engineering, MBA.
Jevgeni Striganov

CO-FOUNDER, CDO
A former professional figure skater with a remarkable 20-year career and an Estonian champion. UX/UI design professional with over 19 years of experience in digital design at companies like Pipedrive, Wois, Hrmny Human Technologies, Multilogin, et al.
Henri Taube

CO-FOUNDER, CTO
A runner, choir singer and an accomplished full-stack developer, proficient in a diverse range of programming languages, frameworks, and databases. 10+ years of experience in building robust and scalable solutions at Monese, SEB and XYB.
Kurt Strang

CHIEF GROWTH OFFICER
A runner and a growth expert keen on making smart, data-driven decisions. With years of experience in conversion rate optimisation and UX, he’s helped companies like Katana and Pipedrive boost key business metrics, and drive significant revenue growth.
Johan Laas

FRONT-END LEAD
A runner and a mountaineer who brings a solid background in software development, having honed his skills at VNTRS, Monese, and Coolbet over the past years. Skilled in crafting clean, user-friendly frontends and developing innovative tech solutions.
Katharina Sowa

HEAD OF MARKETING
A long-time runner and running coach as well as a seasoned marketer, content writer, media relations adviser, and German localisation expert with extensive experience from Wise, Pipedrive, Grünfin, Roofit.Solar, et al. MA in Applied Linguistics.
Kelly Teidla

MEDIA & COMMUNITY
A recreational runner and gym enthusiast, and a media and communication specialist passionate about amplifying meaningful projects and crafting impactful messages for diverse audiences. Currently pursuing an MA in Journalism and Communication.