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. Fitness scores calculated from training stress tend 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 help runners and coaches understand training progress with ease and train smarter.

Who we are

Maris, a competitive long-distance runner and a running coach, joined forces with Jevgeni, a former professional figure-skater, Henri, a recreational runner and Katharina, a runner and running coach. Then Kelly and Linda-Maria joined our ranks, both former runners. 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 distance runner and running coach. 10+ years of experience building SaaS products, crafting UX and boosting acquisition for Pipedrive, Monese, et al. Over 15 years of leadership experience. 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 recreational runner and choir singer, Henri is an accomplished full-stack developer who is proficient in a diverse range of programming languages, frameworks, and databases. He has 10+ years of experience in building robust and scalable solutions at Monese and SEB.
Katharina Sowa

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

SOCIAL MEDIA & COMMUNITY
Media and communication specialist passionate about giving voice to meaningful projects and creating impactful messages for audiences. MA in journalism. Former runner and current gym enthusiast.
Linda-Maria Varris

UX RESEARCHER
Design researcher with a strong focus on understanding user behaviours and needs, and context-driven design. Lecturer at the Estonian Academy of Arts, having worked in Wise. Former runner.