With an Olympian pedigree, Denmark’s Kollektiv wants us all to achieve our best, raises €1.5 million

Look, I’m not going to lie to you, but over the course of the pandemic one of the skills I picked up was the ability to cook more than just three meals. I also learned how to brew beer, and to read a few more books than I normally would, and watched just about everything Netflix had to offer.

And I know I’m not alone when I say that the lack of on-the-go all-the-time activity miiiiiiight have added a few extra centimetres to my waistline. Maybe. (Yes).

Picking up on the trend of folks like me that would like to get a bit more in shape, but are also working, learning, and still holding on to some of those lessons picked up over the course of the great slowdown, Kollektiv has raised €1.5 million in a pre-seed funding round that’s aimed at getting us all Kollektively back in shape.

Founders Helle Powell-Frederiksen, a professional triathlete who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics and husband Ben Powell-Frederiksen, former CMO at cycling brand CeramicSpeed and athlete performance advisor at the 2012 Olympics, are perhaps in a position better than most of us will ever understand when it comes to personalised training programmes. Programmes designed to get the best in performance out of any individual without over or under doing it at any phase.

As a proof of concept, the duo has tapped into the vast network of world-class coaches and trainers, as well as professional athletes they’ve accrued over some 15 years, and are now taking this hyper-focused approach to the masses. Founded on the 1st of February 2020, Kollektiv reports generating over €160,000 in revenue during this beta testing phase, and counts users from over 55 countries ranging from absolute beginners to on-their-way-to-being-at-the-top-of-their-game amateur athletes.

Moving forward, the platform now stands to be a connecting force between top athletes and trainers (creators) and those that want to improve their fitness and wellbeing (consumers). Now if this sounds like just another personal trainer platform, you’re right and you’re wrong.

What Kollektive is aiming to do is place the creator of the content at the centre of three models that we’ve seen achieve success in the past: training (Peleton and Zwift, for example), learning (Masterclass), and community (Strava).

Kollektiv’s €1.5 million pre-seed round was led by Ugly Duckling Ventures and VF Ventures and supported by a number of angel investors including former Managing Director of London’s Tate Museum and Team GB (AG) Triathlete, Kerstin Mogull.

“From the outset, the Kollektiv team impressed me with their ability to combine a deep understanding of human performance, with an equally deep understanding of how technology can be deployed to have a scalable impact on everyday athletes,” explained Mogull. “Together they offer a unique way for athletes of all ages and abilities to be surrounded by the icons of their favoured activity or sport: to be inspired, to get expert guidance and personalised training, all centred around a supportive community.”