‘Dutch Sport Tech Fund
is the perfect match for
our growth ambition’

“Dutch Sport Tech Fund is the perfect match to realize our growth ambitions.” That’s what Jacques Sauvagnargues, CEO and co-founder of cycling app Link My Ride, the latest investment of Dutch Sport Tech Fund, says. Sauvagnargues developed the cycling app together with his former teammate Tom Pidcock. Pidcock is a professional cyclist and won the iconic Alpe d’Huez stage during the last Tour de France. Together, they want to grow Link My Ride into an app as large and impactful as Strava, which has over one hundred million users.

“I see cycling as a social sport. I was looking for an app to connect with other cyclists, so we could ride beautiful routes together. But to my surprise, such an app didn’t exist. That’s why I decided to take on the challenge and start working on this idea. That’s how the idea for Link My Ride was born. I’m working together with Tom Pidcock, a childhood friend whom I met through cycling and who is still active in professional cycling. His input is extremely valuable and together we hope to make the app a worldwide success.”

“At the end of 2020, we launched the first version of the app, an MVP as it’s called: a minimum viable product. This basic version of the app quickly received a lot of positive feedback, which validated our idea. For tech companies, this is a common route to investigate whether there is demand for a product: you create a basic version of your product, present it to the market, and monitor the responses. Many professional cyclists I told about Link My Ride responded enthusiastically and shared a post about our app on social media, which led to the app being downloaded 2,000 times in no time. That’s when we knew: there is demand for our solution.”

“Tom Pidcock and I both have a background in elite sports, so during the first year of Link My Ride, we had to learn a lot about running a business. We gained experience and brought in seasoned professionals, which has made us even better equipped to make the app a success. In addition to Tom, we are constantly looking for other ambassadors for our app. One of the well-known cyclists who has become an ambassador is Ryan Gibbons, a South African cyclist. We expect to announce even more big names in the near future.”

“Our ambition is to be the biggest app when it comes to the pre-ride, the experience before the ride. Before you get on your bike, for example, you look for other cyclists and like to join their cycling ride. You look for nice places to eat and drink, so you can have a pleasant break. We want to facilitate all these things by connecting brands, cyclists, and clubs with each other.”

“We hope to entice more top athletes to use our app and would love to collaborate with other sports apps. Our goal is to connect cyclists from all over the world to our app. Link My Ride should grow into an app with the same scale and impact as Strava, which now has about one hundred million users.”

“We are receiving a lot of positive feedback from users of the first version of the app, so we know we are on the right track. We also already have some experience with entering new markets, which means we know what does and doesn’t work. By collaborating with cycling clubs and cycling federations, we quickly get in touch with our target audience, which accelerates growth. This enables us to scale up rapidly.”

“Link My Ride is currently especially popular in the United Kingdom and Canada. That’s because we are from the UK ourselves and our first investor is the Canadian cycling federation. With the investment from Dutch Sport Tech Fund, we hope to conquer the Netherlands as well. The Netherlands is always at the forefront when it comes to cycling and road racing. Your country is known for being innovative and a frontrunner. We hope to tap into the impressive popularity of cycling in the Netherlands.”

“Tom and I have been involved in charities for quite some time. Tom might even be more passionate about it than I am: he supports various foundations that plant trees and is very committed to the climate. It was only logical to also contribute to a better world through Link My Ride. We see it as an opportunity to give something back, to thank the world for all the opportunities we have received. At the moment, we support Qhubeka, a charity that donates bicycles to people in Africa who cannot afford one, and we are exploring whether we want to support other initiatives as well.”

“I researched the various investment funds in the market and was specifically looking for a fund that focuses on sports technology. A mutual connection introduced me to Dutch Sport Tech Fund and I immediately clicked with the fund’s team. The fact that the fund also invests in Horizm strengthens my choice. I already knew Horizm before I got to know Dutch Sport Tech Fund and I am very impressed by the potential of this startup. Who knows, there may be a cross-pollination with this company, allowing us both to grow even faster.”

“There is also a nice overlap between the other startups Dutch Sport Tech Fund invests in and our company. I therefore see many synergy benefits and opportunities to strengthen each other. We also hope to make use of the ecosystem and help each other grow. In addition, the fund’s team is positive, knowledgeable, and open to new ideas. The network and investment from Dutch Sport Tech Fund help us to grow even further. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the perfect match to realize our ambitions. I am therefore looking forward to the future and am excited about all the great things our collaboration will bring.”