RUNNA FOUNDER, BEN PARKER ON BUILDING ONE OF THE WORLD'S BIGGEST FITNESS APPS IN JUST 4 YEARS
Great Company with Jamie Laing
Jampot
4.6 • 951 Ratings
🗓️ 7 October 2025
⏱️ 63 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
You might not have heard of Ben Parker, but you’ve almost definitely heard of Runna — the incredible running app that just sold to Strava for millions
For me, this one’s probably my biggest regret but also one of my biggest lessons. A few years ago, a young entrepreneur came up to me after an event to tell me about his business. It sounded brilliant, but honestly… I couldn’t see it: “Why would a running app take off?” I thought. Well, that business was Runna, the app that’s now one of the biggest fitness apps in the world. And that young entrepreneur was Ben Parker. Missing the chance to invest in Ben’s vision taught me a powerful lesson: always look for the opportunity in someone else’s passion.
Fast-forward four years and Ben’s built — and sold — a business that most would call “impossible.” But behind that success is a story of sacrifice, pressure, and what ambition really costs. In today’s episode, Ben opens up like never before about the realities of building something extraordinary — the highs, the lows, and the lessons he’s learned along the way.
We cover:
- How to turn your purpose into a thriving business
- The personal sacrifices behind success
- What makes a truly great founder
- How to build a culture that wins
- What it really takes to make it to the top
As much as I’m still a little gutted I didn’t invest, I’m blown away by what Ben’s achieved — and I can’t wait to see what’s next for him.
This is one of those rare, raw conversations you don’t want to miss.
And I've got a new book coming out, Boys Don't Cry which you can pre-order here: boysdontcry.co.uk
If you enjoyed the show, you can also follow us:
Instagram- @greatcompanypodcast
TikTok - @greatcompanypodcast
And if you've got thoughts, questions and comments, you can email us at: greatcompany@jampotproductions.co.uk
THE CREDITS
Exec Producer: Jemima Rathbone
Producer: Helen Burke
Editor: Dan King
Assistant Producer: Rhoda Abrokwa
Video: Jake Ji & Josh Bennett
Audio: Rafi Amsili
Social Media: Laura Coughlan & Anthony Barter
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Great Company is an original podcast from JamPot
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Now, this episode is sponsored by Premier Inn, who are the UK's largest hotel chain. |
| 0:04.5 | You probably know Premier Inn is the place to get a great night's sleep if you're heading |
| 0:08.3 | to a wedding, maybe visiting a family or going to a gig. |
| 0:11.4 | But here's the thing. |
| 0:13.0 | Premier Inn is also the perfect choice for work trips. |
| 0:16.2 | Now, think about it. |
| 0:17.0 | Over 800, yes, 800 hotels across the country. |
| 0:20.4 | So wherever work takes you, there's a premier |
| 0:22.7 | in nearby. Every room has a super comfy bed. I've stayed there. They're incredible and blackout |
| 0:27.4 | curtains, which means you can wake up rested and ready to take on the next day. And honestly, |
| 0:32.1 | if you ever had to face a big meeting or a busy day of travel after a rough night's sleep, |
| 0:36.7 | you know how important that is. I remember |
| 0:39.1 | when I had to go up and down the country when we were doing candy kittens and we were staying in hotels |
| 0:43.5 | and getting no sleep. That big sleep, it makes all the difference. And the best part, you can add on |
| 0:49.2 | unlimited breakfast to fuel your day before you head out. Everything from a full cooked breakfast to |
| 0:53.5 | lighter options, whatever your style is. Basically, Premier Inn helps you set yourself up for success. Better sleep, better mornings, better work days. So next time you're planning a work trick, remember Premier Inn is there to make sure you get better sleep for your money. Book now at premierin.com. A great company, we're very excited to be working with Eat Natural. Now, you know what? |
| 1:12.4 | Sometimes Simple is seriously underrated. Okay. And recently I've really been getting into Eat Natural. |
| 1:17.9 | They make these delicious snack bars, okay, using some of nature's tastiest ingredients with no |
| 1:23.4 | preservatives or artificial colors or flavors, no nonsense, just full on flavor. They're amazing. And they have loads of bars to choose from. There's a flavor for everyone. So whether you're grabbing one on the go or just need a mid-morning snack, personally, just let you know, I love their peanut and dark chocolate protein bar. Salter peanuts, rich dark chocolate, coconut and 10 grams of protein. I mean, come on, is there anything better? |
| 1:44.3 | Or if you fancy adding some extra fibre into your day, you could try the apple, ginger |
| 1:48.4 | and dark chocolate one. What a combination. So if you're looking for a snack that actually |
| 1:52.8 | tastes like nature intended, whilst keeping you full of longer, don't overlook the simple |
... |
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