--Original press release--
Paris, October 23, 2025 – French startup Kotcha, co-founded with marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge and the NN Running Team, has raised €3.5 million to make world-class coaching accessible to every runner. Using AI to recreate the athlete–coach relationship, Kotcha delivers adaptive, personalized guidance at scale.
The round is led by Racine², operated by Serena and makesense, with participation from True Global, Motier Ventures and other investors from the consumer, health, running & sports world.
Demand for races is booming. The London Marathon received over 1.1 million entries for 2026, twice as many as in 2024. Yet access to personalized coaching remains limited: runners must choose between generic apps (~€20/month) and human coaches (€100/month). Kotcha bridges this gap with an AI-powered coaching team that adapts in real time to each runner’s needs.
Kotcha: when AI meets Olympic champion expertise
"Running is a team sport," says Eliud Kipchoge, the only person to complete a marathon in under two hours. "Without my coaches and teammates, I would never have pushed human limits. With Kotcha, we wanted to share not just the training structure, but the full support system that made it possible."
Kipchoge and the NN Running Team directly contributed to Kotcha’s development. "Sharing our knowledge has always been our mission. Creating an app was the next step, but we needed the right partners," says Marleen Vink-Rennings, Marketing Director.
“Running is a team sport” is the philosophy that unites Kotcha’s founding team - Eliud Kipchoge, Ben Dupont (CEO), Michel-André Chirita (CTO), Dimitri Dor (CMO) and the NN Running Team - the belief that no one should run alone. The team combined elite running expertise with startup experience. The three tech founders worked with Kipchoge and his team, including time at his Kaptagat training camp, to embed his philosophy into the app.
"We didn’t want another training plan generator," says Ben Dupont. "Magazines once offered generic plans, apps later digitized them with basic personalization. Kotcha, is the next generation of training experience: an AI-powered app you can talk to, recreating the relationship between an athlete and his coaching team. This coaching team is the first step in bringing our vision to life, that running is actually a team sport."
Validated with over 300 runners, Kotcha delivers a reliable, adaptive experience for athletes of all levels and ambitions.
Human-like coaching, adjusted every week
Most running apps lock athletes into rigid 12 or 16 week plans. Kotcha recreates the feel of a real coaching team with four AI coaches - Head Coach, Nutritionist, Data Analyst and a Personal Trainer - trained on NN Running Team methods.
"AI often lacks context and falls short of runners’ expectations," says Ben Dupont. "We’re building Kotcha to understand each runner’s goals, training load and patterns, so guidance feels like it comes from a coach who truly knows you.”
That vision translates into very tangible features runners can use every day:
Fresh weekly planning. Every Sunday, Kotcha reviews data and feedback to design the perfect next week for the runner. If you miss a run, Kotcha will take it into account when designing your next week.
Brief and debrief: guidance before and after runs.
24/7 answers to training, nutrition and recovery questions
“Our objective is not to replace human coaches, but to make coaching more accessible and to help more people achieve their running goals" adds Marleen Vink-Rennings.
In the coming weeks, the coach will be able to adapt training plans in real time, on demand. If a user only has 30 minutes because they’re working late or their child is sick, the coach will automatically adjust the day’s session and update the following ones to keep them on track toward their goal.
A vision beyond running
This pre-seed round will allow Kotcha to launch and bring its vision to life in Europe and internationally.
“This is just the starting line,” says Ben Dupont. “We raised this round to bring our vision to life: enhancing physical, mental and social well-being through running.”
“Few activities shape both body and mind like running. Kotcha brings that experience into a new era, connecting technology, empathy, and precision in a way that feels genuinely human. It’s the youngest company we’ve ever backed, and one we chose to support from day one because its ambition resonates deeply with our values” said Margaux Bussière, Principal at Racine².
Availability
Kotcha is available from October 23rd on the App store, worldwide, in French and English, for runners training for races from 10k to marathon. The application has a free trial week and is offered at a launch price of $14.99 / month (€14.99 / month).
About Kotcha
Kotcha is the next generation running app, redefining the sport as a team experience. Born from the collaboration of app experts Ben Dupont, Michel-André Chirita and Dimitri Dor with Eliud Kipchoge and the NN Running Team, Kotcha blends Kipchoge’s methods, human-like AI coaching and strong community bonds, so no runner ever runs alone. Website: https://www.kotcha.com/home-post-reveal (password: Running2025!)
About Eliud Kipchoge and the NNRunning Team
Founded in 2017 by Global Sports Communication and supported by NN Group, the NN Running Team is the world’s first professional running team, uniting many of the planet’s best long-distance athletes under one banner. The team provides its runners with world-class coaching, medical care, and performance support, while promoting values of teamwork, resilience, and excellence.
At the heart of the team is Eliud Kipchoge, the double olympic marathon champion (2016, 2021) and the only human ever to run a marathon in under two hours. Widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner in history, Kipchoge embodies the team’s spirit of discipline, humility, and belief that no human is limited. His leadership and philosophy continue to inspire a generation of athletes within the NN Running Team and beyond.
About Racine²
Racine² is an impact investment fund operated by makesense and Serena for MGEN. With €85 million, it supports innovative and ambitious companies that generate a positive impact on society and its environment. The fund focuses on 4 areas: physical activity and sports, sustainable lifestyles, education for all, and preservation of the environment and health.
