The Bravery to Master the New - SRi Executive
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
The Bravery to Master the New
Eric Min
Chief Executive Officer
& Co-Founder, Zwift
is a sport, an activity slash sport where we’re no
“That’s when the wake up call came different from when you watch Wimbledon and
want to play tennis,” he says.
to me and said ‘Okay, I need to Zwift’s mission statement is “to make more
switch gears’” people, more active, more often” and Min says it aims
to be “a complete fitness platform where esports is
or racing team, and you can compete at all levels,” just another strand of all that”.
says Min, Zwift’s Co-Founder and CEO. His sights are set on taking Zwift’s accessible
Zwift members can measure their performances esports model all the way to the Olympics. “I think
having virtual experiences of riding some of the they are trying to figure out how esports fits into the
world’s most challenging courses, including those Olympics,” he says. “I’d like to think we’re probably
used by UCI Road World Championships as well the closest thing that they can really comprehend
as the incredibly immersive fantasy roads on and accept.”
Zwift’s very own Watopia Island. This year they can
compete in one of Zwift’s national championships Interview with Mark Moreau
which will serve as qualifying races for the first UCI Co-Head of Europe
Cycling Esports World Championships taking place mmoreau@sriexecutive.com
in December.
Eric Min once had ambitions to be an Olympic cyclist. Today he is determined to realise Min has secured $170m in backing for Zwift and
a dream of taking his virtual cycling game Zwift all the way to being an accredited has big ambitions. “What we want to be
Olympic sport.
His story is a remarkable illustration of the power of plan to build a cloud-based trading platform.
TRAILBLAZER combining a constant life passion with a willingness The innovation led to Min co-founding Sakkonet
EXPERIENCE to transition across business sectors and embrace Technology, creating technology solutions for
new technologies. wholesale energy markets. During his 15 years as
LATEST TRANSITION As a teenager in New York, Min was a seriously CEO, he oversaw a global business with operations
Technology competitive cyclist. “We all had the same dream in New York, Rio de Janeiro and London, where he
Sport which was that we wanted to be full time bike became based.
racers,” he says. It was only when he reached the US He never lost his love of cycling but his new
OTHER SECTORS Olympic training camp and underwent tests that he environment meant he had to ride indoors. “If it’s
Financial Services and realised his life would have to take a different path. wet, I’m not even gonna go outside. I don’t have the
investment banking “What I found out was that I didn’t have the natural time to clean the bike.” But it was the tedium of
talent to recover day after day,” he tells SRI. “That’s indoor cycling that gave him the idea for taking the
BASED when the wake up call came to me and said ‘Okay, technology learning he had acquired in commodities
UK I need to switch gears.’” and using it to bring a virtual experience to one of
Coming from a “very, very traditional, first the world’s most popular sports.
PREVIOUSLY generation immigrant family”, Min was conscious The result was Zwift. In five years, more than 1.6
USA that his cycling obsession had caused his parents million riders have registered for the platform and
some concern. He determined to study ferociously together they have logged more than 800 million
and began a new career in commodities trading for miles of cycling. “When you get onto Zwift you can
JP Morgan. There, he and a partner began hatching a belong to a community, and you can belong to a club
SRI Convergence Trailblazers Convergence Trailblazers SRI
Contact SRI SRI
Our team work collaboratively across the globe within media, content, SRI is an executive search and talent consulting firm focused on shaping the futures of
technology, sports, esports, and sporting goods & fashion sectors. clients and candidates across the media, content, technology and sport landscape. We
have deep expertise in these dynamic, disrupted and increasingly interconnected sectors.
Europe We partner with our clients to find the game changing talent that will help them thrive.
SRI has worked with a broad range of companies from content owners to fast growth
Jim Chaplin Mike Squires David James
consumer technology disruptors to shape their businesses.
CEO Chairman Head of Sport
London London London
jchaplin@sriexecutive.com msquires@sriexecutive.com djames@sriexecutive.com Our services include executive search, emerging leaders search, hiring strategy, board
+44 (0)7827 828 874 +44 (0)7990 581515 +44 (0)7808 639 563
assessment, succession planning, salary benchmarking, new market entry consulting
and multi-vacancy projects.
Chris Jordan Alistair Milner Mark Moreau
Head of Esports & Gaming Head of High Performance Co-Head of Europe
London London London Find out more at sriexecutive.com
cjordan@sriexecutive.com amilner@sriexecutive.com mmoreau@sriexecutive.com
+44 (0)7827 345 758 +44 (0)7500 105 208 +44 (0)7826 555 550
Ashling O’Connor Patrick Albrecht Adam Hillier
Head of Media, Entertainment Co-Head of Europe Partner, Media, Entertainment
& Technology, Europe Lausanne & Technology
London palbrecht@sriexecutive.com London
aoconnor@sriexecutive.com +41 (0)78 612 54 83 ahillier@sriexecutive.com
+44 (0)7824 821 000 +44 (0)7931 127 276
Beverley Le’May
Head of Sporting Goods & Fashion
London
blemay@sriexecutive.com
+44 (0)7957 730 532
North America
Jay Hussey Keith McAllister Glenn Horine
CEO, North America Head of Digital Media Partner, Sport
New York / Boston and Technology New York
jhussey@sriexecutive.com New York ghorine@sriexecutive.com
+1 650 787 3075 kmcallister@sriexecutive.com +1 203 814 7307
+1 646 732 3175
Christine Venditti Jamie Waldron Paul Chidley
Partner Head of Media & Entertainment Partner, Sport
Boston Los Angeles Los Angeles
cvenditti@sriexecutive.com jwaldron@sriexecutive.com pchidley@sriexecutive.com
+1 650 906 6092 +1 310 924 2960 +44 (0)7432 735 900
Asia-Pacific
Helen Soulsby Jonathan Harris Tom Watterson
Head of APAC Head of ANZ Head of Hong Kong
Singapore Sydney Hong Kong
hsoulsby@sriexecutive.com jharris@sriexecutive.com tomwatterson@sriexecutive.com
+65 9061 1411 +61 (0)413 939 993 +852 9335 5915
Convergence Trailblazers SRIYou can also read
