Episode
How Zwift created a global fitness unicorn - Steve Beckett
- Podcast
- Uncensored CMO
- Published
- Mar 25, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2880
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://ucmo.transistor.fm/253
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Summary
It’s not often you meet a CMO who helped build a unicorn from the ground up while creating an entirely new category. Steve Beckett, CMO of Zwift, joined as employee number five and played a key role in turning Zwift into the global sporting powerhouse it now is. In this episode, Steve shares how Zwift balanced performance marketing with brand building, deeply understanding the acquisition metrics while making bold brand bets, including becoming the founding sponsor of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. We also explore how the business scaled through COVID, the bold move to launch their own hardware, and the role brand played in raising capital. This is a conversation about what it really takes to build a category-defining company and why the best CMOs understand both the metrics and the magic. Sign up to our live event, The Calling, on April 21st here: https://event.uncensoredcmo.com/events/uncensoredcmo/2044861 Subscribe to our newsletter, The One Thing: https://newsletter.uncensoredcmo.com/ Listen to our new podcast, Uncensored Renegades: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/uncensored-renegades/id1868870960 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7qnkqq0XSpgif9A5ZNgSpX?si=f181c3a0e9af480c Timestamps 00:00 - Start 02:51 - Steve’s work with team Sky 05:05 - Learning about success inside Team Sky 07:09 - From Sky to employee number 5 at Zwift 08:36 - How Zwift invented the indoor training category 13:37 - The behavioural science behind Zwift 14:51 - Has anyone turned pro from riding on Zwift? 17:18 - How Covid impacted Zwift 23:11 - Growing at all costs vs profitability 27:28 - Whats it like working for a founder led startup 29:50 - How brand helped Zwift raise money 32:06 - From selling software to selling hardware 34:14 - Why Zwift sponsor the wome…