Meet Relive, a startup that uses data to turn your outdoor activities into 3D animated videos

Relive, a Dutch startup that has been flying a little under the tech media radar until now, might just be onto something.

Inspired by the experience of its founders during a cycling trip whilst on holiday in Tenerife early last year, the company turns activity data, such as that garnered from devices made by Strava or Garmin, and combines this with photos you’ve taken to create 3D animated videos.

The app has already been used by professional cyclists to document their progress in the Tour de France, and Instagram founder Kevin Systrom has taken Relive for a ride.

But, perhaps more noteworthy, the startup has seen almost half a million users sign up, who are creating 100,000 videos per day, apparently. “We realised there was an opportunity we absolutely needed to catch. So we started building our idea on that same holiday,” Relive co-founder Yousef El-Dardiry tells me. “When we shared a first version about a year ago, it quickly spread and thousands and thousands of cyclists around the world started using it”. The opportunity was that, as fun as it is to capture activity data, raw numbers alone don’t go very far in telling the true story.

What was needed was a way to not only automatically visualise that data, but do it in a way that put emotions back into “reliving” a cycling trip and, in the future, any outdoor activity, such as a hike or road trip. “Current sports trackers focus on statistics, health and performance-based metrics, which we think is great, but only captures one side of the experience,” says the Relive co-founder. 

“Something was missing here; what happens online, doesn’t accurately reflect what happened offline. People go out to have fun with friends, explore new roads and limits, find spectacular views, creating their own adventures. For most, it’s not only about training but also simply about having a good time outside”.

To address this, Relive lets you create a more personal 3D video story of your outdoor adventures. By crunching your activity data combined with GPS and timestamped photos from your phone or digital camera, the resulting video gives you a 3D fly-through of the route, highlighting landmarks, including relevant images you’ve taken, pinned to a map. “For our users, it’s the first time they can let friends and family truly experience their ride. Anyone, not just cyclists, can understand what you have achieved during the ride, whether it’s climbing great heights, covering large distances or witnessing stunning views,” adds El-Dardiry.

Meanwhile, however, the app is yet to generate revenue whilst the team remains steadfastly focussed on growth and improving the product. “To be honest, we still need to figure out our business model. With our current growth, that shouldn’t be too complicated, especially when we break the 1 million mark in users, expected somewhere this summer,” says El-Dardiry. I also understand Relive recently closed $1 million in seed funding from a number of undisclosed investors.