A diverse group of business angels, along with ALMI Invest Syd, invests 3.7 MSEK in the global marketplace Worldsmarathons.com. The goal of World’s Marathons is to be the undisputed service to find, book and prepare for half, full and ultra-marathons worldwide.

Worldsmarathons.com is a global marketplace for athletes who want to find new exciting challenges as well as for race organizers who want to increase the utilization rate. The business idea is simple and ingenious: to promote and sell tickets to races around the world and, in cases where race organizers wish, provide the entire platform, including the management of the race.

The investors in Worldsmarathons are:

• ALMI Invest Syd
• Dan Castillio, co-founder of Online Pizza
• Bengt Maunsbach, Partner at Altor Equity Partners
• Joakim Mandorsson, serial entrepreneur
• Simon Josefsson, who has, among other companies, Yubico in his portfolio
• Markus Täkte, with a background in the gaming industry
• The accelerator/incubator STING

Robert Swartling, who previously backed startup Selfiejobs, has, in addition to investing, also taken on an operational role as sales manager in the company.

– The global market for long distance races has rocketed in recent years. We estimate the number of runners that each year participate in a race to 50 million, and the figure is growing every year, says Charlotte Melchert, founder and CEO of Worldsmarathons.

Large emerging markets are Russia, India and China, where the population is increasingly able to afford to engage in a time-consuming hobby like running.

World’s Marathons has contracted its first B2B customers (organizers) and thus has begun the sale of the starting tickets for events in both Europe and Asia. The plan is to continue to grow in Europe and in selected growth markets.

– Worldsmarathons.com is the first to offer a clear niche product offering a range of services before, during and after the race, says Jenny Strömberg, Investment Manager at Almi Invest. The business idea is simple and ingenious, and we believe that the team at World’s Marathons has every chance to succeed.

– What Worldsmarathons is now doing for endurance races has already been done in several other areas such as the travel industry (hotels.com), Car (Holidayauto) and housing rental (Airbnb) to name a few. Here is a big gap to fill and we are now planning to start with full force, says Dan Castillio, one of the investors in Worldsmarathons.

It is not only the business idea that is global. “Born global” is also a theme that reflects the team, which in the current situation consists of five nationalities and has a branch office also in Jamaica.

– A diversified team with diverse backgrounds is essential to create a service that appeals to a global audience, says Charlotte Melchert.

> More on the World’s Marathons: www.worldsmarathons.com