Interview with Danilo Borroni, Gruppetto CEO
January 7, 2022
Interview with Danilo Borroni, Gruppetto CEO , the first app dedicated to bike rides with friends!
The bike is the means of transport with which we come into contact since childhood, for this reason it is perhaps one of the “objects” to which we are most fond and tied almost unconsciously. Riding a bicycle, when you are a child, means conquering in a certain sense, your freedom and independence. This is why it is said that pedaling gives unique sensations!
Gruppetto was born with this assumption: confirm, if needed, the wonder of taking a bike ride, combined with the beauty of doing it together with your friends! Gruppetto, in fact, is an application that allows you to organize bike rides with other people who have the same passion as you. Let’s see the functions
Find bike rides nearby
In the Explore section you can see all the groups already organized, closest to you that you can join. You can view the results via map, calendar or List.
Join the Gruppetto that you prefer
You can read all the details of each Gruppetto that interests you: departure, route, stages etc. As soon as you have found the right one for you, all you have to do is sign up for the Gruppetto and prepare for the departure!
Interact with the Community
In the Ciclobacheca you can see which groups your friends are participating in. You can interact with comments and likes and see all photos and information posted.
With Gruppetto you can: ride in company, meet new people with your same passion for the bike, discover new routes.
If you want to know more about Gruppetto, read the interview with Danilo Borroni, company CEO
Hi Danilo, it is a great pleasure to meet you and thank you for the time you are dedicating to us. Let’s get straight to the point: tell our readers what is Gruppetto in 120 characters:
Gruppetto is an app created to help anyone who uses the bicycle as a sport or leisure in their free time, to organize groups to ride in company, defining time, day, place and level of participants. In addition to this, we can draw the path that we are going to face, having in real time, distance, level and altitude profile, so as not to leave anything to chance.
These groups are visible on a map or in a calendar and in this way it allows anyone to join, sharing roads and experiences. So whether I am a newbie looking for company, or I am an experienced cyclist who spends a weekend in a place he does not know, I can with a small group find the right company for my bike ride.
How was the idea of Gruppetto born?
The idea of Gruppetto was born during the first lockdown, where like many other aficionados we were not able to ride a bike outside. This made me appreciate even more the outdoor rides with friends that seemed like a dream at that time and we came up with the idea of an app that would connect people and become a point of reference for all fans and a community to share every aspect of cycling.
How long did it take to shape the project?
The idea was born precisely on Easter Day 2020 when I shared with Simone Valenziano (CTO of operaLogica,software factory located in Garbagnate Milanese and amateur cyclist) the goal of the project was to understand if it was possible to build it on a practical and technical level. The proposal was to create an application. After a few months, during which Luca Sacchetti was also involved, the company was formed. After more than a year of work, on November 27th we launched Gruppetto App in Milan during an event in Drali. Currently the app is available on the Apple and Android stores and downloadable for free. Our commitment continues with the release of new features to meet the needs of cyclists.
How are cyclists-addicted responding?
After the event I was talking about, within 3 days, the application was downloaded by more than 4000 users throughout Italy, both from men and women. The most striking aspect was the high number of Downloads However, we immediately realized that it was not a download dictated by curiosity, but by a real interest, because in the following days the map was populated with active groups that are constantly growing.
This means that the app responds to a real need and that users have immediately started to be active. More than 800 Gruppetti have been created throughout Italy and continue to add comments and positive reviews on the usefulness of the application that is very intuitive.
In Italy we are led to consider football as the Prince sport par excellence. We know, however, that there are many other realities just as followed as cycling. How much is this sport followed in Italy?
Cycling is a sport that has its roots in Italy and has always been one of the most popular sports. The substantial difference from football is that the vast majority of cycling fans are also practicing and this number in recent years is constantly growing, both thanks to the increased ecological sensitivity and the growing interest on the part of women in cycling. It is a sport in continuous evolution, the advent of electric bikes, gravel bikes and bike packing for cycling tourism, are just some of the new ways to interpret this fantastic sport.
How did you launch the project? Have you used crowdfunding campaigns?
For now we have counted on the strength of the members, but we are considering different ways to finance the company, among which there is certainly crowdfunding.To support us in the development and communication activities is the operaLogica team. Developers and UX designers took care of the technical and user interface while the communication area gave us a hand in creating a unique and original brand complete with social pages and dedicated landing pages.
Do you also participate in any Gruppetto?
Absolutely! I create a Gruppetto every time I go out on the bike, I have to set a good example!
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