A swim coaching app developed by a former British elite teen swimmer and her partner has gained a global following less than a year after launching. Catch, established by aquathlon World Championship gold medallist Rebecca Wetten and her boyfriend, Will, aims to help people improve technique and boost endurance.
From Elite Swimmer to App Founder
Wetten, who started swimming competitively at age nine and represented Great Britain, was inspired to launch the business to help people "find the high" in swimming. The app now has thousands of users from the UK, USA, and Australia and is already profitable, according to its founders.
However, Wetten's path to success was not easy. She told Bristol Live that she spent "years being abused and bullied" by one of her swimming coaches while growing up. The Cambridge graduate, now 33, moved to Bristol three years ago after stints in London and Sweden, where she rediscovered her love for the sport after a decade away from the pool.
Finding Joy in Swimming Again
"In Sweden people have this really joyful relationship with exercise, particularly in those summer months when you've got longer days and decent weather," she said. "Eventually, a colleague convinced me to join a triathlon relay team. I did the open water swim leg and wondered why I'd spent all that time indoors ploughing up and down a crowded box when I could've been swimming out in nature."
After moving to Bristol and struggling to find a group of wild swimmers interested in competitions, she decided to start her own. She formed a group of about 25 people and began writing Google Docs with instructions, linking to YouTube videos, and providing structured sessions.
"People showed quite a surprising amount of progress considering how much I just pulled this thing together and it was very basic," she said.
From Google Docs to a Full-Fledged App
As demand grew, meeting in person became "logistically challenging," so she asked her partner to create an app for adult swim training. The business, launched in September, is entirely self-funded and has grown organically.
"I'm actually way more invested in other people swimming now than my own," Wetten said. "We're focusing on adults because it's the most neglected category within swimming."
After gaining thousands of users in months, Catch is now preparing for its first fundraising round. "Hopefully off the back of that we'll be able to boost our growth," she said. "What's amazing for us is that we can make rapid progress on our product without needing enormous investment."
"We're basically doubling down on the UK this year and then targeting our top seven countries that suit our product well, such as Germany and the US. We're really hoping to build a strong sense of community here in the UK. Next year is about making it as good as possible and then going global."
A Message to Her Younger Self
Wetten says if she could speak to her teenage self, she would tell her that her hard work isn't "all for nothing." "One day, you'll co-found a business that changes people's relationships with this sport all around the world. You'll find joy in the water again and you'll help others find it too."
