# Live Episode! Peloton: John Foley

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2019-04-29
- Length: 53m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-04-29-live-episode-peloton-john-foley

## Summary

John Foley, co-founder of Peloton, recounts building a high-tech home fitness company from scratch despite having no background in fitness or technology. He details the struggle to raise capital, facing rejection from every major VC firm before securing institutional funding, and the early operational challenges including a wobbly first prototype and a failed Kickstarter. Foley explains how Peloton scaled by combining hardware with a subscription media model, using pop-up retail stores to drive initial sales and celebrity instructors to build the brand.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-04-29-live-episode-peloton-john-foley#t=0) Introduction: John Foley and Peloton
- [4:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-04-29-live-episode-peloton-john-foley#t=244) Foley's Career Path: Mars, Citysearch, and IAC
- [13:58](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-04-29-live-episode-peloton-john-foley#t=838) The Peloton Idea and Co-Founder Recruitment
- [25:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-04-29-live-episode-peloton-john-foley#t=1501) The Grind: Pitching VCs and Raising Seed Capital
- [31:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-04-29-live-episode-peloton-john-foley#t=1870) Prototype Failures and the Failed Kickstarter
- [35:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-04-29-live-episode-peloton-john-foley#t=2107) Building the Media Engine: Studio and Instructors
- [38:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-04-29-live-episode-peloton-john-foley#t=2304) Retail Strategy: Pop-ups and Mall Sales
- [49:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2019-04-29-live-episode-peloton-john-foley#t=2943) Scaling, Culture, and Future Vision

## Topics

- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Prototyping & iteration](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/prototyping)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Peloton Bike (product)
- Soul Cycle (company)
- Flywheel (company)
- Mars (company)
- Citysearch (company)
- Barnes and Noble (company)
- Tiger Global (company)
- Amazon (company)
- Evite (product)
- Jen Sherman (other)
- Robin (other)
- Hannah (other)
- Cody (other)
- Yoni (other)
- Lauren Salamando (other)
- Julian Elizabeth (other)
- Ruth Zuckerman (other)
- Hugh Jackman (other)
- Ellen DeGeneres (other)
- Richard Branson (other)
- Usain Bolt (other)

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- [Founder Feature: Max Luthy of Plink!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-04-18-founder-feature-max-luthy-of-plink) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder + Funder: Fundraising, Retail Growth, and Building a Modern Hydration Brand with Alex Michaelsen of Leisure Hydration and Ryan Springer of Midnight](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-06-27-founder-funder-fundraising-retail-growth-and-building-a-modern-hydration-brand-w) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Ep. 39 - Starting a Hardware Company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/open-hardware-manufacturing-podcast/2025-05-15-ep-39-starting-a-hardware-company) (Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast)
- [Founder + Funder: Fundraising, Founder-Investor Fit, and Building the Next Big Breakfast Brand with Emily Groden of Evergreen and Brian Bernstein of Rich Products Ventures](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-06-20-founder-funder-fundraising-founder-investor-fit-and-building-the-next-big-breakf) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

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