You may have already used an app on your smartphone to exercise. No doubt also watched match videos or consulted the statistics of your favorite team. Behind these daily actions for fans and athletes, there is a booming business, that of "Sportech", these start-ups which have in common to develop around sport, amateur or professional. It is so that these actors finally meet that Frédéric Michalak founded Sport Unlimitech. This free professional show is holding its second edition this Thursday and Friday, in Lille, and expects around 2,000 people and around fifty speakers, from the Minister for Sports Roxana Maracineanu to athletes like Théo Curin and entrepreneurs. such as Taig Khris.
“After the Covid-19 crisis, we really needed to get together,” explains the former Toulouse rugby player, who founded this company with three partners 3 years ago. After a first show in Lyon in 2019, it's time for the Lille edition, which will be followed by a tour to Nice in January, then to Grenoble, Lyon and Toulouse from March to June. "We see start-ups emerging, France is catching up in this sector, with the prospect of major events here, the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympics, said Frédéric Michalak, who opened the show this morning. It's great to be able to meet in a place where the sport of tomorrow is created ”.
[🚀🌟OPENING OF SPORTUNLIMITECH LILLE🌟🚀] @SportUnlimitech is delighted to announce the participation of @ pa_bosse🥇 for the opening of the #SporTech B2B back-to-school event!
See you on September 23 and 24 at @LilleGrandPalai to talk to each other #sport and # performance🏃🏾♂️ pic.twitter.com/pN1gbhExlq
- SportUnlimiTECH (@SportUnlimitech) September 22, 2021
Coaching, refereeing or video apps
Digitization, sport-health, Esport, performance support… The sectors in which these start-ups are developing are numerous.
Coaching, arbitration or video apps ...: there are 150 companies of this "Sportech" in France, which have raised 250 million euros in five years, and already weigh 77 billion euros, according to Sport Unlimitech.
All in a global market of 800 billion, with strong growth prospects.
“There is a place to take, considers Frédéric Michalak.
The Covid-19 has accelerated the digitalization of sport, with connected sport apps ”.
Among the start-ups in the spotlight in Lille, Ref'mate, an arbitration aid already supported by Rudy Gobert and Teddy Riner.
Mental Sport, an app to better manage your sleep and training.
Or Vogo, one of the world leaders in sports video, which offers, for example, almost live slow motion on the smartphones of the public in the stadium, underwater videos in swimming, etc.
“The sector is divided into three categories: amateur athletes, fans, and pros.
They all need a solution and they can be shared.
It's fascinating, ”summarizes Frédéric Michalak.
