DrThe sporting goods retail giant and the Brussels Incubator will support dozens of startups active in the health sector. A network of experts provides support.
Decathlon continues its entry into the business world at full speed. Five months after launching Jump, its first incubation program, the sporting goods retail giant is taking the next step. This time, however, Decathlon is not doing it alone, as it launched Tuesday in cooperation with the new e-health incubator Valley “Move Well” – a call for projects to support innovative projects in the field of sports and health.
Decathlon is already well versed in the sport, so it wasn’t interesting for her to team up with another healthcare expert. Therefore, the sports retail giant is interested in its new Brussels incubator, E-Health Valley. This incubator, which was quietly launched a year ago, is focusing on projects related to sports and health. The new structure, located in Anderlecht, benefits from an impressive board of directors, including Michael Verschueren, entrepreneur and sporting director at Anderlecht, Pierre Rion, entrepreneur and investor, and Bart Becks, co-founder of BeCentral.
Through their collaboration on the Move Well project, the two new partners hope to quickly interest young companies. “The project call will last for one month. Depending on what we can define elsewhere, we expect 50-100 requests. Depending on their quality, we’ll block 5-10% of them,” says Marius Delerck, Head of the Move Well project. ..
Six favorite areas
For this first collaboration, officials expanded the scope of work. “We want to support projects that move from the concept to the stage immediately preceding the first fundraising process,” says Marius Delerck. Also, the spectrum is very wide in terms of activities. “We will analyze all the applications, but there are six broadly specific areas that we prefer: Physical Therapy 4.0, Behavioral Sciences, Sports Promotion for the Chronically Ill, … We believe there are real gaps for the latter. When they launch a project in any of these areas, it is likely That the project leaders arouse the interest of our partners, “explains the responsible person.
In addition to Decathlon’s business expertise, Move Well partners also enlist in a pool of experts. Saint-Pierre Hospital, Partenamut, ULB are some of the names that will contribute their knowledge on these specific topics. “When we were able to partner with Decathlon, interest in the project was enormous. On the day of the official launch, Axxon, the professional association of physiotherapists, joined our partners,” explains Marius Delerck.
Participate in the capital
Each startup will be supported for a period of between six months and a year. “There is no predetermined pathway, because the needs are different. Each project will have its own relationship with the partners. Instead, we want to make sure that, through our communications, we can address the specific problems of each project, be it. At the technological level, or to find. Clients or fund-raising, for example. “
In addition to advice, financial support is also provided. E-Health Valley will systematically pump € 10,000 to € 40,000 into startups. The incubator will never be more than 10% engaged in the company. On the other hand, Decathlon does not want to commit herself financially. Not the first time anyway. “But the directives will also make it possible to raise funds through outside investors. It is not impossible for our external partners to take in shares or certain members of the E-Health Valley board of directors may want to invest in their personal capacity,” he said. Marius. Delirk.
