THREE QUESTIONS FOR NICA STAPEL, DIRECTOR OF THE HIPPOLIA CLUSTER
The Hippolia Start-up Village at Equita Lyon is full of innovations, with thirteen projects selected for this year's show. What do you think about the presence of these start-ups here at Equita Lyon?
I took over the management of Hippolia in June 2020, so this is the first time I've been here as the Cluster's Director. The Hippolia Start-up Village was created in 2015 at Equita Lyon, and I have noted that several of the companies that were involved in the Village in the past, are now actually exhibitors and are developing well! We understand the scale and influence of the Equita Lyon show. For us, this is clearly an opportunity to help our start-ups find a launch pad and increase their visibility. Equita Lyon is really an event that puts them in the spotlight. Naturally, the competition that awards the Hippolia Start-up Grand Prize by Equita Lyon, in partnership with EPERON, gives the winning start-up the opportunity to take advantage of a free stand at the show the following year, which is really beneficial, but all of the start-ups are ultimately winners because they gain visibility, experience, contacts and even boost their sales.
What are the selection criteria for being invited to take part in the Hippolia Start-up Village at Equita Lyon?
Companies have to be young, i.e. less than two years old. The basic idea is that their projects bring something new to the equestrian sector. That's really what we are trying to promote. However, "new" does not necessarily mean something revolutionary or a breakthrough. This could be an improvement on something that already exists, for example, alternative horse-shoes. Of course, finding the right shoe for a horse is not new, but, in this case, the idea is to work on the horse's feet in a new way. So, it's an innovation in that it reinvents a traditional approach.
You have a front row seat from which to observe the different areas of innovation in the equine sector. Which is the main emerging trend?
Digital technologies and services are by far the most significant. Innovators in the equine sector are often attracted by digital innovations, IT, artificial intelligence, connected objects, etc. If you look at all the exhibitors in the Village, you'll see many are working in these fields. At the same time, it is a long-term trend, which has been present for several years now. Another major emerging trend is in the field of equine well-being. Whether its bits, shoes or connected objects, almost all of the solutions are ultimately linked to equine well-being. Finally, we can also note the development of solutions related to the environment and ecology.
Basically, those are the trends this year.
Consult the list of the thirteen start-ups present at the Hippolia Start-up Village by Equita Lyon.