A successful fund-raising round wins over the sport-tech Grinta

Launch pad in Provence for their growth

In June 2021, Grinta successfully raised 2 million euros, backed mainly by private and public capital from the Provence-Alpes Côte d'Azur region. The financial enthusiasm it encountered in Provence inspired the sport-tech to transfer its headquarters from Saint-Étienne to the heart of bustling Marseille. Read on to learn how Provence Promotion supported Grinta with financial aid and location scouting. 

Grinta is not yet a year old, but it has already sparked keen interest among investors ‒ and not just in Paris and London! Provence also has capital to enable start-ups to launch and grow.

The development of income-generating e-commerce solutions for amateur sports clubs and sports associations convinced Région Sud Investissement and Provence Angels to make investments and tap into the potential of Grinta, a start-up that is targeting one million clubs and 250 million athletes.

"We already have 1,000 online shops for sports clubs and we manage 3,000 SKUs. Our vision is to see that the club shop becomes the sports store for licensees", explains Kevin Fournier, COO and co-founder of Grinta, along with Michael, Adrien and Mehdi. This is not the first outing for the founding team, which also created Act For Sport. Launched in 2019, it has supported 2,000 clubs in seven European countries.

Spurred by the momentum of these investments and the jolt of the public health crisis with its successive lockdowns, Grinta wanted to settle in a city with a high quality of life, close to the sea, in touch with nature ‒ where the sun warms both body and soul.

Head office relocated to Marseille

Inspired by the energy of Marseille, Grinta transferred its headquarters and 60% of its workforce there, with the remaining 40% staying in Saint-Étienne. “The city is effervescent, with a real joie de vivre. I didn't know it well and had a lot of misconceptions, but I enjoyed it so much that I bought an apartment on the Canebière. What a joy to sip my morning coffee in the Old Port!” says Kevin Fournier. His office is just a three-minute walk away.

On the advice of Provence Promotion, the sport-tech visited several offices before choosing the new Startway co-working space.“The Provence Promotion team was efficient and at our disposal. We received warm assistance with our relocation, which is right on brand for the region. With local investors, we have strong support to meet our growth goals,” notes Kevin Fournier.

The company, which has 12 employees, plans to recruit 15 more people. “We are looking for profiles in tech and design,” adds Kevin Fournier. While Marseille is already a big sports city with the OM soccer team, Grinta ‒ which expects to post €6.3 million in sales in 2022 ‒ will also capitalize on the impact of hosting the 2024 Olympic Games sailing events in Marseille.