Organized by Les Meneurs, the community dedicated to the sports economy, Sport Définition has established itself as the key event for structuring the sports economy. After a promising first edition in 2024, this meeting confirmed the ambition to make French sport a driver of attractiveness, performance and economic spin-offs. Among the highlights, five innovations stood out for their usefulness and concrete impact.

NOLT, the jersey that never dies

NOLT reinvents sports equipment by making it circular. With its “Maillot Infini”, designed in France, the startup offers clubs the chance to recycle their old jerseys and make new ones, without losing quality or performance. “We want to prove that a high-performance jersey can be responsible and entirely circular,” says co-founder Olivier Guigonis. Already the partner of 800 clubs in 12 sports (football, volleyball, tennis, etc.), NOLT wants to show that equipment can be high-performance, economical and environmentally friendly all at the same time. The aim is to roll out this circular approach by 2026 to reduce textile waste in sport, a sector that still generates a lot of pollution.

BodyCAP, prevent heatstroke and save lives

BodyCAP, founded in Caen, has developed a connected capsule capable of continuously measuring body temperature. This technology is already used in soccer, notably by FC Nantes, to anticipate heatstroke during training sessions or matches exposed to high temperatures. The data collected enables medical staff to adapt their workload and avoid critical situations, particularly in the run-up to the Olympic Games, where the risk of heatwaves is a concern for federations.

“BodyCAP is present in 50 countries, and its capsule is backed by more than 150 scientific publications,” says Hélène Bataille, sales and marketing assistant.

DANC-R, gamified dance

With DANC-R, dance becomes an accessible digital playground. With motion capture via smartphone, anyone can compare their steps with those of a professional, visualize their progress and share their routines. “DANC-R is the first application to reliably measure a dancer’s progress against his or her model,” stresses co-founder Adrien Bisset. More than just an application, it’s a living community that’s being created: from amateurs to teachers, everyone can post their choreographies and monetize their content. It’s a new way of democratizing dance while reinforcing technical precision through data.

Phyling, an on-board field laboratory

Phyling develops miniature sensors for analyzing performance in extreme environments: sailing, trail running, mountaineering. These intelligent boxes, attached to the equipment or the athlete, collect precious data to adjust each gesture and anticipate breaking points. “Our sensors transform every piece of equipment into a measurement tool to support performance,” explains Romain Caux, Product Engineer at Phyling. The idea is for technology to be adaptable to all types of terrain and all levels of skill, with all data capture and analysis carried out in real time. Phyling is already working with top-level athletes and aims to roll out its solutions to amateur clubs.

Engo Eyewear, performance without detours

Based in Grenoble, France, Engo Eyewear develops connected eyewear incorporating ActiveLook® technology. The innovation: an augmented reality head-up display that projects key data such as heart rate, speed and distance in real time. Cyclists and runners can thus stay focused on their trajectory while monitoring their performance without looking away. This technology improves safety and the quality of training, especially for athletes out in the wilderness or on open roads.