Elie Delobeau and Adrien Dubois (EDHEC Intl BBA 2019), founders of Shining Sport, combining sports and brand image

Adrien Dubois and Elie Delobeau are both from the EDHEC Intl BBA class of 2019 and both passionate about sports and communication.

Together they decided to launch a start-up, Shining Sport, which helps professional and semi-professional athletes manage their image and highlight their performances.

WHAT'S THE PITCH FOR YOUR START-UP?

The general idea is to highlight the performances of our athletes across the full spectrum of media outlets and digital platforms: social networks, websites, videos, photos, press content, etc. The aim is to make them more visible to clubs, agents and others.

Why? It’s very simple! In football, as in any business, being good and “performing” is not enough. If no-one knows about it, it’s unfortunately of no use to the player! Beyond personal satisfaction, there is nothing to gain.

Our objective is simple: generate the visibility that each performance deserves! So players can move up to the next level in football or move beyond their current status.

TELL US HOW YOUR BUSINESS CAME ABOUT?

It’s a “start-up story” that came from an opportunity in the sporting world.

A few years ago, a player from within our circle of friends was contacted by an agent who had read one of his interviews online. He signed him up with a club simply based on the image he had projected through his answers. A few years later, that player turned professional.

So we realised the importance and impact of an athlete’s image in contributing to his or her success.

We decided to do more than simply communication management, which is what nearly all other market players offer.

Someone with communication skills does not necessarily have football running through their veins, yet that is essential when addressing this type of athlete.

Inversely, a professional from the world of football is not necessarily a pro when it comes to communication. We took inspiration from what we observed around us and sought to push things forward.

WHAT IS YOUR INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF THIS ENTREPRENEURIAL ADVENTURE?

We now have a structured business up and running like any other mature company.

We didn’t think we would be able to develop so quickly! We had contracts with 10 players just a few months after launching the business, which far exceeded our expectations and objectives! It was quite flattering given how young the business was.

These different phases obviously allowed us to evolve. Both on a professional and personal level.

YOU ARE BOTH STUDENTS AND FUTURE GRADUATES FROM THE EDHEC INTL BBA PROGRAMME, HOW DOES THAT EDUCATION HELP YOU AS ENTREPRENEURS?

Thanks to EDHEC and its incubator programme, we have benefited from fantastic support to develop our business: advice, orientation and experience.

We also both opted for the Entrepreneurship course, where we learned how to create and develop a business from scratch. And EDHEC as a whole allows us to tap into a considerable network of entrepreneurs and other professionals. 

A very welcome helping hand when you’re starting out as an entrepreneur!

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY OF EDHEC GRADUATES? 

We are currently looking for interns to start in the near future! Mainly in graphic design and community management.

Also, if a member of the network is set to become the next recipient of the Ballon d’Or award, we’d be delighted to meet with him or her! 

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

There’s so much going on! More services, more clients, and more visibility. We’ve got the wind in our sails and have every intention of making the most of it.

For example, we are right in the middle of developing a rugby branch. This will be based on the same success factors as our football operations: a quality-focused approach highlighting the performances of rugby players.

We have also signed contracts with clubs and agents for the next season. 

In short: COMING SOON...

SHINING SPORT ONLINE

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