Nolio, the platform for planning and tracking training and analysing sports performance, founded by graduates of Grenoble INP – Ensimag, UGA, is continuing its ascent. Since its beginnings in 2019, it has attracted 500 active coaches and 30,000 users.
Some sports federations recently signed contracts with the start-up. The French Athletics Federation formalized its collaboration with Nolio in autumn 2022, which it renewed in autumn 2023. In a press release, Benjamin Oury of EFS Reims Athlétisme explained: “This tool makes our lives easier. Some athletes use it to describe everything they feel, others complete it regularly, while still others use it to view their training plan.”
The French Cycling Federation, on the other hand, commissioned a custom interface in early 2023 to provide a special “cycling” version of Nolio for affiliated clubs.* Two specific development phases have already been completed and two special versions of Nolio will be offered until 2028.
An active community
Nolio produces a blog, and since January 2023, regular podcasts, to engage its sports community. “We release two episodes of ‘Secrets d’Endurance’ every 15 days, and it’s very popular,” said François Dupont, the start-up’s founder and CEO. “We alternate between hearing from a coach who discusses their methods and interviewing an athlete who discusses their sports training from more of a mental perspective instead of a performance focus. Each episode gets between 5,000 and 10,000 plays.”
Important updates to the application were released last September and February of this year and included new features such as HRV (Heart Rate Variability). This measurement indicates the variation of heart beats over a specific period of time and is increasingly monitored by athletes. Nolio also offers new data, further analysis of results and detects an athlete’s best performance. The app is also now compatible with a wider range of connected watches and bracelets.
The Nolio team has grown since it as first created. It now includes seven employees and two work-study students. A new thesis will begin in January 2024 on using artificial intelligence to better assist coaches.
*https://structures.ffc.fr/nolio-by-ffc/
