La Pati

What La Pati does

La Pati SA is a Fribourg-based Swiss company founded in 2005 by Antoine Descloux that designs, develops, manufactures, rents, sells, and maintains turnkey ice rinks. The company operates a vertically integrated model spanning in-house production of mobile and fixed rink kits, equipment distribution (VEPE SAFE BOARDS, Olympia Icebear machines), audit and consulting services, and a growing line of consumer-facing attractions. Its underlying technology emphasizes energy efficiency through proprietary cooling systems and photovoltaic integration; the company states its rinks are energy self-sufficient and consume approximately four times less energy than competitors, and it holds Minergie building label membership. Between November 2004 and March 2021 the company constructed 534 ice rinks covering 238,795 m².

The business model blends one-time turnkey sales (fixed Pol Arena arenas under 5 million CHF, mobile rink kits up to 1,800 m²), recurring rental streams (mobile rinks and equipment by day/week/month/season), equipment distribution, and professional audit services. The customer base spans Swiss municipalities, professional sports arenas (BCF Arena, Vaudoise Arena, Bossard Arena), commercial properties, corporate and private events, and select European markets including Monaco, Spain, and France. Distribution is direct field sales organized by Swiss linguistic region, supported by a multilingual website and trade-event presence.

Commercial differentiators include rapid nine-month Pol Arena delivery, regulatory compliance with SIHF and IIHF standards, exclusive Swiss distribution of Olympia Icebear and VEPE products, and academic cooperation with the University of Applied Sciences of Fribourg for audit and product development. The firm remains privately held and founder-led with no disclosed external funding, operating with 11–50 employees from its headquarters and production facility in Payerne.

Name

La Pati

Legal name

La Pati SA

Website

https://lapati.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

La Pati SA is a Swiss turnkey ice rink solutions provider, founded in 2005 and based in Payerne, that designs, manufactures, rents, sells, and maintains mobile and fixed ice rinks for municipalities, sports arenas, and commercial properties across Switzerland and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ice Rink Construction

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949), Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350)

akta.pro primary industry

Ice Rinks & Winter Sports Facilities (MPAKAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ice Hockey & Field Hockey Equipment Retail (CRAMAEAE)

Keywords

• Ice rink construction
• Mobile ice rinks
• Fixed ice rinks
• Ice rink equipment
• Ice rink maintenance

Headquarters

HQ city

Rossens

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ice Rink Construction and Sale: Design, development, and manufacturing of custom ice rinks (mobile and fixed) sold as turnkey solutions. Includes fixed Pol Arena arenas (under 5 million CHF) and modular mobile rink kits.
2. Ice Rink Rental: Rental of mobile ice rinks for days, months, or seasons. Includes equipment rental (skates, boards, accessories) and full-service maintenance during rental period.
3. Equipment Sales and Rental: Sale and rental of ice rink equipment including VEPE boards, ice machines (Olympia Icebear), skates, goals, nets, barriers, and aids. Products available for purchase or short/long-term rental.
4. Audit and Consulting Services: Professional expertise services for existing ice rinks including infrastructure evaluation, efficiency assessment, safety audits, real-time monitoring, and optimization solutions. Includes cooperation with University of Applied Sciences of Fribourg.
5. Attractions and Entertainment: Specialized attractions including ice painting, mini-golf on ice, bubble on ice, Eisstock LED, ice castle, and curfboard on ice for events and enhanced visitor experience.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

La Pati SA designs, develops, manufactures, rents, sells, and maintains turnkey ice rink solutions for municipalities, sports arenas, and commercial clients. Its portfolio includes modular mobile ice rink kits (sizes up to 1,800 m²) for temporary or seasonal use, fixed Pol Arena ice rinks built in approximately nine months for under five million Swiss francs, and complementary equipment such as VEPE SAFE BOARDS and Olympia Icebear ice resurfacing machines, along with audit and attraction services.

Product overview

La Pati SA is a Fribourg-based company founded in 2005 specializing in turnkey ice rink solutions. The company operates a platform-plus-services model offering mobile ice rinks (Modular structures from few m2 to 1,800 m2 for indoor/outdoor use), fixed ice rinks under the Pol Arena brand (built in nine months for under 5 million CHF), and comprehensive equipment including VEPE SAFE BOARDS and Olympia Icebear ice machines. The portfolio includes audit services for existing ice rink evaluation across five axes (site inventory, ice quality, air quality, real-time monitoring, energy solutions). Recent expansion into attractions includes ice painting, ice mini-golf, ice bubble, Eisstock LED, ice castle, ice curfboard, and LED circles. The company uses sustainable construction with Swiss wood structures, renewable energies, and claims four times less energy consumption than competitors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Polarena: Fixed ice rink concept offered by La Pati SA, designed to counter preconceptions about cost and difficulty of fixed ice rink infrastructure. Includes operating partnership, built in about nine months for less than five million Swiss francs.

Products and services

• Mobile ice rinks Modular mobile ice rink structures available for both outdoor and indoor use, ranging from a few square meters up to 1,800 m². Designed for easy assembly and disassembly with sustainable site restoration after removal. Customizable with entrance/reception, changing rooms, sanitary facilities, first aid station, restaurant, and skate rental annexes. Targeted at municipalities, sports facilities, event organizers, and commercial properties.
• Pol Arena Fixed Ice Rink Fixed ice rink concept built in approximately nine months, priced under five million Swiss francs, and designed to be quickly self-sufficient. Includes an operating partnership to facilitate management and maintenance. Targeted at municipalities, sports clubs, and private investors seeking permanent ice rink infrastructure.
• Ice rink equipment and accessories Complete equipment packages for ice rinks including VEPE SAFE BOARDS, Olympia Icebear ice resurfacing machines, skates, petanque, log cabins for skate rental, gates, boards, and skating aids. Ice rinks can be transformed for ice hockey (SIHF-compliant), curling, or Eisstock. Targeted at ice rink operators, municipalities, and sports clubs.
• VEPE SAFE BOARDS Flexible boards manufactured to meet IIHF standards, reducing head and body injuries on impact. Features include lower rail height, narrow flexible rounded handrails, shock-absorbing flexible structure, and spectator protection in flexible acrylic/polycarbonate instead of tempered glass. Targeted at ice hockey arenas and sports facilities.
• Olympia Icebear ice resurfacing machines Ice resurfacing machines and ice slicers from the Olympia Icebear brand, distributed by La Pati SA as the exclusive Swiss representative. Targeted at ice rink operators requiring high-precision ice maintenance equipment.
• Audit services Professional expertise services for existing ice rinks including management efficiency assessment, organization productivity evaluation, equipment safety audits, and potential improvements aligned with current standards. Covers five-axis expertise: site inventory, ice quality (temperature and thickness), air quality measurements, real-time monitoring, and energy efficiency solutions. Targeted at existing ice rink operators and arena managers.
• Ice-based attractions (ice painting, mini-golf, bubble, Eisstock LED, ice castle, curfboard, LED circles) Specialized attractions including ice painting (non-toxic washable paint), ice mini-golf, inflatable ice bubble, Eisstock LED (traditional curling with integrated LED lighting), ice castle with slides for children, ice curfboard (ice skateboard with articulated truck system), and multicolored LED circles. Suitable for corporate events, family outings, public festivals, and themed parties. Targeted at event organizers, municipalities, and commercial venues.

Quantifiable outcome

• 534 ice rinks constructed from November 2004 to March 2021 over 238,795 m2
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Olympia IcebearcoreTechnology or IntegrationLa Pati SA is the exclusive Swiss representative for Olympia Icebear ice resurfacing machines and robots. This partnership provides customers with high-precision ice maintenance equipment as part of comprehensive ice rink solutions.
• VepecoreTechnology or IntegrationLa Pati is the Swiss provider of Vepe Flexboard boards and VEPE SAFE BOARDS. These flexible safety boards meet IIHF standards and include features like shock absorption, lower height, and flexible acrylic spectator protection.
• University of Applied Sciences of Fribourg (Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic cooperation for ice rink auditing, engineering expertise, and product development. The university collaboration provides scientific backing for measurement systems and optimization analysis.
• Minergie Building LabelsupportingOthersLa Pati SA is a member of the Minergie building label association, demonstrating commitment to sustainable construction using renewable energies, ecological materials (Swiss wood), and energy-efficient technologies.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ice-World: Ice-World is a Dutch-based company that designs, manufactures, rents, and sells mobile and fixed ice rinks across Europe. It is the closest direct competitor to La Pati, offering turnkey ice rink solutions with similar modular mobile kits and permanent installations serving the same municipalities, arenas, and event segments.

Broad incumbents

• ENGO (Energy Cooling): ENGO is a European industrial refrigeration contractor that has built ice rink cooling systems for sports facilities. It is comparable to La Pati's fixed arena construction business from the refrigeration/energy side and competes for the same large arena tenders.
• FieldTurf (Tarkett Sports): FieldTurf is a major global sports surface and facility provider that broadly serves the same arena and municipal sports customers as La Pati. While it focuses on artificial turf and multisport surfaces, it competes for the same municipal/arena facility budgets and represents an incumbent with far greater scale.
• CIMCO Refrigeration: CIMCO is a Canadian-based commercial refrigeration contractor that has built ice rink and arena cooling systems worldwide. It is a comparable peer for La Pati's fixed arena (Pol Arena) and large-scale refrigeration engineering projects, especially at the international expansion level.
• Mueller (Frick) Refrigeration: Mueller Frick is a German/Swiss refrigeration specialist serving ice rinks, cold storage, and industrial cooling. It is comparable to La Pati's in-house cooling technology and is a potential competitor for refrigeration contracts on European arena and municipal rink projects.

Emerging players

• Olympia IceBear: Olympia IceBear manufactures ice resurfacing machines and robots, for which La Pati is the exclusive Swiss distributor. It is a partial peer because it competes in the ice maintenance equipment category that La Pati sells, while also being a key partner in La Pati's integrated rink offering.
• VEPE Boards: VEPE manufactures flexible dasher boards and safety systems meeting IIHF standards. La Pati is the Swiss provider of VEPE products. VEPE is a thematically related peer because it competes with La Pati's own equipment offerings and supplies similar boards globally to ice hockey arenas.
• Zamboni: Zamboni is the dominant global manufacturer of ice resurfacing machines used by virtually every commercial ice rink. While not a rink builder, it is a comparable peer via La Pati's exclusive Swiss representation of Olympia Icebear and the overlapping customer base of ice rink operators purchasing maintenance equipment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lapatisa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-pati-sa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about La Pati