Future of Equestrian Sport Alliance

What Future of Equestrian Sport Alliance does

FESA (Future of Equestrian Sport Alliance) is an independent, Geneva-headquartered global alliance founded on August 1, 2025, by co-founders Matt Cooper and Juan-Carlos Capelli to protect, modernize, and grow equestrian sport in the face of existential risks including Olympic status review, rising animal welfare concerns, declining youth engagement, and ecosystem-wide financial fragility. The organization targets a stated $300 billion global equestrian industry and operates against a five-year strategic horizon with three modeled scenario pathways (Status Quo Maintained 20%, Industry Rebound 40%, Structural Decline 40%). FESA coordinates six stakeholder segments—Athletes & Teams, Event Organisers & Venues, Federations & Policy Makers, Brands & Sponsors, Breeders & Training Academies, and Rural Economies & Communities—through a membership-based alliance model.

FESA's core offering is a portfolio of seven interconnected initiatives: a Digital Broadcast & Fan Platform for always-on streaming and fan engagement (drawing inspiration from SailGP); Welfare & ESG Standards with unified welfare codes, audits, and certification; a Data & Insights Lab producing market tracking, sponsorship benchmarks, and economic impact studies; an Events Growth Program with tiering frameworks and regional circuit pilots; Youth & Grassroots Pathways for talent development; Sustainability & Facilities programs covering green venues and biosecurity; and an Investments & Partnerships capital-matching program. Technology components include wearable measurement technologies and yard-scale sensing piloted with Hartpury University for horse welfare monitoring, alongside downloadable research publications such as the Market Dynamics PDF and Sponsorship Scenarios Post-Olympics report. Strategic partnerships include Hartpury University (October 2025) for evidence-based research, EQuerry Co (January 2026) for communications facilitation, and dressage rider Athena Hepburn (January 2026) for high-performance sport credibility. Liz Price was appointed Global Operations Manager in December 2025.

The business model combines three documented revenue streams: subscription-style Membership & Partner Programs, professional services for Research & Advisory (Market Dynamics analysis, stakeholder playbooks), and potential licensing royalties on welfare measurement technologies, broadcast innovations, and data analytics platforms. Go-to-market is community-led through working groups, regional circuit pilots, summits, and contact-based enrollment via [email protected], with no publicly disclosed pricing. Distribution is global and channeled through direct membership engagement, strategic partnerships, downloadable research briefs, and email communications. The organization is privately held with no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or cap table details.

Name

Future of Equestrian Sport Alliance

Legal name

Future of Equestrian Sport Alliance

Website

https://fesa.foundation

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Short description

FESA is a Geneva-based independent global alliance founded in August 2025 to protect and modernize equestrian sport, serving six stakeholder segments (athletes, organisers, federations, brands, breeders, rural communities) through seven initiatives spanning welfare standards, digital broadcast, data research, and youth pathways.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equestrian Sport Alliance Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Spectator Sports (71121)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAKACAD

Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Sports (Leagues, Teams, Events, Venues)/Collegiate & Amateur Sports Organizations (NCAA, Federations, Clubs)

SECONDARYMPAEADAJ

Equine Veterinary, Welfare & Anti-Doping Services

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Gambling, Betting & Casinos/Horse Racing & Pari-Mutuel Betting

Keywords

• Equestrian sport alliance
• Welfare standards certification
• Equestrian market research
• Equine welfare technology
• Sports industry association

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership & Partner Programs: Revenue generated through membership fees, working group participation, and partner opportunities to shape the sport's next decade.
2. Research & Advisory Services: Market dynamics analysis, stakeholder programs, and targeted playbooks for athletes, organizers, federations, brands, breeders, and communities.
3. Technology & Data Licensing: Potential licensing of welfare measurement technologies, broadcast innovations, and data analytics platforms to industry stakeholders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

FESA is a global alliance that provides research, standards, and investment programs to safeguard and modernise equestrian sport. Its core offerings include membership and partner programs, Market Dynamics Analysis (covering elite competition, sponsorship and media, events, training, and trade), and Stakeholder Programs with targeted playbooks for athletes, organisers, federations, brands, breeders, and communities. The alliance coordinates seven interconnected initiatives—Digital Broadcast & Fan Platform, Welfare & ESG Standards, Youth & Grassroots Pathways, Data & Insights Lab, Events Growth Program, Sustainability & Facilities, and Investments & Partnerships—under a five-year strategic horizon.

Product overview

FESA is a global alliance initiative—not a single product but a coordinated portfolio of seven interconnected programs designed to safeguard and modernize equestrian sport. The core offerings include: a Digital Broadcast & Fan Platform for always-on streaming and data; a Welfare & ESG Standards program providing unified welfare codes and certification; a Data & Insights Lab for market intelligence; an Events Growth Program with tiering frameworks; Youth & Grassroots Pathways for talent development; Sustainability & Facilities support; and an Investments & Partnerships initiative. These programs are supported by Market Dynamics Analysis and Stakeholder Programs providing targeted playbooks. Together, the alliance offers a centralized research, advisory, and technology hub replicable across equestrian disciplines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Market Dynamics Analysis Research service covering elite competition, sponsorship and media, events, training, and trade, ranked by impact and urgency for stakeholders.
• Stakeholder Programs
• Membership & Working Groups Membership-based enrollment providing access to working groups and partner opportunities for stakeholders to shape the sport's next decade.
• Welfare Measurement Technology Platform Pilot program validating welfare measurement technologies (wearables and yard-scale sensing) to monitor horse wellbeing, creating a standardised welfare platform with secure ethical data frameworks.
• Research & Market Analysis Reports Downloadable research publications including Market Dynamics PDF, Equine Sensor Market report, and sponsorship scenario analysis briefs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20-40% sponsorship decline without intervention
• +1 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EQuerry CocoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 January 2026Strategic partnership appointing specialist equestrian strategy and communications agency EQuerry Co as FESA's facilitation and communications partner. EQuerry brings expertise in strategy, narrative development, brand positioning and performance measurement. The partnership aims to translate FESA's welfare-focused, data-driven and governance frameworks into clear, credible narratives that resonate with global brands and institutions.
• Athena HepburnminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Collaboration with international dressage rider Athena Hepburn, 2025 Madrid Grand Prix champion and Kings Cup winner. Athena will contribute to FESA initiatives around high-performance sport and equine welfare within a framework of collective action, shared responsibility and long-term vision. She brings athlete perspective, credibility, and multilingual capabilities (English, Spanish, Italian, German).
• Hartpury UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 October 2025Strategic partnership with Hartpury University, recognized as one of the world's largest equine universities. Partnership focuses on evidence-based research to improve horse welfare and rider performance. Activities include: pilot and validate measurement technologies (wearables, yard-scale sensing), develop next-generation welfare monitoring platforms, turn research into practical tools for riders, vets, and coaches, build secure ethical frameworks for data and welfare insights, and run live pilot projects across training and competition environments.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• World Sailing: International federation for sailing, explicitly referenced by FESA as inspiration for broadcast innovation and fan engagement. Comparable as a sport governing body pursuing similar digital transformation and Olympic-status strategies.
• SailGP: Global sailing league, cited by FESA as inspiration for its Digital Broadcast & Fan Platform and modernized commercial model. Comparable as a benchmark for new media-rights and fan-engagement approaches in an Olympic-adjacent sport.

Regional players

• British Horseracing Authority (BHA): Statutory regulator for horse racing in Great Britain. Comparable as a sport governing body addressing welfare standards, integrity, and stakeholder coordination within the equestrian ecosystem.
• British Equestrian Federation: National governing body for equestrian sport in the UK. Comparable as a federation stakeholder that FESA explicitly engages, and addresses similar challenges in youth engagement, welfare, and funding.
• USA Equestrian: National governing body for equestrian sport in the United States. Comparable federation stakeholder within FESA's federations and policy-makers segment, addressing welfare standards and grassroots pathways.

Direct peers

• World Horse Welfare: International equine welfare charity working to improve horse welfare standards globally. Highly comparable to FESA's Welfare & ESG Standards initiative, including unified welfare codes, audits, and certification.

Broad incumbents

• International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA): Global body coordinating horse racing authorities and welfare standards. Comparable as an umbrella equestrian-industry governance alliance, with overlap on welfare, anti-doping, and cross-border coordination.
• The R&A: Governing body of golf worldwide. Comparable as an Olympic-adjacent sport governing body addressing modernization, sustainability, fan engagement, and stakeholder coordination challenges similar to FESA's scope.
• Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI): The international governing body for equestrian sports. Most directly comparable incumbent to FESA, since FESA's coordinating role across federations, welfare codes, and event tiering overlaps with FEI's mandate, though FEI has regulatory authority FESA does not.

Others

• International Olympic Committee (IOC): Umbrella body governing the Olympic Movement whose ongoing equestrian-status review directly drives FESA's strategic premise. Comparable as the principal counterparty whose decisions shape FESA's addressable market and stakeholder urgency.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

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