A sports educator by training and an entrepreneur at heart, Corentin Gendry founded Néosport in France in 2016 with the mission of bringing together innovative and emerging sports to make them accessible to everyone. Since November 2023, he has been developing Néosport Canada in Montréal, while also championing a project that is particularly close to his heart, Volcage, a sport he invented himself.
Corentin Gendry | Néosport
Corentin, Founder of Néosport: From Paris to Montréal, building a sports company that brings people together
It all began in the suburbs of Paris, where Corentin worked as a sports educator in schools while developing Néosport on the side. The idea was simple but powerful: bringing together lesser-known sports under one roof, like kin-ball, spikeball, and Pétéca, disciplines that put everyone on an equal footing since nobody knows them at the start. The company quickly grew and established itself in about ten Parisian schools, supported by a team of five.
After nine years in Paris, a desire for change and a strong belief in the potential of the Montréal market led Corentin to cross the Atlantic.
“Montréalers are much more eager to discover new sports. I sensed a real potential for the company here.”
Arriving in November 2023, he started from scratch, but with the experience and structure of Néosport France to draw on.
Volcage, a sport designed to be played anywhere and by everyone
Alongside Néosport, Corentin is driving an even more personal project. During the pandemic, he embarked on an unprecedented adventure and decided to create an entirely new sport. An overturned stool, a ring, a few friends in a field, and Volcage was born. Since that original version, the sport has gone through no fewer than seven iterations, resulting today in lightweight, portable equipment distributed throughout Europe and Canada.
Corentin sees Volcage as far more than a spin-off of Néosport. Ultimately, he hopes to make it an independent entity and dreams of dedicating himself fully to developing the sport in Canada, even envisioning the creation of a league and a Canadian championship.
Financing a business launch in Montréal through microcredit
Upon arriving in Montréal, Corentin wanted Néosport Canada to be financially self-sufficient, without depending on the French subsidiary. But like many immigrant entrepreneurs, he quickly ran into a wall. His temporary resident status closed the door to many conventional loans. That is how he discovered Microcredit Montréal, which offers financing tailored to start-up entrepreneurs, including those whose immigration status limits their access to traditional financial institutions.
The loan he received allowed him to purchase the equipment needed to launch his activities here, both for Néosport and for promoting Volcage in schools and at events. “It allowed me to buy equipment and get started here without being 100% dependent on France.” Beyond the financing, Microcredit Montréal also connected him with specialized volunteer coaches who supported him in developing Volcage, particularly around distribution, pricing, and marketing strategy.
Corentin also benefited from additional support by joining the Mont X incubator, located in Mont-Tremblant, dedicated entirely to businesses in sport, outdoor recreation, and wellness. Together, these two resources gave him the tools and connections needed to build a solid foundation and support the growth of his business in Montréal and beyond.
Entrepreneurial projects that cross borders
Today, Néosport Canada is developing partnerships with schools and businesses, including Montréal International, and is working with the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) to integrate its sports into after-school programming.
His vision for the future is clear and structured in two stages. First, consolidate Néosport Canada with a small team, modelled after the one he built in France. Then, launch Volcage as an independent entity with its own structure.
For Corentin, Montréal is not just a new city to start over in. It is the ideal ground for growing two complementary projects that share the same conviction: that sport, when it is innovative and accessible, has the power to bring people together.
Microcredit Montréal supports entrepreneurs who are excluded from traditional financing through loans and personalized guidance. As in the case of Néosport Canada, this support makes it possible to bring projects to life, structure growth, and strengthen local economic impact.
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Néosport
neosport.org | contact@neosport.org | Facebook | Instagram
Volcage
volcage.com | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok