A fruit of Nantes' digital ecosystem
At the end of 2013, Patrick Piveteau and Clément Douet met at the Cantine Numérique, a place of exchange for the Nantes digital community. The two partners created Hey Captain, a boat rental platform on the Internet. During the exchanges with the other entrepreneurs of the Cantine Numérique, they meet other project leaders. Some deal with geolocation, others with boat rental and sharing platforms or boat maintenance assistance. All of them have in common boating and digital technology. An informal grouping was born, made of exchanges and meetings.
In 2016, an association under the law of 1901 was created and named We are NINA for Nautisme Innovation Numérique Atlantique. It now includes 15 companies.
Federate the actors of digital boating
We are NINA aims to federate the actors of digital innovation in the nautical ecosystem. The association brings together companies that were off the radar of traditional representative organizations and offers them places to exchange. "Even if we are in the digital business, it's easier to meet each other", says Patrick Piveteau, president of We are NINA. Based in Nantes, the association, which has local roots, has set itself a national federating role.
Supporting business creation
Even if it does not provide financial assistance, the association intends to provide support to the creators of innovative nautical companies. The local authorities have identified it and direct project leaders to We are NINA The wealth we offer is the competence of our members," explains Patrick Piveteau.
Bridging the gap between industries and start-ups
If digital technology has invaded boating services, it is still in its infancy among the heavyweights of the boating industry. We are NINA's objective is to be a bridge between innovative start-ups in the sector and the major players in the boating industry.
Structuring in progress
In a growth phase, the association is in a transitional phase. The voluntary work reaching its limits, the recruitment of a permanent staff should be carried out. It will allow to set up more ambitious projects, such as the organization in the long term of a big federative event of the digital nautical world.
