MyRaceBox Launches Sports Event Gift Voucher in Lyon, Revolutionizing Sports Gifting
Lyon, September 6, 2026 – A new chapter in sports gifting has begun in France with the official launch of MyRaceBox, an innovative digital platform for sports event gift vouchers. The Lyon-based startup aims to simplify and popularize participation in sporting competitions by offering a flexible solution for gifting race entries.
The concept centers around a dematerialized gift voucher, allowing the recipient to freely choose their race from a catalog of thousands of partner events. This initiative addresses a common frustration among sports enthusiasts, as explained by founder Julien Hervé, a passionate runner.
“The idea was born from a personal frustration shared by many athletes: how to offer participation in a race, marathon, or triathlon without imposing the date, place, or distance? MyRaceBox provides this much-anticipated flexibility for practitioners and their loved ones,” Hervé stated.
A Booming Market for Millions of Participants
MyRaceBox enters a highly dynamic market. Amateur sports, particularly running, trail running, and cycling, have seen continuous growth for over a decade. The French mass-market sports event sector is valued at several hundred million euros annually, driven by millions of regular runners and cyclists. Concurrently, the experience gift sector is gaining ground over material goods, with consumers increasingly prioritizing memorable experiences and personal challenges.
MyRaceBox positions itself at the intersection of these two major trends, offering a turnkey solution that meets both the desire for athletic achievement and the search for an original, personalized gift. The startup aims to capture a share of this market by streamlining a previously complex purchasing process.
Flexibility and Simplicity at the Core of the Experience
The platform’s operation is designed to be intuitive. The buyer selects a value for their digital gift voucher. The recipient instantly receives a unique code, which they can then use on the MyRaceBox website to register for the event of their choice. The extensive catalog covers the entire French territory and a wide range of disciplines, from local 10k races to the prestigious Paris Marathon, mountain trails, and renowned cyclosportives.
If the race entry fee exceeds the voucher amount, the user can pay the difference via credit card. Technologically, the platform relies on a robust API that directly interfaces with event organizers’ registration systems, ensuring real-time booking.
This approach also offers a new showcase for event organizers. By integrating into the MyRaceBox catalog, they gain increased visibility and a new channel for participant acquisition. The startup generates revenue through a commission on transactions, a proven business model in the digital platform ecosystem.
Corporate Well-being as a Strategic Lever
Beyond the business-to-consumer (B2C) market, MyRaceBox is also targeting the business-to-business (B2B) sector. The platform offers tailor-made solutions for works councils (CSEs), quality of life at work (QVT) programs, and sales team incentive operations.
“We are convinced of the potential in the corporate market. Sport is a powerful vector for well-being, resilience, and cohesion. Offering a race bib means offering a strong experience, much more memorable and engaging than a traditional material gift,” emphasized Julien Hervé.
Supported by an initial funding round from Lyon’s tech investors, the team of about ten people aims to become the benchmark for sports gifting in France before considering, within two years, expansion into neighboring European markets, where enthusiasm for amateur sports is equally strong.
Source: Presse Agence (written from a press release sent to the editorial office).
