Michael D’hulst is a man on a mission. Driven by a passion for triathlon, the Belgian entrepreneur and former Ironman World Championship athlete, is currently seeking funding to take his Supertri business to the next level.
After helping Volkswagen set up a new plant in China, D’hulst turned his entrepreneurial skills to his love of Triathlon.
Along with business partner and four-times Triathlon World Champion Chris McCormack and Russian Tech Investor Leonid Boguslavsky, D’hulst founded Supertri in 2016, with an ambition to transform Triathlon from a traditional, participant-led sport, into a dynamic spectator experience, delivering innovative race formats in a “made for TV and digital package”, creating fandom with incredible destinations and corporate partners.
Now, after delivering award-winning events and record-breaking view numbers, both the USA Olympic Triathlon team and Great Britain’s famous triathlete Brownlee brothers are on board, alongside global broadcasting giant HBO, as Supertri powers towards the Olympic Games of 2028 in Los Angeles.
Michael on the origins of Supertri:
“We all have an authentic passion for triathlon but we are all entrepreneurs too and we looked critically at the sport, and said – this is a great sport, it has some great success, but what do we need to do to make it better and what do we need to do to build a future for the sport and to focus on the modern audience?
“We took a hard look at the formats and re-created them to be more in tune with “Generation Z”, the Tik-Tok generation, so we deliver sport to them that generates key moments.”
Michael on the transition to new formats:
“We are now expanding from being a rights holder into being a community and that is because of our formats. We are racing on very compact courses that are very technical and create lots of tactical racing. Mistakes happen, the athletes are under a lot of pressure, it is a completely different way of how Triathlon has been delivered as a media proposition.
“We have seen the success of that with our growth in media on digital, but also on-site, which I think is important. People come and watch and are really inspired and that is very fundamental to what we are doing.
“We are doing this to inspire people and that ultimately drives fandom and drives participation. We are building a future-proofed business that is not relying on media rights only.”
Michael on the American Dream:
“Supertri League is the first professional franchise league in Triathlon. We started selling team franchises and we partnered up with the Brownlee brothers, so they own a team and use it to recruit future talent for Great Britain. Meanwhile ‘Stars and Stripes’, the American team, is formed by a project called “Project Podium” which has the aspiration to develop athletes to put on the podium at LA 2028. It’s recognition that our format, our style of racing, is one that builds talent and the US team see value in it.
“For us, LA 2028 is a big milestone because it is something that will help us develop in the American market. We have started already but we are putting a lot of effort in the next two years into making Triathlon cool again in America.
“Triathlon has a lot of heritage in America, Ironman is a big brand, but we want to revive short-course triathlon. We see a lot of trends, with 20-to-30 year-olds interested in participation, but there is no brand that they can associate with. So we believe that the pull of LA2028, really presents an opportunity for us to establish short course endurance in America and develop ourselves as a brand.”