Press Release
DeepTech Startup ARION to Revolutionize the Athletic Footwear Market: Markus Hupach Becomes CEO of ARION, Takes on Global Running Market
Eindhoven, London. January 19, 2022. ARION is off to a running start and has set its sights on the German-speaking territories as well: Markus Hupach has joined the Dutch SaaS startup ARION as CEO with immediate effect. Hupach was previously Management Director of the retailer SPORT2000 and responsible for running market leader ASICS. In his new role, Hupach will work hand in hand with founder Andrew Statham on the company’s next stage of expansion. Innovative sports tech company ATO-GEAR is aiming for nothing less than a revolution in athletic footwear with its digital product ARION: ARION is designed to help people improve their movement patterns and avoid or minimize injuries. To do this, the company relies on a vast data base and scientific findings – like no other sports brand before. By signing Markus Hupach, ATO-GEAR is clearly signaling its plans for global expansion. Hupach’s wide-ranging expertise in the running segment will help drive the company’s expansion – especially in Germany, Europe’s largest running market.
“We believe that everyone in the running industry benefits from runners understanding themselves better. Our products help create a clear understanding of people’s very individual running identities, which enables us to therefore deliver better products than any competitors in the marketplace. Markus will help us to carry our mission further and to develop our business. He will accompany us on our journey, and we are glad that he has chosen us as a team,” says Andrew Statham, founder and CEO of ARION.
“I look forward to rethinking the athletic footwear market. To do this, I am consciously stepping out of the corporate environment, because new, agile environments are needed to develop new ideas. I would like to thank the founders and shareholders of ARION for their trust, and I am confident that I will be able to profitably contribute my experience from the sporting goods industry. I am fascinated by the fact that it is possible to provide new, fact-based insights to runners and athletic footwear manufacturers. I want to help runners all over the world to wear more personalized products, ones created especially for them,” says Markus Hupach, CEO of ARION, and adds: “Sustainable design creation is becoming an urgent topic for the booming running brands, and we will be able to help achieve a winning proposition.”
Markus Hupach previously served as Managing Director of Sport2000 Europe. Before joining the retail service organization, he spent 20 years working for the Japanese sports brand ASICS, most recently as Vice President of Sales Europe, Middle East, and Africa, and played a key role in the brand’s rapid growth in Europe. The Cologne native is regarded as an expert in commercial strategies in a global market environment, as well as a digital strategist and innovator in the brand and retail business.
About ATO-GEAR:
ATO-GEAR was founded in 2015, by Andrew Statham and Jurgen van den Berg. ATO-GEAR is a sports-tech focused company that develops and markets applications that improve health and performance of runners. The company is most notably known for their smart insoles that generate data and their ability to use this data for meaningful biomechanical analysis. As of today, ATO-GEAR has secured €3,5M in funding, has offices in Eindhoven and the UK, and employs 23,4 FTE.
About the ARION ECOSYSTEM:
The ARION Ecosystem is built on their groundbreaking data intelligence and AI engine which gets stronger and smarter with every run in a pair of ARION smart insoles. Combined with research and expertise from world-renowned institutions, it is what helps ARION generate the vast knowledge and obsession with running and movement.
This new understanding of movement creates incredible opportunities for the running industry, whether you are wearing, selling, or creating running shoes and equipment. ARION believes everyone in the running industry benefits from runners having a better understanding of themselves. By extending everyone’s athletic longevity through a clearer understanding of their individual “Running Identity”.
This is why ARION has developed three innovative products that help solve problems at every level of the running industry. Introducing ARIONCOACH, ARIONHUB, and ARIONSTUDIO.
ARIONCOACH to discover your perfect run. ARIONHUB to reveal your perfect choice. ARIONSTUDIO to create your perfect shoes.
For more information: Please visit our website or have a look at our image reel.
