09 July 2020

Two students from La Salle-URL create a marketplace for the trade of polo ponies

Equineed, which will be presented on July 17, is a project that has been developed within the framework of the Degree in Digital Business

Estel Castellà and Caesar Crasemann are the founders of Equineed, a revolutionary platform in the equestrian sector that wants to serve as a marketplace for the sale of polo ponies around the world. The initiative has originated within the framework of the Degree in Digital Business at La Salle Campus Barcelona-URL that the managers of the platform take. Through its website, Equineed allows you to sell, buy, discover and meet polo ponies from anywhere in the world. The platform, which will be presented on July 17th at 3 pm via Zoom, aims to become a meeting point for polo lovers and the entire equestrian sector. "Our mission is to connect members of the polo community to increase their productivity and their success", explain the creators of the marketplace.

The process to be able to sell or buy horses in Equineed is very simple. "We only need a couple of photos of the horse, a brief description and some details such as height and location," says Estel Castellà. Equineed is completely free. "There are no commissions of any kind, we only provide the seller's contact to the buyer", says Caesar Crasemann. The project is working with polo ponies to sell, rent and also for breeding activities. "Additionally, we offer a space where people can find services such as referees, veterinarians or transportation, among others," explains Castellà. There are other horse marketplaces on the market, but Equineed is the first to specialize in polo ponies.

On the other hand, Equineed stands out for being a scalable business model and it is based on the possibility of offering added value services to horse owners on the same portal in the near future. "Hence its revolutionary character compared to other portals that exist in the market. On the one hand, due to the fact of specializing in polo; and on the other hand, because it is an innovative business model that is very much in line with current times", explain its two creators. Horses from countries such as Germany, Brazil, Argentina and Spain, among others, can already be found on the portal.

The website that serves as a platform for the project, like the rest of the initiative, has been entirely designed and conceptualized by the two founders and managers of Equineed. Both are also experts in the equine sector and, despite their youth, already have experience as entrepreneurs in different projects. "When I was 16 years old I founded an eCommerce, and now I am working as a marketing manager of a startup", explains Estel Castellà, 19 years old. Caesar Crasemann, 22, says he is passionate about horses: "I have been riding since I was 8 years old, and I have been a professional polo player for some time now".

"Being an entrepreneur is not easy, developing and managing a commercial company while studying is a complex and truly worthwhile task," explains Paul Fox, academic coordinator of the Degree in Digital Business at La Salle-URL. Along the same lines, Monserrat Peñarroya, program director of the same studies, believes that the Degree has helped Castellà and Crasemann to conceptualize their entrepreneurship: “They have managed to develop a project by putting into practice a business mentality and using the skills learned during the degree".