Annecy, France
Student consultants developed an aggressive U.S. market-entry and brand-localization strategy for Freecovery, a French sports technology company pioneering patented, professional-grade "click and freeze" cryotherapy. Fresh off a successful debut at the CES Trade Show in Las Vegas, teams built a comprehensive commercial framework to introduce the brand's unique 15-minute uniform cold-delivery technology to the booming U.S. pickleball market, university sports franchises, and premium athletic clubs. The strategy focuses on driving immediate domestic adoption through an upcoming Kickstarter campaign designed to gather crucial consumer data and build an engaged, baseline community of dedicated "Freecovery Athletes."
The resulting deliverables provide a highly scalable, subscription-driven business model engineered to disrupt the premium fitness recovery landscape. Consultants structured a clear distribution and pricing matrix for the $150 machine and its recurring $15 cryo-cans, deploying them via direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce alongside innovative B2B2C vending machines placed directly inside gyms and pickleball clubs. Backed by localized focus group methodologies, compliance frameworks for regulatory claims, and practitioner validation tactics, this actionable roadmap seamlessly equips Freecovery to transition its manufacturing and scale recurring revenue across the United States.
I am so glad I had the opportunity to be a part of SIBC this semester! it was my first real taste of what working in the business world is like and I loved it! Working with Freecovery and collaborating with my team was great and so engaging! A lot of the work I did was related to Freecovery’s competition in the market and it was an area of the process of creating a product I hadn’t ever really explored, so I learned a lot about how to compare different brands and what consumers value! My teammates work also exposed me to so many other parts of creating and maintaining a business and I’m so grateful for everything I learned and for the opportunity to travel to meet Freecovery and bring all of our work together! Thank you so much Freecovery, Greg Potenziani, and the M and T foundation for this great opportunity!
-Terese Bleuher
SIBC has become one of the most impactful experiences during my time at USD and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work on the Freecovery project. After a semester of work, it was rewarding to see the project come together into a cohesive understanding of the market and to present our findings to company executives. The project involved a large scope of work, developing a market entry strategy into the U.S while considering the product, pricing, distribution, and promotion. It took dedication and collaboration to successfully bring all of the pieces together. One of the most valuable aspects of the experience was the opportunity to engage with company experts throughout the process, providing insights that cannot be replicated in a classroom setting. In addition, traveling to France gave me the chance to engage in a cross cultural experience and gain a broader international perspective A highlight of the experience was getting the opportunity to tour the production plant where the Freepad product is manufactured. This trip gave me great exposure to real-world business practices, collaboration, and understanding new industries. As an International Business major, I look forward to more incredible opportunities like this and applying the knowledge I learned in SIBC to future academic and professional endeavors.
-Emily Dohrman
