{"id":24817,"date":"2025-10-11T11:28:45","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T09:28:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.investincotedazur.com\/?p=24817"},"modified":"2025-10-11T09:45:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T07:45:44","slug":"etienne-boulay-nice-cote-dazur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.investincotedazur.com\/en\/etienne-boulay-nice-cote-dazur\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00c9tienne Boulay: a Quebec entrepreneur committed to the economic development of Nice C\u00f4te d\u2019Azur"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A former professional Canadian football player, \u00c9tienne Boulay now leads several impact-driven brands in the fields of sports, health, and sustainable consumption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After investing, with his partners, in Nice\u2019s professional hockey team, the Aigles de Nice<\/a>, he aims to develop a multisector strategy in the Nice C\u00f4te d\u2019Azur region \u2014 combining investment in professional sports, commercial expansion, and local collaboration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drawn by the city\u2019s dynamism, its commitment to well-being, and the perspective of the 2030 Winter Olympics<\/a>, he relies on a growing network of partners, including Team Nice C\u00f4te d\u2019Azur, to build a sustainable ecosystem between France and Canada.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

You were a professional athlete, and today you are an entrepreneur, investor, and mentor. What is the common thread? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u00c9tienne Boulay: <\/strong>That thread is probably resilience \u2014 and, above all, the desire to turn challenges into opportunities. I had a great sports career, with three Grey Cups and time in the NFL, but I also faced a tough transition afterward. The sudden stop, the lack of structure, the excesses \u2014 it was a brutal shift. I had to rebuild myself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I learned on the field \u2014 discipline, solidarity, endurance \u2014 I now apply to my projects. Entrepreneurship became a way to channel that energy. Today, I design and develop products I\u2019d want to use myself, I partner with people I respect, and I always look for purpose in what I do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sport remains central in your journey. Why did you choose Nice and hockey? <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I was really taken with this city. \u201cThere\u2019s something special about Nice,\u201d as I said from my very first days here. It\u2019s not just a tourist destination \u2014 it\u2019s a place of life, culture, and movement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I came once, then again\u2026 and now I\u2019m here for the eighth time in a year. Each visit, I discover a new side of the city. \u201cI find Nice an amazing place to live. There\u2019s a wellness mindset, a sporting spirit, and a real sense of positive energy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Together with my associate, Filipe Bastos, we saw an opportunity in the Aigles de Nice \u2014 a team with soul and potential but in need of renewal. We invested, restructured, redesigned the brand identity, and repositioned the club around local values. We\u2019re already looking toward the 2030 Winter Olympics as a strategic horizon, with plans for major new ice sports infrastructure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You\u2019ve mentioned going beyond sports investment in the region?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What I want to build in Nice is a human and entrepreneurial ecosystem \u2014 concrete, useful, and sustainable projects. I\u2019m developing several purpose-driven brands, three of which could expand into the Nice C\u00f4te d\u2019Azur region in the near future: <\/p>\n\n\n\n