The journey with Ophena began in 2017. According to an article in Breakit, the founders Anton Fast and Simon Geldner entered the equestrian sport during their studies at Chalmers, with the goal of developing a safer product that reduces the risk of accidents in equestrian sports. The result was a magnetic safety stirrup with an open side that reduces the risk of the rider getting stuck in a fall.
The company was started with 10,000 kronor on the account and is run from its headquarters in Gothenburg. Over the years, the range has grown with products such as insoles, saddle pads and clothing, and the equipment is now used by more than 20,000 riders worldwide.
Now, the Danish actor Trolle Company is taking over the company.
According to information on the site, the new owner has 20 years of experience in distributing brands within equestrian sports. The purchase price is currently confidential.
For us, it was never really about finding a buyer, but about finding the right owner. It felt like a natural match from the first meeting, says CEO Anton Fast to the site.
Supply Chain Chaos and Reduced Turnover
Behind the sale are several years of operational challenges. The founders have, among other things, had to deal with early product complaints, doubled raw material prices during the covid pandemic, and transport problems when cargo ships got stuck in the Suez Canal and stopped the flow of goods from Asia.
The latest annual report shows that the company has had a financially challenging period.
Turnover for the financial year 2025 decreased by 19 percent to 7.1 million kronor, compared to 8.8 million kronor the year before. At the same time, operating profit deteriorated and landed on minus 1 million kronor for 2025, compared to minus 49,282 kronor in 2024.
To finance the journey, the company has raised a total of 4.4 million kronor in external capital, reports Breakit. Of this amount, 3 million kronor came from Easypark founder Patrik Mossberg. Another 1 million kronor was invested by Izettle founder Jacob de Geer after the founders presented their business idea on the TV program Draknästet.
Attention from French Fashion House
The company's business model has revolved around its own e-commerce, where sales have largely been driven by organic reach and marketing on social media.
Visibility on platforms such as Instagram and Tiktok resulted, among other things, in an employee at the French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent noticing the brand, according to Breakit. The contact led to an exclusive version of the stirrup which during the summer of 2022 was sold in Paris, Los Angeles and in the fashion house's own e-commerce.
In a post on Linkedin, CEO Anton Fast summarizes his feelings about the company's journey and now handing over to a new owner:
I am glad that we got through everything and that we now have the opportunity to see Ophena grow further with its new owner, Trolle Company, he writes.
Change of Industry – Focusing on AI for E-commerce
The change of ownership means, among other things, that Ophena will increase its focus on B2B sales and physical distribution through the new owner's network.
For the founders, this means that they are leaving equestrian sports to focus on software and B2B. The duo has already started the company Elitecart, a subscription service for e-commerce retailers.
Now I am excited about the next journey, concludes Anton Fast on Linkedin.