Virtualexpo Group

What Virtualexpo Group does

VirtualExpo Group is a privately held French company headquartered in Marseille that operates six specialized B2B online marketplaces connecting industrial buyers with manufacturers and distributors worldwide. The portfolio covers six distinct verticals: AeroExpo (aeronautics), AgriExpo (agriculture and livestock), ArchiExpo (architecture and design), DirectIndustry (industrial equipment), MedicalExpo (medical devices and technology), and NauticExpo (boating and maritime). Founded around 2000 by Corentin Thiercelin as an engineering student, the company has built a multilingual platform operating in 9 languages that aggregates 40K+ manufacturers, 1.7M distributors, and 1.1M+ product listings, attracting 9.9M monthly buyers and 11.7M monthly visits. The core technology consists of vertical-specific SEO tooling, structured product/catalog databases (441K catalogs, 127K+ videos), and a distributor-facing VirtualStore storefront product recently extended into transactional commerce via a 2022 partnership with Mirakl.

The business model is primarily subscription-recurring: manufacturers pay annual fees to exhibit products and gain SEO-driven visibility and lead generation, while distributors pay for VirtualStore storefront services, sales zone management, and quote request handling, with additional revenue from value-added marketing services (newsletter features, product highlights, targeted emails). Go-to-market combines a marketplace self-serve motion with enterprise field sales managed through account managers and sales engineers who onboard and renew key accounts. Customer evidence shows multi-year enterprise tenures across medical, industrial, maritime, and architectural segments, with named customers including Honda Electronics, Twin Disc, Clippard, Surkon Medical, Vetbot, and Sea Ray, supporting reported outcomes such as 50% export sales growth and 12% lead-to-sale conversion.

Recent strategic activity has focused on platform extension rather than core marketplace reinvestment: a 2022 Mirakl partnership enabled the DirectIndustry Shop (a transactional e-commerce layer), the DirectIndustry Shop expanded into Germany, Spain, and Italy in June 2024, a strategic alliance with Japan's Glohai was signed in December 2023, and a new rail transport vertical was added in 2025. The company remains founder-controlled, bootstrapped (no disclosed funding rounds), and operated by a 180-person multicultural team across its Marseille HQ and a Tunisia operations/SDR function.

Name

Virtualexpo Group

Legal name

VirtualExpo

Website

https://virtual-expo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

VirtualExpo Group operates six specialized B2B online marketplaces (DirectIndustry, MedicalExpo, ArchiExpo, AgriExpo, AeroExpo, NauticExpo) that connect 40K+ manufacturers and 1.7M distributors with 9.9M monthly industrial buyers across nine languages, monetizing through manufacturer subscriptions, distributor storefront fees, and value-added marketing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

B2B Online Marketplaces

NAICS

General Merchandise Retailers (455)

SIC

Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040)

akta.pro primary industry

Wholesale/B2B Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAF)

Keywords

• B2B online marketplaces
• B2B lead generation
• Industrial equipment marketplace
• Multilingual B2B platform
• Manufacturer exhibition services

Headquarters

HQ city

Marseille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Manufacturer Subscription/Marketplace Fees: Manufacturers pay to exhibit their products on the marketplaces, gaining visibility, lead generation, and international exposure. Subscription-based access to marketplace features and SEO tools.
2. Distributor Platform Services: Distributors pay for VirtualStore services and marketplace presence, receiving automated web solutions, sales zone management, and quote request handling capabilities.
3. Marketing Services: Additional services including product highlights, targeted e-mails, and other marketing services offered to manufacturers for enhanced visibility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Virtualexpo Group operates six specialized B2B online marketplaces (AeroExpo, AgriExpo, ArchiExpo, DirectIndustry, MedicalExpo, NauticExpo) where manufacturers and distributors exhibit industrial, medical, agricultural, architectural, aeronautical, and maritime products to international B2B buyers. The company also runs VirtualStore, an automated web solution for distributors to manage storefronts, sales zones, and quote requests on the marketplaces, and the DirectIndustry Shop e-commerce storefront enabled by a partnership with Mirakl.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AeroExpo B2B online marketplace for the aeronautics sector, serving buyers, production managers, maintenance managers, and consulting engineers. Connects 3K manufacturers, 34K+ products, and 320K monthly buyers.
• AgriExpo B2B online marketplace for the agriculture and livestock sector, serving crop and livestock farmers, traders, cooperatives, and agricultural/forestry professionals. Connects 3K manufacturers, 53K products, and 460K monthly buyers.
• ArchiExpo B2B online marketplace for the architecture and design sector, serving architects, interior designers, and construction companies. Connects 10K manufacturers, 369K products, and 1.5M monthly buyers.
• DirectIndustry B2B online marketplace for the industrial sector, serving buyers, production managers, maintenance managers, and consulting engineers. Connects 13K manufacturers, 422K products, and 2.7M monthly buyers; the group's flagship marketplace.
• MedicalExpo B2B online marketplace for the medical and technology sector, serving physicians, biomedical engineers, hospital purchasing professionals, and medical centers. Connects 8.5K manufacturers, 190K products, and 1.8M monthly buyers.
• NauticExpo B2B online marketplace for the boating and maritime sector, serving buyers, maritime professionals, leisure boaters, and watersports enthusiasts. Connects 4K manufacturers, 64K products, and 700K monthly buyers.
• VirtualStore Automated web solution for distributors across the six B2B verticals. Distributors can set up sales zones, receive quote requests, manage brands and product lines, and showcase products on Virtualexpo's marketplaces.
• DirectIndustry Shop E-commerce storefront within DirectIndustry, enabling distributors to create automated shops, with localized rollouts in Germany, Spain, and Italy from 2024.

Quantifiable outcome

• Surkon Medical achieved 50% export sales growth using MedicalExpo
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers57 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 31 May 2024JETRO placed its trust in VirtualExpo once again, indicating an ongoing partnership to support Japanese companies in reaching international B2B markets through VirtualExpo's marketplaces.
• GlohaistrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 December 2023A strategic alliance between VirtualExpo Group and Japanese company Glohai. The partnership focuses on expanding VirtualExpo's presence and capabilities in the Japanese market.
• MiraklcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 December 2022VirtualExpo Group partnered with Mirakl, an e-commerce solution provider, to create a new B2B approach to marketplaces. This partnership aimed to enhance the e-commerce capabilities and marketplace functionality of VirtualExpo's six B2B platforms.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Alibaba (1688.com / Alibaba.com): Global generalist B2B marketplace with massive manufacturer breadth and growing vertical depth across industrial, medical and lifestyle categories — competing for the same international buyer-supplier matching demand.
• Global Sources: Hong Kong-headquartered B2B sourcing platform focused on Asian manufacturers exporting to global buyers, overlapping heavily with VirtualExpo's lead-generation value proposition for cross-border B2B trade.
• HKTDC (Hong Kong Trade Development Council): Semi-governmental Hong Kong organization running trade fairs and a B2B sourcing marketplace, providing an alternative channel for Asian manufacturers to reach international buyers — competitive with VirtualExpo's JETRO/Glohai-led APAC push.

Direct peers

• ThomasNet: US-based B2B industrial sourcing platform connecting buyers with manufacturers and distributors, the closest analog to VirtualExpo's DirectIndustry in the North American market.
• Made-in-China: China-focused B2B marketplace specializing in connecting Chinese manufacturers with international buyers — a direct competitor for the Chinese supplier onboarding use case that drives a large share of VirtualExpo's MedicalExpo customer base.
• Europages: European B2B directory and marketplace helping SMEs find suppliers and buyers across the continent — competes with VirtualExpo in the same European geography across overlapping industrial categories.
• TradeIndia: India-based B2B marketplace connecting Indian manufacturers with global buyers, structurally similar to VirtualExpo with subscription-based manufacturer listings and multi-vertical categorization.
• Kompass: European-headquartered B2B directory and marketplace spanning multiple industrial verticals, with comparable multilingual international coverage and a subscription model targeting manufacturers and distributors.
• EC21: Korea-headquartered global B2B e-commerce marketplace with multi-vertical industrial, medical and consumer categories — a comparable international lead-generation platform for SME manufacturers.

Emerging players

• MFG.com: US-based on-demand manufacturing marketplace for custom parts and contract manufacturing — narrower than VirtualExpo but overlaps in industrial sourcing and lead-generation for manufacturers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/VirtualExpoVideos
• Facebookfacebook.com/VirtualExpo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/virtualexpo
• Instagraminstagram.com/virtualexpogroup
• Xx.com/virtualexpoinfo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Virtualexpo Group