What France Digitale does

France Digitale is a Paris-based non-profit association (association loi 1901), founded in 2012, that operates as the largest membership association for startups, scale-ups, and venture capital investors in France and Europe. The organization is governed by a member-elected board composed equally of entrepreneurs and investors, with Co-Presidents Benoist Grossmann (Eurazeo) and Frédéric Mazzella (BlaBlaCar), and is operationally led by CEO Maya Noël.

Its core offering is organized into four membership collectives: Collectif Startup (seed/early-stage founders, up to 20 employees, €500/year), Collectif Scale-up (C-level executives of growth-stage companies, €2,500/year), Collectif Investisseur (VC, PE, family offices, CVC, and business angels, €500–€2,500/year), and La Boussole (incubators, accelerators, and startup studios, €500–€2,000/year). Members access a proprietary portal called Super FD that delivers news, regulatory updates, business resources, and an AI chatbot assistant. The association also produces an annual research publication, the Baromètre France Digitale / EY, and runs themed working groups, including Groupe Santé for HealthTech.

Revenue is generated through recurring annual membership subscriptions and corporate sponsorship from Premium VC and corporate partners (Bpifrance, Eurazeo, Dassault Systèmes, Crédit Mutuel Arkéa, among others). Distribution is event-driven and community-led: the association operates the flagship FDDay conference (4,000+ attendees), the regional FDTour across seven French cities, AI Day, and themed C-Days, and conducts public affairs advocacy at the French and European level on issues including the EU 28th Regime, EU Inc., and the Digital Omnibus on AI. France Digitale does not build or sell technology products beyond its member portal, and its moat rests on community scale, institutional board alignment, and direct policy access rather than proprietary technology.

Name

France Digitale

Legal name

France Digitale

Website

https://francedigitale.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

France Digitale is a Paris-based non-profit association founded in 2012 that unites 2,000+ startups, scale-ups, and venture capital investors across Europe, delivering tiered annual memberships, flagship events such as FDDay and AI Day, and policy advocacy at French and EU levels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: France Digitale generates revenue through annual membership fees from four distinct collectives: Startup Collective (€500/year), Scale-up Collective (€2,500/year), Investor Collective (€2,500/year), and La Boussole for incubators/accelerators (€2,000/year). The association also receives support from corporate partners and sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

France Digitale is a membership-based industry association that operates four collectives (Startup, Scale-up, Investor, La Boussole for incubators) offering annual paid memberships ranging from €500 to €2,500. The association delivers value through flagship events (FDDay, AI Day, FDTour, C-Days), policy advocacy at French and European levels, a member portal (Super FD), research publications, and working groups including a dedicated HealthTech focus.

Product overview

France Digitale is a membership-based association (loi 1901) offering a portfolio of services organized into four collectives: Collectif Startup for early-stage founders (up to 20 employees), Collectif Scale-up for C-level executives of scaling companies, Collectif Investisseur for VC and angel investors, and La Boussole par FD for incubators and accelerators. The organization operates a member portal called Super FD, hosts major events including FDDay (4,000+ attendees), FDTour (7 regional stops annually), AI Day, and C-Days (themed professional events), and publishes research including the annual Baromètre with EY. A dedicated Groupe Santé focuses on HealthTech innovation. Revenue comes from membership fees ranging from €500/year (Startup) to €2,500/year (Scale-up/Investor).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Collectif Startup: Program for startup founders in seed/early stage, with over 1,200 members
• Collectif Scale-up
• Collectif Investisseur
• La Boussole par FD
• Super FD
• FDDay
• FDTour
• AI Day

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EYcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEY partners with France Digitale on the annual Barometer study measuring the economic and social performance of French innovation ecosystems. This joint research initiative provides data-driven insights for policy advocacy and member value.
• BusinessEuropecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFrance Digitale and BusinessEurope are jointly advocating for the EU's 28th Regime proposal to become available to all companies, not just startups, representing a coordinated lobbying effort on EU competitiveness policy.
• La French TechminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEcosystem partner collaborating on French tech ecosystem initiatives and visibility.
• Station FminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEcosystem partner - the world's largest startup campus in Paris collaborates on events and startup support initiatives.
• VivaTechminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEcosystem partner for France's premier tech conference, collaborating on visibility and startup ecosystem development.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• La French Tech: France Digitale and La French Tech are both ecosystem organizations supporting French startups, with FD being a private member association and La French Tech a public-government-backed mission. They co-host events (VivaTech) and collaborate on ecosystem visibility, making La French Tech a partner/adjacent rather than direct competitor.
• BusinessEurope: Largest pan-European employers' federation. France Digitale already partners with BusinessEurope on the EU 28th Regime, but BusinessEurope is an adjacent actor representing broader corporate interests—useful ally but with overlapping advocacy ambitions.
• Station F: World's largest startup campus in Paris and a France Digitale ecosystem partner. Adjacent rather than competing—Station F provides physical infrastructure and programs; France Digitale provides community, advocacy, and events.
• VivaTech: Europe's flagship startup and tech conference organized by Publicis and Les Echos. Co-markets with France Digitale but operates at a different scale and commercial model (large ticketed conference vs. membership association); ecosystem partner rather than direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Bundesverband Deutsche Startups: Germany's national startup and digital association, lobbying Berlin and Brussels on behalf of German founders and investors. Closest functional mirror to France Digitale in a different national market, with the same playbook: membership tiers, policy advocacy, networking events.
• Startup Coalition (formerly Coadec): UK's leading policy advocacy group for startups and scale-ups, lobbying Whitehall and Brussels. Closest UK analog to France Digitale's advocacy-first membership model, with overlapping events and working groups serving founders and investors.
• European Startup Network: Pan-European alliance of national startup associations, including France Digitale, focused on EU-level startup policy. Operates at the layer above national associations but competes for the same limited pool of European tech policy influence and corporate sponsorships.

Broad incumbents

• Digital Europe: Brussels-based trade association representing the wider European digital technology industry (larger incumbents plus digital players). Competes with France Digitale for influence on EU tech legislation and for corporate member dues, but represents a broader and more established industry constituency.

Regional players

• TechCrunch / TechCrunch Disrupt: US-anchored media and event brand with European Disrupt editions. Competes for the attention of the same founder/investor audience that France Digitale serves with FDDay and FDTour, but operates transatlantically rather than as a national association.
• Slush: Helsinki-based flagship startup event and ecosystem organization. Comparable to France Digitale in mission (founder/investor gathering, advocacy for European tech) but Nordic-anchored rather than Franco-European; useful reference point for event-led ecosystem building.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/france-digitale
• Xx.com/FRdigitale
• Facebookfacebook.com/FranceDigitale

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles30 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 France Digitale