Alcuin

What Alcuin does

Alcuin Software SAS is a French SaaS software publisher headquartered in Beaucouzé (Angers Technopole) that develops web-based ERP platforms for training management and talent management. Founded in 2013 following the acquisition of OpenPortal Software's assets from judicial reorganization, the company sells to three primary vertical segments: enterprise HR departments seeking integrated talent, training, and skills management (including BDES compliance); training organizations (organismes de formation, corporate universities) requiring catalog, scheduling, certification, and billing workflows aligned with Qualiopi standards; and higher education institutions including engineering, business, arts, and public service schools managing students, curricula, grades, internships, and financial tracking. The product portfolio comprises three core solutions (Alcuin RH, Formation Center, Higher Education) supported by modules including BDES, self-service portals, GPEC skills management, professional interview management, and HR dashboard/reporting. All solutions are delivered as a web-based SaaS platform compliant with RGPD/GDPR.

The company's commercial model is subscription-based SaaS with annual billing cycles, distributed through a consultative direct sales motion requiring personalized demonstrations and quote-based pricing. GTM is sales-led, supplemented by content marketing (ebooks, whitepapers, practical guides on Qualiopi and training reform), webinars, and active presence on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. The customer base spans 'several hundred' organizations across France, including Schneider Electric, ERAMET, OMNES Education, Toulouse Business School, Télécom Ecole de Management and Télécom SudParis, and the Ville de Paris Cours Municipaux pour Adultes. Alcuin is privately held and has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dutch software conglomerate Total Specific Solutions (TSS) since December 2020, the eighth French company in TSS's portfolio, with the parent operating under a buy-and-build-for-life strategy. Headcount stands at 101-250 employees, and the company reinvests approximately 30% of revenue in R&D focused on modular platform development.

Name

Alcuin

Legal name

Alcuin Software SAS

Website

https://alcuin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Alcuin Software SAS is a French SaaS publisher of ERP platforms for training management, talent/HR, and higher education, serving several hundred enterprise and institutional customers in France. Founded in 2013 and acquired by Dutch conglomerate Total Specific Solutions in 2020.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Beaucouzé

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SaaS Software Subscriptions: Alcuin generates revenue through subscription-based SaaS software licenses. The company offers software solutions for training management, talent management, and HR, deployed as web-based applications. Multiple product tiers serve different market segments including enterprises, training centers, and higher education institutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Alcuin develops and sells SaaS-based software solutions for training management, talent management, and HR, structured as three vertical offerings: Alcuin RH for enterprise HR and talent, Formation Center Software for training organizations, and Higher Education Software for schools and universities. The platform is web-based, compliant with RGPD, and includes modules for skills management (GPEC), BDES regulatory reporting, self-service portals, and professional interview management, sold via subscription with annual billing.

Product overview

Alcuin is a software publisher offering a comprehensive SaaS-based ERP platform for managing training, talents, and human resources. The product portfolio consists of three core solutions targeting different market segments: (1) HR Software for enterprises covering talent management, training management, recruitment, mobility, and professional risks; (2) Training Center Software for training organizations including catalog management, scheduling, instructor management, certification, and financial tracking; and (3) Higher Education Software for schools and universities managing students, curricula, grades, and administrative processes. These are complemented by specialized modules including the BDES (Economic and Social Database), self-service portals for employees and students, HR dashboard/reporting tools, GPEC skills management, and professional interview management. All solutions are positioned as web-based SaaS offerings with a focus on training and competency development throughout professional life cycles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alcuin BDES: Base de Données Économiques et Sociales solution for enterprises

Products and services

• Alcuin RH Software (Logiciel RH) Comprehensive HR management software for enterprises covering talent management, training management, recruitment, mobility, professional risk management, and GPEC (skills management). Serves HR departments seeking to optimize team performance and manage the complete employee lifecycle.
• Formation Center Software (Logiciel Centre de Formation) ERP platform for training organizations (organismes de formation) covering training offer management, scheduling, instructor management, administrative management, alternation, certifications, financial tracking, and performance monitoring. Targets professional training organizations and corporate universities.
• Higher Education Software (Logiciel Enseignement Supérieur) Software solution for higher education institutions including engineering schools, business schools, arts and media schools, social and health schools, and public service schools. Covers training offers, scheduling, students, grades and diplomas, instructors, internships, financial tracking, and performance monitoring.
• BDES (Base de Données Économiques et Sociales) Economic and Social Database solution providing a shared database for economic and social information as required by French labor regulations. Sold under the Alcuin BDES sub-brand and links with HR and training management modules.

Quantifiable outcome

• Several hundred customers served daily focusing on training and skills development
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and acquisition.

• AudenciaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2019Alcuin partnered with Audencia Business School to deliver an innovative management training program for its managerial team. The partnership provides a Master 2 'Diriger un centre de profit' (Managing a Profit Center) program, combining 20% e-learning with 80% in-person training over 15 months, demonstrating Alcuin's commitment to internal talent development.
• OpenPortal SoftwareacquisitionOthers · 5 November 2013Alcuin acquired the assets of OpenPortal Software in November 2013 after the company entered judicial receivership. The acquisition brought high-level expertise in training and talent management software, along with an installed customer portfolio. Technical, service, and sales teams were integrated into Alcuin, forming the basis for a new growth strategy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CrossKnowledge (Wiley): European (French-heritage) digital learning and corporate L&D platform — comparable to Alcuin's enterprise training and skills-development offerings at the upper end of the market.
• Cornerstone OnDemand: Global talent management / learning suite with overlapping HR, learning, and talent-development functionality; acquired Talentsoft to address the French market directly.
• Skillsoft: Global corporate learning and talent development provider; competes with Alcuin's enterprise training and skills-management offering through content-plus-platform delivery.
• Docebo: Global AI-powered learning platform serving enterprise and training-provider segments — a comparable corporate training-software category to Alcuin's Formation Center and enterprise training modules.
• Workday HCM: Cloud HCM and talent management platform competing with Alcuin's enterprise HR modules, especially in large multinational accounts.
• SAP SuccessFactors: Enterprise HCM/talent suite from SAP; competes with Alcuin's Logiciel RH in large multinational enterprises that require a global HCM backbone.

Emerging players

• 360Learning: French-founded collaborative learning platform for corporate L&D — overlapping with Alcuin's enterprise training-management use cases, particularly around course/program management, though differentiated by its collaborative-authoring model.

Direct peers

• Talentsoft (Cornerstone): Originally a French HR and talent management SaaS now owned by Cornerstone, with directly overlapping modules (training, GPEC, HR core, reviews) and a shared French enterprise customer base.
• Dendreo: French SaaS platform for training organizations covering catalog, planning, registrations, billing, and Qualiopi compliance — the most direct domestic head-to-head competitor to Alcuin's Formation Center ERP.
• Y-paréo: French training and apprenticeship management software widely used by training centers and CFA in France, with overlapping catalog, scheduling, and certification functionality to Alcuin's Formation Center product.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AlcuinSoft
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFIjr1wUu8a-rhAB3roSw4A
• Facebookfacebook.com/alcuinsoft
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/showcase/alcuin-bdese

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Alcuin