Blue Factory

Name

Blue Factory

Legal name

Blue Factory ESCP

Website

https://blue-factory.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Incubation and Acceleration

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSANAHAC

Corporate Venture Studios & Incubators (Build/launch ventures)

Financial & Insurance/Private Equity & Venture Capital/Corporate Venture Capital (CVC)

SECONDARYFSANAHAD

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs

Financial & Insurance/Private Equity & Venture Capital/Corporate Venture Capital (CVC)

SECONDARYEDAHAEAH

Technical Universities with Entrepreneurship & Incubation Focus

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Technical & Polytechnic Universities

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship incubator programs
• Startup acceleration services
• Business school incubator
• Founder mentorship programs
• Student startup support

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Incubator Programs: Blue Factory operates as a non-profit incubator funded by ESCP Business School and institutional partners. Programs are subsidized to make them accessible to entrepreneurs. SEED Paris charges monthly fees (€250-600) for workspace and support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Blue Factory ESCP is the entrepreneurship incubator and accelerator of ESCP Business School, running a four-stage founder journey—START (idea validation), LAUNCH (MVP building), SEED (early-stage acceleration), and SCALE (mature founder community)—alongside coworking spaces, mentorship from 100+ experts, competitions, and partner incubation/funding schemes. It serves ESCP students, alumni, and partner institution founders across five European campuses in Paris, Madrid, Berlin, London, and Turin, with online and in-person delivery.

Product overview

Blue Factory ESCP is an entrepreneurship incubator and accelerator operated by ESCP Business School and the Jean-Baptiste Say Institute. It offers a structured portfolio of support programmes catering to different stages of the entrepreneurial journey: START (problem validation and proof of concept), LAUNCH (solution validation with first users), SEED (market entry and growth acceleration), and SCALE (community for experienced entrepreneurs). The organization also delivers specialized programmes including Entrepreneurial Experience Validation for academic credit, From 0 to Startup (IT) for the Turin campus, and funding opportunities such as Innov'Up Incubation, EXIST-Grant Berlin, and EXIST-Women. Additional offerings include competitions (Innovation Prize, Coup de Pouce), ESCP Founders Summer Lab immersive events, the Blue Lucky Letter newsletter, and the 300 Entrepreneurs Directory. The platform operates across five European campuses (Paris, Madrid, Berlin, London, Turin) and provides both online and in-person support in hybrid formats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• START Programme Free entry-level incubator program for ESCP students, alumni, and partner institution founders at the idea-validation stage. Provides structure, expert workshops, online sessions, and access to a community of 300+ entrepreneurs to move from an idea to first customer discovery.
• LAUNCH Programme Free program that helps ESCP students, alumni, and partner institution founders go from a validated idea to a launched MVP and first customers, with continued access to workshops, mentorship, and the entrepreneur community.
• SEED Programme Paid early-stage acceleration program for founders who have validated their idea and need to scale. Includes access to 100+ mentors and experts, coworking spaces across ESCP's five European campuses, and a 300+ entrepreneur community. Priced via tiered monthly subscriptions at €250/month and €600/month.
• SCALE Community Community offering for experienced entrepreneurs whose project is already validated on the market. Provides continued access to the Blue Factory ESCP founder community and support resources for mature ventures.
• Innov'Up Incubation Partner-operated incubation track for selected startup projects, delivered in conjunction with institutional co-funders and channeled through Blue Factory ESCP's incubator operations.
• EXIST-Women Incubation and grant-support scheme for women entrepreneurs, operated in partnership with regional/public funders and delivered through Blue Factory ESCP.
• EXIST-Grant Berlin Berlin-focused grant and incubation scheme for founders, delivered in partnership with public/regional funders and routed through Blue Factory ESCP's Berlin campus operations.
• ESCP Founders Summer Lab Summer-format entrepreneurship program/lab associated with Blue Factory ESCP, supporting ESCP-affiliated founders during the summer period.
• Coup de Pouce Competition

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ESCP Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlue Factory is powered by ESCP Business School, the world's first business school established in 1819. ESCP provides institutional backing, funding, campus facilities, and access to the broader ESCP alumni network.
• Institut Jean-Baptiste SaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution providing entrepreneurial ecosystem support and resources for Blue Factory programs.
• La Boussole des EntrepreneurscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network uniting 80+ incubators and accelerators in France, established since 2018. Blue Factory participates in developing the ecosystem and evolving support practices.
• Malakoff HumanisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom partnerships developed on a case-by-case basis, such as with Malakoff Humanis.
• HEC MontréalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution allowing students and graduates to access Blue Factory programs.
• SorbonneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution allowing students and graduates to access Blue Factory programs.
• Tsinghua UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution allowing students and graduates to access Blue Factory programs.
• Honoris United UniversitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution allowing students and graduates to access Blue Factory programs.
• Turin Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting the From 0 to Startup (IT) program in Turin.
• AGORA Student AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the Innovation Prize competition for ESCP student and alumni projects.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Station F: World's largest startup campus based in Paris, hosting dozens of partner programs including university-affiliated incubators. Comparable as a European startup support ecosystem with multiple program tracks, though much larger in scale and not affiliated with a single business school.
• Founder Institute: Global pre-seed accelerator operating across 100+ cities with structured multi-stage programs and equity participation. Comparable in multi-stage founder funnel design, though operates independently rather than as a university affiliate.

Direct peers

• Imperial College Enterprise Lab: Imperial College London's dedicated entrepreneurship lab offering programs, funding, and workspace to student/alumni founders. Comparable as a top-tier European university entrepreneurship support programme targeting affiliated founders.
• Schoolab: Paris-headquartered startup studio and incubator running multi-stage programs (intrapereneuship, incubation, acceleration) across France and internationally. Comparable as a French-based multi-stage startup support platform with similar startup journey design.
• HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute: Leading French business school's entrepreneurship hub offering incubation, acceleration, and funding programs (e.g., HEC Challenge+, HEC Launch). Directly comparable to Blue Factory ESCP in mission (student/alumni startup support), program structure, and academic affiliation.
• Cambridge Judge Business School Entrepreneurship Centre: Cambridge Judge's entrepreneurship centre runs the Accelerate Cambridge programme and other startup support initiatives for students, alumni, and the wider ecosystem. Directly comparable to Blue Factory in European business school-affiliated incubation model.
• INSEAD Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centre: Top global business school's entrepreneurship center running startup support programs, competitions, and alumni mentorship. Directly comparable to Blue Factory in business-school-affiliated entrepreneurship support at an international scale.
• NUMA Paris: Paris-based incubator and accelerator offering multi-stage programs (acceleration, corporate innovation, scale-up) with a European footprint. Comparable in program structure and European focus, though less tethered to a single university.

Regional players

• Tsinghua x-lab: Tsinghua University's entrepreneurship platform supporting student/alumni founders through programs, mentorship, and funding access. Blue Factory lists Tsinghua as a partner institution; comparable as a leading university-affiliated entrepreneurship platform outside Western Europe.
• Polytechnique Montréal - Maison de l'entrepreneuriat: Canadian university-affiliated entrepreneurship hub supporting student founders via incubators, mentorship, and competitions. Blue Factory's listed partner institution HEC Montréal has parallel programming; comparable in academic-affiliated incubation model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BlueFactory_
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8g1VHINKB6454z7CARmNzw
• Facebookfacebook.com/bluefactoryescp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bluefactoryescp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Blue Factory