Reseau des Grandes Ecoles Specialisees

What Reseau des Grandes Ecoles Specialisees does

SKOLAE, legally registered as Reseau des Grandes Ecoles Specialisees, is a private French educational network founded in 1983 and headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt. The company operates 23 schools across 37 French cities, delivering higher-education degree programs primarily through the alternance (work-study) model, where students alternate between classroom instruction and paid apprenticeships at host companies. SKOLAE serves roughly 21,000 enrolled students and a total learner base of 150,000 across its programs.

The business is organized into two divisions: SKOLAE Education, which runs the higher-education schools, and SKOLAE Formation, formed through the merger of ABILWAYS and M2i, which delivers continuing professional training under brands including INEAD and ESMAC. SKOLAE partners with approximately 10,000 host companies that provide apprenticeship placements, recruit alumni, and engage on corporate training programs and the French taxe d'apprentissage. The pedagogy is centered on dual learning (academic + in-company) adapted to labor-market demand across management, IT, web, creative, and applied arts tracks.

Revenue is generated through recurring student tuition and corporate training fees, with a sales-led go-to-market executed via the physical campus network, dedicated B2B corporate relations, and digital presence (skolae.fr). No proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capability, or app-based delivery model is disclosed; the offering is fundamentally a people-and-premises educational service. The group is led by President Jonathan Azoulay and operates as a privately held, founder/management-controlled entity with one institutional capital participant (Muzinich & Co, 2022).

Name

Reseau des Grandes Ecoles Specialisees

Legal name

SKOLAE

Website

https://reseau-ges.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SKOLAE is a French private educational network operating 23 schools across 37 cities, delivering alternance-based higher-education degree programs to 21,000 students and continuing professional training via INEAD and ESMAC brands, serving 10,000 host companies for apprenticeships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulogne-billancourt

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Higher Education Tuition (Apprenticeship): SKOLAE generates revenue through tuition and training fees for its higher education programs, primarily delivered through apprenticeship (alternance) arrangements where students alternate between classroom learning and work placements with host companies. Revenue is derived from both student tuition and corporate training contracts with partner enterprises.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SKOLAE (formerly Reseau des Grandes Ecoles Specialisees) is a French higher education network operating 23 schools across 37 cities, delivering alternance (work-study/apprenticeship) degree programs to 21,000 students and 150,000 learners. It also provides corporate continuing education and professional training through its SKOLAE Formation division (formed by merging ABILWAYS and M2i, with brands INEAD and ESMAC), serving 10,000 host companies with apprenticeship placements and workforce development solutions.

Product overview

SKOLAE is a unified network of higher education and professional training institutions organized under two main divisions: SKOLAE Education operates 23 schools offering alternating vocational programs to 21,000 students and 150,000 learners, while SKOLAE Formation (created from the merger of ABILWAYS and M2i) provides professional continuing education through brands like INEAD and ESMAC. The network serves 10,000 host companies across 37 cities in France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INEAD: Professional continuing education institution operating under SKOLAE Formation
• ESMAC

Products and services

• SKOLAE Education
• SKOLAE Formation
• INEAD
• ESMAC

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• World A.I. Film FestivalminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026SKOLAE serves as Official Sponsor of the World A.I. Film Festival 2026, positioning the brand alongside innovation and technology events to build awareness among creative and tech-oriented audiences.
• ABILWAYScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABILWAYS merged with M2i to form SKOLAE Formation, creating a comprehensive professional training entity within the SKOLAE network. This strategic consolidation strengthens SKOLAE's position in continuing professional education.
• M2icoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerM2i merged with ABILWAYS to form SKOLAE Formation, expanding the network's professional training capabilities and consolidating expertise in continuing education across multiple sectors.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Coursera: Global online learning platform partnering with French institutions and employers. Adjacent competitor for continuing professional training and degree pathways that SKOLAE also targets.
• OpenClassrooms: Online apprenticeship and degree platform strong in France. Represents the digital-native alternative to SKOLAE's campus-based apprenticeship model and a key competitive threat.

Direct peers

• Galileo Global Education: Largest private higher education network in France and Europe, operating multiple schools across management, IT, design, and digital. Direct competitor to SKOLAE across the same apprenticeship and degree-based segments.
• IONIS Education Group: Private French higher education group with dozens of schools covering management, technology, and creative fields. Operates a multi-school, multi-city model comparable to SKOLAE's network structure.
• OMNES Education (formerly INSEEC U.): French private higher education network offering degree and professional programmes in management, engineering, and communication. Closely comparable to SKOLAE's programme mix and target learner profile.
• Ynov Campus: French private higher education network specialising in digital, creative, tech, and management programmes with multiple campuses. Comparable apprenticeship-oriented offering and target student segment to SKOLAE.
• Studialis/Galileo network schools: Network of French grande écoles and specialised schools with presence across multiple cities. Directly comparable higher education offering and apprenticeship model to SKOLAE.
• Cegos: Major international corporate training and continuing education provider with deep French roots. Directly comparable to SKOLAE Formation in the B2B professional training segment.

Regional players

• Afpa: France's leading association for adult vocational training, historically state-aligned. Comparable in France-specific professional training segment and overlapping apprenticeship populations.

Broad incumbents

• CNAM (Conservatoire national des arts et métiers): Large public higher education institution focused on continuing professional education for working adults. Public-sector incumbent offering overlapping continuing education and apprenticeship programmes across France.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Reseau des Grandes Ecoles Specialisees