ECEMA

What ECEMA does

ECEMA (Ecole de Commerce et Management en Alternance et Initial) is a private French higher education institution founded in 2003 and headquartered in Lyon. It delivers RNCP-certified business and management programs across three qualification tiers: BTS / Niveau 5 (Commerce International, Gestion de la PME, Management Commercial Operationnel, NDRC, Support a l'Action Manageriale), Bachelor 3 / Niveau 6 (HR, Business Development, Retail Management, Recruitment), and Mastere / Niveau 7 (Purchasing, International Business, Project Management, Financial Performance, HR, HSE, Business Strategy), supplemented by a VAE continuing-education track. The portfolio spans more than 20 programs delivered primarily through the alternance (work-study apprenticeship) model with parallel initial training tracks.

The institution operates 9 campuses: 7 in France (Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Clermont-Ferrand, Bourges, Valence, Grenoble, Limoges) and 2 international locations in Tunis (opened March 2023 with Amilcar University) and Yaounde (College de Paris Yaounde). ECEMA enrolled approximately 1,500 new students in 2025 and claims an alumni community exceeding 4,000 graduates. It holds Qualiopi certification in France (the Yaounde campus is explicitly excluded), and operates as a member of the College de Paris network of private higher education institutions.

Revenue derives from tuition fees paid by formation initiale students and apprenticeship funding for alternance students, with the latter sourced from OPCO (French skill-development operators) and France's apprenticeship tax system. Distribution is primarily campus-based admissions augmented by open days (Journees Portes Ouvertes), alumni referrals, an online orientation quiz, and active social media presence on Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. ECEMA is structured as an Association declaree (non-profit) under French law (RCS Lyon B 538 351 669), with no external venture or private equity investment disclosed.

Name

ECEMA

Legal name

ECEMA

Website

https://ecema.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ECEMA is a French private business school founded in 2003, offering RNCP-certified BTS, Bachelor, and Mastere programs across 9 campuses in France, Tunisia, and Cameroon, serving 1,500+ students annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Tuition fees (formation initiale): Students in initial training (formation initiale) pay tuition fees for their education. The school is a private higher education institution.
2. Apprenticeship funding: Students in alternance (apprenticeship/contrat de professionnalisation) are employed by companies, with funding partially sourced from OPCO (skill development operators) and France's apprenticeship tax system.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ECEMA is a private French business and management school that delivers RNCP-certified higher education programs (BTS Level 5, Bachelor Level 6, Mastère Level 7) in commerce, management, HR, finance, purchasing, international business, project management, retail, and health/safety/environment. Programs are offered in both alternance (work-study apprenticeship) and initial training formats across 9 campuses in France, Tunisia, and Cameroon, serving approximately 1,500 new students per year.

Product overview

ECEMA (École de Commerce et Management en Alternance et Initial) is a private higher education institution offering a structured portfolio of accredited programs across three RNCP qualification levels. The portfolio spans Level 5 (BTS diplomas — Commerce International, Gestion de la PME, Management Commercial Opérationnel, Négociation et Digitalisation de la Relation Client, Support à l'Action Managériale, and Assistant Commercial), Level 6 (Bachelor 3 programs — Chargé des Ressources Humaines, Chargé de Développement Commercial, Responsable Commerce Retail/Store Manager, and Responsable du Développement des Affaires), and Level 7 (Mastère 1 et 2 programs — Manager Achats et Approvisionnement, Manager des Organisations à l'International, Manager des Organisations parcours Projet, Manager de la Performance Financière, Manager des Ressources Humaines, Manager Santé Sécurité et Environnement, and Manager du Développement d'Entreprise et Commercial), plus VAE. Programs are delivered in alternating training (apprenticeship/dual) and initial training formats across 7 French campuses in Lyon, Saint-Étienne, Clermont-Ferrand, Bourges, Valence, Grenoble, and Limoges, plus 2 international campuses in Tunis and Yaoundé.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ECEMA Alumni: Dedicated alumni network platform launched for former ECEMA students, providing networking, job offers, and community events

Products and services

• BTS Commerce International
• BTS Gestion de la PME
• BTS Management Commercial Opérationnel (MCO)
• BTS Négociation et Digitalisation de la Relation Client (NDRC)
• BTS Support à l'Action Managériale (SAM)
• Assistant Commercial
• Chargé des Ressources Humaines
• Chargé de recrutement et conseils en RH
• Responsable du Développement des Affaires
• Chargé de Développement Commercial
• Responsable Commerce Retail / Store Manager
• Manager Achats et Approvisionnement
• Manager des Organisations à l'International
• Manager des Organisations, parcours Projet
• Manager de la Performance Financière
• Manager des Ressources Humaines
• Manager Santé Sécurité et Environnement (SSE)
• Manager du Développement d'Entreprise et Commercial
• VAE (Validation des Acquis de l'Expérience)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 4000 Ecémaliens working as managers in France and internationally
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

27 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Amilcar University (Tunis)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023International campus partnership in Tunisia. Opened March 2023, located in Tunis. Offers Bachelor 1 and 2 programs and provides access to exchanges and internships abroad covering destinations such as Europe and Asia.
• Galway Business SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational university partner for student exchange and mobility programs. Located in Ireland, part of ECEMA's network of partner institutions for academic exchanges and Learning Expeditions.
• Manhattan Institute of ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partner for study abroad and exchange programs.
• International Language Academy of Canada (ILAC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLanguage education partner for international mobility and linguistic immersion programs.
• Japan University of EconomicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in Japan for international exchange and cultural immersion programs.
• USC AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of the Sunshine Coast, Australia - international academic exchange partner.
• Shanxi University ChinaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChinese university partner for international study programs and cultural exchanges.
• Hanyang UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Korean academic partner for international mobility and exchange programs.
• Sungshin UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKorean university partner for study abroad and academic collaboration.
• Cesine (Universidad Camilo José Cela)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish university partner for international exchanges in Europe.
• Universitat Autònoma de BarcelonaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatalan university partner for ERASMUS+ exchanges and international study programs.
• International Business School WashingtonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmerican business school partner for international programs and Learning Expeditions to Washington.
• Jaipuria Institute of ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndian management institute for international academic partnerships.
• Graphic Era UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndian university partner for international exchange programs.
• RCBSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partner institution.
• UTCC (University of Thai Chamber of Commerce)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThai university partner for international study programs in Southeast Asia.
• Universidad AnáhuacminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMexican university partner for Latin American exchanges.
• Diablo Valley CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmerican community college partner for international mobility.
• Solent UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK university partner for European exchanges.
• University of WorcesterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBritish university partner for ERASMUS+ and international exchanges.
• Northumbria UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK university partner for international academic collaboration.
• Prague City UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCzech university partner for European mobility programs.
• Santa Barbara City CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmerican community college partner for international exchanges.
• ERASMUS+ ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Union program enabling student exchanges, academic mobility, and professional internships across European partner universities for BTS students.
• Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region Mobility ScholarshipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional government scholarship supporting international mobility for students studying at ECEMA.
• Collège de Paris YaoundécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational campus partnership in Cameroon, located in Yaoundé. Offers Bachelor 3 and Mastère 1 and 2 programs. Cameroon is described as 'l'Afrique en miniature' and Yaoundé as a land of opportunities.
• Collège de PariscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECEMA is a member of the Collège de Paris, a network of private higher education institutions providing shared resources, international partnerships, and institutional credibility.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MBway: French private business school network offering BTS to Mastère programs heavily oriented around alternance. Closely comparable to ECEMA in mission, target student, and work-study funding model.
• IFAG: France-wide private management school focused on alternance training from Bac+2 to Bac+5. Directly comparable program portfolio and target audience to ECEMA.
• Pigier: Long-established French private business school with BTS, Bachelor, and Mastère programs offered in both initial and alternance formats. Overlapping student segments and program mix with ECEMA.
• Sup de V: French private business school offering Bac+2 to Bac+5 programs with strong alternance orientation. Comparable size and program structure to ECEMA.
• ISCOD: 100% alternance-focused French business school delivering BTS to Mastère programs entirely through work-study contracts. Similar business model and student target as ECEMA.

Broad incumbents

• IESEG School of Management: Larger, AACSB-accredited French business school offering Bachelor and Master programs (Grande École). Overlaps with ECEMA at Bachelor 3 and Mastère levels but with stronger brand and broader international positioning.
• EM Lyon Business School (LUMEN): Top-tier French Grande École based in Lyon offering Bachelor and Master programs. Competitor for the same Lyon-area Bac+3/Bac+5 student pool as ECEMA but with substantially higher prestige and selectivity.
• ESG (Galileo Global Education): Large network of French business schools under Galileo Global Education offering BTS to Mastère programs with significant alternance orientation. Broader portfolio but materially overlapping target market.
• INSEEC / Omnes Education: One of France's largest private higher education groups operating multiple schools across business, marketing, and management disciplines. Overlaps with ECEMA at the BTS-to-Mastère level across France.
• ESSCA School of Management: Multi-campus French Grande École offering Bachelor and Master programs, including an applied/alternance track. Comparable in offering Bac+3 and Bac+5 programs but anchored in a stronger national brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ecoles_ecema
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCO2ARaXpAIlMsrNK7yRMJpw/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/ecemafr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecema
• Instagraminstagram.com/ecoles_ecema/?hl=fr
• TikToktiktok.com/@ecoles_ecema

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 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 ECEMA