Impulse Partners

What Impulse Partners does

Impulse Partners is a Paris-headquartered strategy and innovation consulting firm founded in 2011 by Thomas Le Diouron. The firm positions itself at the intersection of corporates, startups, investors, and public authorities, and serves clients undergoing digital and environmental transformation in the infrastructure, construction, energy, industry, real estate, and public sectors. The firm reports a curated ecosystem of over 3,000 startups and innovators, 300+ corporate and organizational clients, 100+ specialized investors, and a footprint spanning 15+ countries. Its stated mission is to support key sector actors in strengthening innovation capacity, exploring new business models, testing prototypes, and investing in new businesses.

The company's core products are themed open-innovation laboratories co-created and operated with industrial and institutional partners. Named labs include Plant 4.0 (with TotalEnergies, focused on Industry 4.0), Sekoya Industrial Club (with Eiffage and partners, focused on low-carbon construction), WaterShift (with SUEZ Consulting, focused on unconventional water sources), Saudi ConTech Accelerator (with Saudi ConTech and Bechtel), EllisDon ConTech Accelerator, Barton Malow Accelerator, and a roster of additional labs covering hydrogen, blue tech, circular cities, housing, and adaptation. Impulse does not develop proprietary technology; its intellectual property lies in ecosystem curation, lab operational playbooks, and sector-specific relationships. Service lines comprise Innovation Consulting, Innovation Labs (managed services), Studio & Intrapreneurship, Investment / Corporate Venture Advisory, Innovation Hub Design and Operation, and Trade Missions.

Revenue is generated from bespoke consulting engagements, multi-year managed-service contracts for lab operation, and program fees for studio/intrapreneurship and trade-mission mandates. Pricing is per-engagement, typically multi-year, and not publicly standardized. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales driven by direct relationships, industry events (VivaTech, Batimat, Pollutec, Hyvolution, MIPIM), international delegations, partner referrals, and innovation-lab ecosystems that create ongoing business-development touchpoints. Delivery is performed by a team of 30–40 professionals (founding partners, partners, senior consultants, consultants, analysts) augmented by 20+ coaches and 80+ entrepreneurs. The firm is privately held as Impulse Partners SAS, a French société par actions simplifiée, with no public listing.

Name

Impulse Partners

Legal name

Impulse Partners SAS

Website

https://impulse-partners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Impulse Partners is a Paris-based innovation consulting firm that operates curated ecosystems connecting 3,000+ startups with 300+ corporate and public-sector clients across construction, energy, infrastructure, real estate, and public sectors worldwide.

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Innovation Consulting: Strategy and innovation consulting engagements with corporations, organizations, and public authorities. Engagements include transformation strategies, innovation roadmaps, organizational design, and implementation support. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting fees.
2. Innovation Labs Operation: Design, creation, and operational management of innovation labs for corporate and institutional clients. Labs such as Plant 4.0, Sekoya, WaterShift, and others are co-created with industrial partners. Revenue derives from ongoing operational mandates and platform management fees.
3. Investment Support Services: Advisory services for corporate venture activities, deal sourcing, due diligence, and investment program structuring. Impulse connects corporations with startups for potential investment opportunities. The firm explicitly states it does not invest directly or take commissions to avoid conflicts of interest.
4. Studio & Intrapreneurship Programs: New business creation and intrapreneurship acceleration programs. Methodology includes exploration, prototyping, and industrialization phases. Revenue from program fees and ongoing advisory mandates.
5. International Trade Missions: Programs supporting international startups and companies seeking to enter the French and European markets. Includes acceleration programs, B2B matching, market entry support, and ecosystem integration services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Impulse Partners is an innovation consulting firm that advises large corporations, public authorities, and investors on digital transformation, decarbonization, and innovation strategy. The firm operates innovation labs, runs corporate intrapreneurship programs, designs and manages third-party innovation hubs, supports corporate venture activities, and orchestrates international trade missions connecting foreign startups with the French and European market.

Product overview

Impulse Partners is an innovation consulting firm that operates as a unified service offering rather than a product platform. The company provides six core service lines: Innovation Consulting (strategy and open innovation advisory), Innovation Labs (open innovation ecosystems connecting startups with enterprises), Studio & Intrapreneurship (new business creation and corporate entrepreneurship programs), Investment (startup investment support and corporate venture advisory), Designing Innovation Hubs (third-place and innovation hub design and operation), and Trade Missions (international delegation and market entry support). These services are delivered across six industry sectors: Infrastructure/Construction/Building Products, Energy & Utilities, Industry, Engineering Consultants, Real Estate, and Public Sector. The company manages multiple themed Labs (such as Santé & Prévention, Global ConTech Program, Conception & Fabrication Numérique, TP & Infrastructures, Hydrogen Opportunities Club, Villes & Territoires Circulaires, Logement innovant, Construction & Bâtiment, Lab Adaptation, Blue Tech Club, Villes Intelligentes et Durables, and WaterShift) that serve as sector-specific innovation acceleration platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sekoya Industrial Club: Club of French industrialists dedicated to low carbon solutions, bringing together actors contributing to the urgent transition to a low-carbon economy.
• WaterShift Lab
• Plant 4.0

Products and services

• Innovation Consulting
• Innovation Labs
• Studio & Intrapreneurship
• Investment Support
• Designing Innovation Hubs
• Trade Missions
• Sekoya Industrial Club

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

38 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• EiffagecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 July 2023Eiffage is a key founding partner of the Sekoya Industrial Club, a major decarbonation-focused industrial club. Impulse Partners co-operates Sekoya with Eiffage and other partners, running calls for solutions and innovation programs.
• CoviviocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCovivio participates in Sekoya Industrial Club alongside Impulse Partners and Eiffage, contributing to decarbonation-focused innovation initiatives.
• CEEBIOSsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Sekoya Industrial Club focused on bio-inspired solutions for the construction and infrastructure sectors.
• CSTBsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific and technical center for building participating in Sekoya Industrial Club as a technical expertise partner.
• LegrandsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerElectrical equipment manufacturer partner in Sekoya Industrial Club.
• SMABTPsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerInsurance company partner in Sekoya Industrial Club focused on construction risks.
• VicatsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCement and concrete producer partner in Sekoya Industrial Club.
• TotalEnergiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTotalEnergies partnered with Impulse Partners to create and operate the Plant 4.0 innovation lab, focused on Industry 4.0 solutions. Multiple PLANT4.0 solutions have been deployed within TotalEnergies operations.
• Bouygues ConstructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner engaged in open innovation initiatives with Impulse Partners, including ecosystem access and employee innovation acculturation programs.
• EDF PulsecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDF's innovation arm partners with Impulse for intrapreneurship programs and startup ecosystem immersion for EDF employees.
• Léon GrossesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction company engaged in innovation programs and strategy development with Impulse Partners.
• Saint-GobaincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor materials company partnered on multiple programs including Kandu consumer innovation, Renov-UP renovation solutions, and startup investment facilitation.
• setecsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering group partnered for strategic roadmap development and intrapreneurship support, including the revoco project.
• Banque des TerritoirescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic investment bank partnered on Hub des Territoires platform, territorial innovation initiatives, and acceleration programs.
• Alliade HabitatsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial housing organization partnered on innovation strategy and startup collaboration programs.
• Vinci ConstructionsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor construction group engaged with Impulse Partners for innovation acceleration and solution identification.
• SUEZ ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUEZ Consulting co-partners the WaterShift Lab with Impulse Partners, focused on unconventional water sources and industrial water challenges.
• ITA (Italian Trade Agency)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerITA mandated Impulse Partners for the Global Start-up Program supporting 11 Italian startups in Smart Cities, facilitating their expansion into France and Europe over a four-week program.
• KISED (Korea Startup & Platform Enterprise)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerKISED supported 15 Korean startups through Impulse Partners' program with Smart City Association Korea, including workshops, mentoring, and European investor/partnership connections.
• Smart City Association KoreasecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerKorean association partnered with Impulse Partners for Korean startup internationalization programs at Viva Technology.
• EllisDoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImpulse Partners and EllisDon launched the EllisDon ConTech Accelerator to support Canadian construction startups with European market access and industry connections.
• Saudi ConTechcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImpulse Partners collaborated with Saudi ConTech to launch the Saudi ConTech Accelerator, aimed at transforming Saudi Arabia's construction industry through digitalization and sustainability.
• Bechtel CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBechtel joined the Saudi ConTech Accelerator as a premier partner, contributing to defining innovation priorities and scaling transformative solutions across the Kingdom.
• CIC ( Crédit Industriel et Commercial)secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerVisited the Korea Pavilion at Viva Technology 2024 to explore Korean startup solutions, facilitated by Impulse Partners.
• OrangesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerParticipated in Korea Pavilion activities at Viva Technology 2024 to explore startup innovations.
• MicrosoftsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerVisited Korea Pavilion at Viva Technology 2024 to explore Korean startup solutions through Impulse Partners' facilitation.
• SUEZ ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-partner of Lab WaterShift dedicated to non-conventional water solutions and industrial water challenges.
• CSTBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSTB Lab co-created with Impulse Partners, focused on innovation in construction methods and building production.
• Hauts-de-Seine DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcceleration-92 program supporting innovative companies in green industry for the Hauts-de-Seine department.
• EVOLENcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEVOLEN'UP program opening the EVOLEN industrial ecosystem to innovative startups addressing energy challenges.
• ANRUcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLes Innovateurs program associating startups with social economy actors in the national urban renewal program.
• IndustryacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcceleration platform for bold startups shaping the future of industry, co-created with Impulse Partners.
• CRH VenturessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRH Ventures accelerator focused on sustainable road construction solutions, partnered with Impulse Partners.
• Barton MalowcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUS-based construction company partnered with Impulse for Barton Malow Accelerator supporting construction tech startups.
• CeremasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCerema Lab supporting innovative SMEs, micro-enterprises and startups developing products or services related to Cerema's areas of activity.
• CAPEBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAPEB Lab Open Innovation program dedicated to renovation for artisanal construction companies.
• WinLabsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram supporting experiments and innovations by construction trade training organizations.
• Infopro DigitalsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for Techshow for Construction event, organizing roundtables as French representative of Women in Construction Tech community.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Kea & Partners: Kea & Partners is a French strategy and innovation consultancy with deep expertise in transformation, innovation, and ecosystem strategy. It is the closest direct competitor to Impulse Partners in the French enterprise innovation consulting market, serving similar CAC 40 and large corporate clients with comparable transformation and open-innovation offerings.
• Fabernovel: Fabernovel is a French strategy and innovation firm advising large corporates on digital transformation, emerging technology, and new business models. It overlaps directly with Impulse Partners on enterprise innovation advisory and ecosystem strategy, particularly for French and European large enterprises.
• Creative Valley: Creative Valley is a French innovation consultancy and hub operator that designs and runs open-innovation programs for corporates and public actors. Its hub-management and corporate-startup intermediation services closely parallel Impulse Partners' innovation-lab and third-party-site design offerings.
• Bluenove: Bluenove is a French innovation consultancy specializing in collective intelligence, open innovation, and ecosystem engagement for large organizations. Its enterprise innovation practice and French footprint position it as a comparable peer to Impulse Partners on corporate open-innovation engagements.

Broad incumbents

• Sia Partners: Sia Partners is a Paris-headquartered global management and innovation consulting firm with deep presence in France. While broader in scope than Impulse, it competes for the same enterprise transformation and innovation mandates, particularly in energy, infrastructure, and industrials.
• Roland Berger: Roland Berger is a global strategy consultancy with a strong European footprint and dedicated practices in energy, construction, and infrastructure. It competes for the same strategic transformation and innovation mandates as Impulse Partners, albeit from a much larger bench and broader portfolio.
• Wavestone: Wavestone is a Paris-based consulting firm focused on transformation, innovation, and sector-specific advisory. Its deep French presence and energy/infrastructure sector practices overlap with Impulse Partners' target client base and service lines.
• Boston Consulting Group (BCG): BCG is a global strategy consultancy with a dedicated innovation and ecosystem practice. It competes with Impulse Partners for corporate open-innovation, intrapreneurship, and startup-corporate matching mandates at the largest French and European industrials, from a much larger bench.

Others

• Paris&Co: Paris&Co is the Parisian economic development and innovation agency that operates multiple sectoral incubators and innovation platforms. While not a direct competitor, it operates overlapping ecosystem and hub programs in the same geographies and sectors as Impulse Partners.
• Technip Energies / Stantec (sector ecosystem): Stantec and similar engineering-services firms increasingly offer innovation advisory and venture/innovation programs in infrastructure, energy, and water — adjacent to Impulse Partners' sectors. They are ecosystem participants and occasional partners rather than direct competitors, but their expansion into innovation services represents the broader competitive backdrop.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/impulse_labs
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCEoFFToa3-nultJJT9d3PdQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/impulsepartners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Impulse Partners