SEMIA Générateur de Startups

What SEMIA Générateur de Startups does

SEMIA is a non-profit startup incubator (association loi 1901) founded in 1999 in Strasbourg, France, originally established under the Allègre law to promote innovation emerging from French public research. Operating under the broader Quest for change network of 5 territorial incubators (Innovact, Quai Alpha, Rimbaud'Tech, The Pool, SEMIA) and 3 thematic incubators (Quest for health, Quest for industry, Quest for bioeconomy), SEMIA delivers structured incubation services to early-stage entrepreneurs across four filières d'excellence: health (biotech, medtech, e-santé), industry (manufacturing, Industry 4.0), information technologies (AI, cybersecurity, quantum), and bioeconomy. Over 26 years the incubator has accompanied 140+ startups with an 80% five-year survival rate; the related Quest for health thematic incubator reports €180M raised by its startups since 2022 and a 90% five-year survival rate.

The incubator's service stack comprises a two-tier methodology: the Starter Class collective program (€600 HT for a 2-month cohort of up to 10 projects, 14 hours/week of workshops, three cohorts per year) and individual incubation (€200 HT/month, €100 HT/month pre-incorporation) featuring a dedicated startup manager and six-monthly steering committees. SEMIA takes no equity stake in incubated companies, and the monthly contribution covers less than 14% of actual incubation cost — the balance is funded by public subsidies. The ~20-person multidisciplinary team includes sector-specialist startup managers (e.g., Guillaume Vetter-Genoud leading Quest for health with biotech expertise, Christophe Knecht leading Quest for industry with 7 years of manufacturing entrepreneurship), plus specialists in digital health, public-research transfer, industry 4.0, communications, and administration. SEMIA does not develop proprietary technology and uses no AI/ML core; the IT and AI references in source material refer to its portfolio sectors, not to internal capabilities.

Revenue is dominated by public institutional funding rather than member fees. Key sources include a €2,000,000 European FEDER subsidy awarded in 2025 against a €4,615,321 project budget targeting €100M in cumulative startup fundraises, alongside recurring support from the Grand Est Region, Bpifrance, Strasbourg.eu / Eurométropole, Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération (m2a), local banks (Caisse d'Epargne, Banque Populaire, Crédit Agricole), the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, and academic partners (Universités de Strasbourg and Haute-Alsace, CNRS, Inserm, Conectus Alsace). Customer acquisition is event-driven: monthly Café découverte sessions, the annual Investor Day co-organized with Scal'E-nov, France Invest, and Euroquity, OpenBA events connecting founders with business angels, and direct applications via the online submission portal — all funneling into a 3-week evaluation cycle.

Name

SEMIA Générateur de Startups

Legal name

SEMIA, association de droit à but non lucratif

Website

https://startup-semia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SEMIA is a non-profit startup incubator in Strasbourg and Mulhouse, founded in 1999, serving early-stage entrepreneurs across health, industry, IT, and bioeconomy through structured individual and collective programs. It is part of the Quest for change network of 8 incubators supporting 250+ projects across the Grand Est region with a ~20-person team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Incubation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

akta.pro primary industry

Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Startup incubation services
• Entrepreneurship acceleration programs
• Fundraising advisory services
• Innovation ecosystem support
• Early-stage venture coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Strasbourg

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Incubation membership contributions: SEMIA is a non-profit association. A monthly contribution of €200 HT is charged to incubated companies (representing less than 14% of the actual cost of incubation), and €100 HT/month for pre-incorporation stage companies. This covers the structured incubation program including startup manager support, workshops, peer cohort sessions, and access to the network's expert resources.
2. European and regional public funding: SEMIA receives public funding, notably a €2,000,000 European subsidy (FEDER) under a project titled 'Accompagnement à la création et développement d'entreprises innovantes pour l'année 2025', with a total project cost of €4,615,321. Additional public financing comes from the Grand Est Region and institutional backers including the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SEMIA is a non-profit startup incubator that delivers structured incubation programs to early-stage entrepreneurs in the Alsace/Grand Est region of France. Its core offerings include the Starter Class collective 2-month program for up to 10 projects per cohort, individualized long-form incubation with a dedicated startup manager, a 5-module Funding Program for fundraising preparation, and recurring investor-matching events including Investor Day and OpenBA.

Product overview

SEMIA is an excellence incubator offering a structured two-level incubation methodology: the Starter Class (collective early-stage program for up to 10 projects over 2 months) and Individual Incubation (customized support for mature projects with a dedicated startup manager). Complementing its core incubation services, SEMIA provides the Funding Program for fundraising preparation, the Investorsclub platform for investor-startup matching, and organizes events including Investor Day and OpenBA sessions. The incubator specializes in four excellence sectors: information technologies, health, industry, and bioeconomy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Quest for health: Thematic incubator focused on biotech, medtech, and digital health startups, the first French health startup accelerator.
• Quest for industry
• Quest for bioeconomy

Products and services

• Incubation individuelle (Individual Incubation) Long-term individualized incubation program for mature projects, assigning each startup a dedicated startup manager with sector-specific expertise. Open-ended duration with 6-month follow-up steering committees, covering market access support, financial strategy, fundraising preparation, IP security, prototyping assistance, and regulatory guidance. Available to startups already incorporated (€200/month HT) and to entrepreneurs pre-incorporation (€100/month HT).
• Starter Class

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% survival rate at 5 years for incubated companies
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Strasbourg.eu / Eurométropole de StrasbourgmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEurométropole de Strasbourg is listed as a key institutional partner and supporter of SEMIA, providing regional backing for the incubator's operations in Strasbourg.
• Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération (m2a)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulhouse Alsace Agglomération (m2a) supports SEMIA's operations in Mulhouse, providing institutional backing for the KM0 location.
• Agglomération de Haguenau (CAH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAH (Communauté d'Agglomération de Haguenau) is listed as a local institutional supporter of SEMIA.
• EY FranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEY (Ernst & Young) France is listed as a professional services partner providing advisory support to SEMIA's ecosystem.
• RSM FranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRSM France, an audit and consulting firm, is listed as a professional services partner supporting SEMIA's incubated startups.
• Université de Haute-Alsace (UHA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversité de Haute-Alsace is a key academic partner, contributing research expertise and facilitating technology transfer for startups in the Mulhouse area.
• Université de Strasbourg (Unistra)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversité de Strasbourg is a major academic partner, providing research laboratory access and facilitating technology development partnerships for IT and deep-tech startups incubated at SEMIA.
• Conectus AlsacemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConectus is a technology transfer organization in Alsace that facilitates connections between academic research and the startup ecosystem, supporting SEMIA-incubated companies in accessing public research outcomes.
• BioValley FrancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBioValley France is a biotech/healthtech competitiveness cluster in Alsace, providing networking, partnership, and visibility opportunities for SEMIA's health and bioeconomy startups.
• Inserm (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInserm is France's national medical research institute, providing scientific and clinical expertise to healthtech startups incubated at SEMIA, particularly through the Quest for health thematic incubator.
• CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNRS is France's national scientific research center, supporting technology transfer and public research collaboration for startups, particularly in the IT/quantum and biotech sectors.
• Grandes écoles du Grand Est (CGE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConférence des Grandes Écoles du Grand Est supports the regional startup ecosystem and is listed as a partner of SEMIA.
• Grand Enov / Scal'E-novmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScal'E-nov is a regional accelerator in Grand Est. SEMIA co-organizes the annual Investor Day with Scal'E-nov, France Invest, and Euroquity, connecting 50+ growth-stage startups with investors.
• France InvestmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrance Invest is the French private equity and venture capital association. SEMIA partners with France Invest to co-host the annual Investor Day, facilitating direct connections between QFC network startups and professional investors.
• EuroquitymajorGTM or Marketing PartnerEuroquity is a platform connecting startups with investors across Europe. SEMIA partners through the Quest for change network to leverage Euroquity's investor platform for the annual Investor Day and ongoing deal flow.
• Innovact (Reims)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovact is a territorial incubator in Reims and a member of the Quest for change network. The network shares a common sequential incubation methodology and operates in continuous improvement mode, with regular cross-incubator skills-sharing days.
• Quai Alpha (Epinal)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuai Alpha is a territorial incubator in Epinal and a member of the Quest for change network. The network shares a common sequential incubation methodology across all 5 territorial incubators and 3 thematic incubators.
• Rimbaud'Tech (Charleville-Mézières)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRimbaud'Tech is a territorial incubator in Charleville-Mézières and a member of the Quest for change network, covering the Ardennes department with shared methodology and cross-incubator expert access.
• The Pool (Metz)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Pool is a territorial incubator in Metz and a member of the Quest for change network, covering the Moselle department. Part of the 5-territorial-incubator network sharing a common methodology.
• Quest for health (thematic healthtech incubator)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuest for health is the first French healthtech startup incubator, with 60+ biotech, medtech, and digital health startups across Grand Est. It operates as a thematic incubator within the Quest for change network. Guillaume Vetter-Genoud serves as Head of Quest for health. 32 startups have been laureates of national (i-lab, i-nov) and European (EIC accelerator) competitions. 180M € raised since 2022; 90% five-year survival rate.
• Quest for industry (thematic industrial incubator)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuest for industry is a thematic industrial incubator within the Quest for change network, accompanying ~100 industrial projects across Grand Est in partnership with regional and national industrial partners. Christophe Knecht serves as Head of Quest for industry.
• Quest for bioeconomy (thematic bioeconomy incubator)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuest for bioeconomy is a thematic incubator within the Quest for change network, supporting 40+ startups developing solutions for the transition from fossil economy to bio-based economy, covering sustainable agriculture, biosourced molecules, bioenergies, and sustainable food.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Innovact: Fellow Quest for change territorial incubator based in Reims. Operates under the same shared incubation methodology, services similar early-stage founders in the Grand Est region, and benefits from the same network-level deal flow and investor connections.
• Quai Alpha: Quest for change territorial incubator in Epinal. Closely comparable to SEMIA in mission, methodology, public funding model, and target founder segment within the Grand Est region.
• The Pool: Quest for change territorial incubator in Metz, covering the Moselle department. Operates the same sequential incubation methodology, with shared expert resources and cross-incubator skills days, making it a near-clone of SEMIA's operating model.
• Quest for health: Thematic healthtech incubator within the Quest for change network, sharing SEMIA's governance and methodology. Strong direct peer in serving biotech, medtech, and digital health startups in Grand Est.
• Quest for industry: Thematic industrial incubator within the Quest for change network, focused on manufacturing and Industry 4.0 startups. Shares SEMIA's funding model, methodology, and team structure while operating in the industrial vertical.
• Agoranov: Paris-based public research incubator founded in 1999 under the same Allègre law framework as SEMIA. Comparable in mission (deeptech from public research), non-equity model, and institutional backing, but serves the Paris region.
• Euratechnologies: Major French regional tech incubator and accelerator based in Lille. Comparable to SEMIA in serving regional French tech startups with a mix of public and private funding, though at a larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• Bpifrance Le Hub: France's national public investment bank startup support program. Operates broadly across all regions and sectors, offering mentorship and connections to capital; overlaps with SEMIA's mission but at much greater scale and with capital deployment tools unavailable to a regional non-profit.
• Wilco: French innovation platform supporting tech startups and SMEs across the country, particularly in deeptech and impact. Comparable as a French startup support organization, but operates nationally with private-sector partnerships rather than regional public funding.
• NUMA: Paris-based startup accelerator and innovation hub with programs across Europe and emerging markets. Comparable to SEMIA in its incubation methodology and event-driven GTM, but operates at significantly larger scale and with private-sector partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SEMIAStartups
• Facebookfacebook.com/Incubateur.SEMIA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 SEMIA Générateur de Startups