What Croissance Plus does

CroissancePlus is a French non-profit association (association loi 1901) founded in 1997 that federates approximately 500 founders and chief executives of growth-oriented small and intermediate-sized enterprises (PME and ETI) across France. The association operates from 152 Boulevard Haussmann in Paris's 8th arrondissement and pursues two articulated missions: 'Partager' (sharing experience among growth entrepreneurs) and 'Influencer' (advocating pragmatic policy proposals to public authorities to support growth). Membership is selective — entrepreneurs must be sponsored by an existing member and must lead a company committed to a growth trajectory and to sharing value with employees. Beyond the annual membership subscription, the organization monetizes relationships with corporate and institutional partners, including KPMG France, BNP Paribas, Le Figaro, METI, CMS Francis Lefebvre, Medef, and France Invest.

The association's core products and services are non-technological service programs rather than a software platform. They include the Spring Campus annual three-day seminar (held in Deauville), the Victoires de la Croissance / Scale-Up Awards (co-organized with KPMG, BNP Paribas, and Le Figaro), the 'What if no limit' podcast, recurring publications such as the 'Les leviers de l'hypercroissance' study (co-produced with KPMG), the Baromètre C+360° crisis indicator, and guides on topics including employee profit-sharing and ESG. The association also co-organizes the European ETI Summit with METI at the Sorbonne, positioning CroissancePlus as a bridge between French growth entrepreneurs and European industrial policy debates (notably the Industrial Accelerator Act).

The business model rests on a sponsorship-gated annual membership subscription complemented by corporate partnership and event sponsorship revenues. Distribution is community-led: members are recruited primarily through peer referral and through flagship events. The organization is led by Présidente Virginie Calmels (elected June 2025) and Directrice générale Athina Argyriou (appointed May 2026, succeeding Céline Garrisson after approximately 12 years), with a small internal staff of 11–50 employees supporting a much larger voluntary leadership of member CODIR entrepreneurs.

Name

Croissance Plus

Legal name

CroissancePlus

Website

https://croissanceplus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CroissancePlus is a French non-profit association founded in 1997 that federates roughly 500 growth-stage PME and ETI entrepreneurs through peer-sponsorship, offering networking, policy advocacy, the annual Spring Campus, and the Scale-Up Awards.

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, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Revenue is generated primarily through membership fees paid by entrepreneurs and companies that join CroissancePlus. Membership is required to access full content and events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CroissancePlus is a French membership-based association (loi 1901) of approximately 500 growth entrepreneurs leading PME and ETI companies. It sells annual membership that grants access to peer networking, flagship events (Spring Campus, Scale-Up Awards/Victoires de la Croissance), policy advocacy with French and European public authorities, research publications, and content programs (guides, studies, podcast).

Product overview

CroissancePlus is a membership-based entrepreneurs' association, not a software product company. Its offerings consist of services including membership for growth entrepreneurs (PME/ETI), annual events (Spring Campus), research publications (hypergrowth studies, barometers), content programs (podcasts), award programs (Scale-Up Awards), and advocacy/influence activities. The organization does not offer technology products, SaaS platforms, or API-based services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CroissancePlus Membership Annual association membership for founders and CEOs of French PME and ETI companies committed to a growth trajectory, providing peer networking, strategic guidance, and policy advocacy.
• Spring Campus Annual three-day seminar bringing together entrepreneurs and ecosystem representatives for keynotes, workshops, and networking (historically held in Deauville).
• Victoires de la Croissance (Scale-Up Awards) Annual competition and award program recognizing French growth-stage companies, with a jury of experts and entrepreneurs and a public-vote component.
• Hypergrowth Study (Les leviers de l'hypercroissance) Joint research publication with KPMG France analyzing hypergrowth companies in France and providing benchmarks and methodologies.
• What If No Limit Podcast Podcast series featuring interviews with entrepreneur members sharing their growth journeys and pivotal moments in scaling their businesses.
• Baromètre C+360° Crisis barometer tracking economic, social, and psychological indicators to inform public decision-making for entrepreneurs.
• Partage des Fruits de la Croissance Guide Practical guide on value-sharing tools including employee profit-sharing, BSPCE (bon de souscription de parts de créateur d'entreprise), and stock options for member companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Scale-Up Awards recognize and publicize growth-stage companies with >10M€ revenue and >10% annual growth, amplifying their visibility in the French economy.

Named customers7 records

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

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

• METI (Mouvement des Entreprises de Taille Intermédiaire)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2026CroissancePlus co-chairs the European ETI Summit with METI. The two organizations share policy advocacy on European competitiveness, industrial policy, and the Mittelstand model. Philippe d'Ornano and Frédéric Coirier are co-presidents of METI alongside Virginie Calmels, Présidente of CroissancePlus.
• CMS Francis LefebvremajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2025CroissancePlus partnered with CMS Francis Lefebvre (a major law firm) to produce documentation on Management Packages for members, specifically addressing PLF 2025 provisions on BSPCE, AGA, and shareholderemployee schemes.
• MedefmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2025CroissancePlus worked alongside Medef in a coalition to defend Management Packages and employee shareholder schemes during the PLF 2025 negotiations with the Direction de la Législation Fiscale.
• France InvestmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2025France Invest participated in the coalition convened by CroissancePlus to lobby the Ministry of Finance on PLF 2025 provisions affecting employee shareholder schemes and investment incentives.
• LBO ClubminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 March 2025Members of the LBO Club participated in the working group convened by CroissancePlus to address Management Package taxation concerns raised by PLF 2025.
• KPMG FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 April 2022KPMG France is a longstanding strategic partner of CroissancePlus. Together they co-produce the 'Scale-Up Awards' (Victoires de la Croissance) and publish joint studies on hypergrowth companies. KPMG provides methodological support and brand credibility to the association's research initiatives.
• BNP ParibascoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 June 2021BNP Paribas co-sponsors the annual Scale-Up Awards (Victoires de la Croissance durable) and participates in the jury alongside CroissancePlus, KPMG, and Le Figaro. The bank provides financial sector expertise and media reach to the awards.
• Conseillers du Commerce Extérieur (CCE)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 May 2019CroissancePlus and CCE signed a partnership to better support entrepreneurs in their international development. CCE represents a network of 4,000 volunteer business leaders who advise French companies on export and international expansion. The partnership enables CroissancePlus members to access CCE expertise on internationalization.
• Le FigaromajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLe Figaro partners with CroissancePlus on the Scale-Up Awards (Victoires de la Croissance), providing media sponsorship, venue (auditorium Jean d'Ormesson), and press coverage. The partnership amplifies the visibility of winning companies and the association.
• Académie Diplomatique InternationaleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAthina Argyriou, Directrice générale of CroissancePlus, previously directed the Académie Diplomatique Internationale (presided by SA l'Aga Khan) for ten years, creating a connection between the two organizations on international affairs and diplomatic training.
• CSIAM (Comité de Supervision des Industries Automobiles et de la Mobilité)minorOthersAthina Argyriou served as Présidente déléguée of CSIAM from 2022 until joining CroissancePlus in 2026. CSIAM represents 85 brands in the automotive and mobility sector, 8 industrial sites in France, and a sector worth €70 billion of GDP.
• Institut économique MolinariminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCroissancePlus and the Institut économique Molinari co-published a study in 2021 titled 'Pour une réforme des retraite qui réponde aux enjeux français' arguing for collective capitalization to complement the French pay-as-you-go system.
• Institut SapiensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCroissancePlus and Institut Sapiens jointly published a study on fiscal reform for territorial attractiveness, analyzing production taxes and proposing concrete measures to improve the competitiveness of French companies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• France Angels: National federation of business angel networks in France, supporting early-stage entrepreneurs with capital and mentorship. Comparable in serving French growth entrepreneurs, with partial overlap in peer-network value and ecosystem positioning.

Broad incumbents

• MEDEF (Mouvement des Entreprises de France): The largest French employer federation representing companies of all sizes. While broader in scope, MEDEF directly competes for the same policy-advocacy mandate and has collaborated with CroissancePlus on coalition lobbying (e.g., PLF 2025).
• AFEP (Association Française des Entreprises Privées): Lobbying organization representing the largest French private companies. Competes in the same policy-advocacy arena with broader scope; CroissancePlus differentiates by focusing on ETI/PME growth companies rather than CAC 40 constituents.
• CCI France (Chambres de Commerce et d'Industrie): National network of Chambers of Commerce supporting French businesses across all stages. Provides overlapping services including networking, international development support, and policy representation for the same mid-market entrepreneur segment.

Others

• Bpifrance: France's public investment bank supporting SME and ETI financing, innovation, and international development. Comparable audience (French growth entrepreneurs) and overlapping mission (financing, internationalization), but operates as a public financing institution rather than a member-driven association.

Direct peers

• Réseau Entreprendre: French non-profit network that supports entrepreneurs through mentoring, financing, and peer exchange. Directly comparable membership-based model serving growth-stage founders, with a similar community-led value proposition.
• CPME (Confédération des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises): Confederation dedicated to French SMEs, representing a directly comparable member base to CroissancePlus's PME/ETI entrepreneurs. Engages in similar policy advocacy on growth, taxation, and employment issues affecting mid-market companies.
• CJD (Centre des Jeunes Dirigeants d'entreprise): Association of young French business leaders under 45 focused on peer exchange and responsible entrepreneurship. Comparable member-driven association model, with overlapping themes of growth, value-sharing, and peer-to-peer learning.
• METI (Mouvement des Entreprises de Taille Intermédiaire): French association representing intermediate-sized enterprises (ETI), with co-presidency of the European ETI Summit alongside CroissancePlus. Operates as a directly comparable membership-based mid-cap advocacy organization with overlapping leadership and policy files.

Regional players

• European Round Table for Industry (ERT): European-level CEO-led forum advocating for industrial competitiveness and policy. Comparable as a CEO-network advocacy platform but operates at the pan-European level and focuses on larger multinationals rather than mid-cap French entrepreneurs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/croissanceplus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/croissanceplus
• Facebookfacebook.com/croissanceplus.grandirensemble

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Croissance Plus