What Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation does

Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) and a State-labelled Pôle de compétitivité (competitiveness cluster) founded in 2006 and headquartered in Castanet-Tolosan near Toulouse, with regional antennas in Bordeaux/Gradignan, Montpellier, Limoges and Poitiers. The cluster animates an innovation ecosystem spanning companies, public research bodies (notably INRAE and Cirad), universities, agricultural technical institutes and local authorities across the Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions, serving actors in agriculture, agri-food, agritech, foodtech, biotech and agro-resources. Its primary functions are network orchestration, project structuring, financing access (regional, national and European) and the labelling of innovative projects, start-ups and SMEs through three certification schemes (Label projet ASOI, Label Start-up AgriO, Label PME hi France).

The cluster's core product surface combines a flagship member network (with a public Odoo-based directory and event calendar) and a specialised calls-for-projects platform — Challenges (challenges.agrisudouest.com) — launched in April 2021 as the first such platform dedicated to agriculture, agri-food and agro-industries. Around this backbone the cluster runs a portfolio of 10+ flagship programs and living-labs, including SOLNOVO (regenerative agriculture / soil carbon), AgRobotics Land (agricultural robotics in south-east Toulouse, co-built with Sicoval), Occitanum (digital agriculture), AgroTIC HUB (Euroregion NA–Euskadi–Navarre digital transformation), DIVA, AURORA, BIOSOLUDOE (Interreg SUDOE), HIGHFIVE, VitiREV, Food Log Proximity, BiosolutioNA, CESAM and Agro&Aigua. It also operates a Club Experts Conseils of engineering-consultants supporting members from project ideation to market entry.

The business model is hybrid public-private: operational funding comes from regional and metropolitan authorities (Régions Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Sicoval, the Métropoles of Toulouse, Montpellier, Bordeaux and Nîmes, Sète Agglopole) and financial institutions (Crédit Agricole Nord Midi-Pyrénées and Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Groupama); recurring revenue includes member adhesion fees and engineering-consulting services; and incremental co-funding is captured through coordination of European programs (Interreg SUDOE, Horizon Europe, Euroregion projects). Pricing for membership is not publicly disclosed. The cluster was re-labelled for Phase 5 (2024-2025) of the French competitiveness cluster program in April 2023, confirming its continued state endorsement, and celebrated its 20-year anniversary in April 2026.

Name

Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation

Legal name

Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation

Website

https://agrisudouest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation is a French State-labelled competitiveness cluster (non-profit association) that orchestrates an agri-food, agritech and agro-resource innovation ecosystem across the Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions, serving member companies, research bodies, universities and local authorities through networking, project labelling and European program coordination.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Cluster Services (Agri-Food)

NAICS

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Merchant Wholesalers (424480)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Value Chain Development & Supplier Upgrading (BPADAMAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Economic Growth, Livelihoods & Private Sector Development (BPADAEAE), SME & Entrepreneurship Development (Trade-Linked) (BPADAMAE)

Keywords

• Agricultural innovation cluster
• Competitiveness cluster services
• Agri-food research network
• Innovation project labelling
• European program coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Castanet-tolosan

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public subsidies / institutional funding: Operational funding from regional and local authorities: Région Occitanie, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Sicoval, Toulouse Métropole, Montpellier Métropole, Bordeaux Métropole, Nîmes Métropole, Sète Agglopole, Crédit Agricole (CA Nord Midi-Pyrénées, CA Nouvelle-Aquitaine) and Groupama.
2. Membership fees (cotisations adhérents): Recurring adhesion fees paid by member companies, laboratories, universities and local authorities joining the competitiveness cluster ("Je souhaite adhérer !").
3. European / project-based co-funding: Funds received as project coordinator/partner in European programs (Interreg SUDOE / BIOSOLUDOE, Eurorégion Nouvelle-Aquitaine–Euskadi–Navarre AgroTIC HUB, Horizon Europe AURORA, HIGHFIVE, etc.) and national programs.
4. Engineering-consulting and accompaniment services: Engineering and expert-consultant services ("ingénieurs-conseils et experts") supporting members in structuring, financing and launching innovation projects (Label ASOI/AgriO/hi France, Club Experts Conseils).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation is a French competitiveness cluster (pôle de compétitivité) operating as a non-profit association. It orchestrates an innovation ecosystem that connects companies, research laboratories, universities, and local authorities across the Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions to drive innovation in the agricultural, agri-food and agro-industrial value chains. It delivers its offering through a member network, engineering-consultant accompaniment, three labelling schemes (ASOI, AgriO, hi France), the Challenges platform, and a portfolio of regional and European innovation programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SOLNOVO: Living-lab / accelerator program for regenerative agriculture of soils in the South-West, backed by carbon finance.
• AgRobotics Land
• Négoce-up'
• AgroTIC HUB
• Occitanum
• DIVA
• Food Log Proximity
• VitiREV
• Aurora
• HighFive
• BiosolutioNA
• CESAM
• Agro&Aigua
• AgriO
• hi France

Products and services

• Membership / Adhésion to the P\u00f4le de Comp\u00e9titivit\u00e9 Annual membership in the French competitiveness cluster, giving companies, laboratories, universities and local authorities access to the network, events, accompaniment and visibility services. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; prospective members download the adhesion form from the Odoo member portal.
• Label projet ASOI
• Label Start-up AgriO Cluster certification label for innovative start-ups in the agri/agro space, awarded by Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation to give visibility and credibility to young companies.
• Label PME hi France Cluster certification label for SMEs, co-issued with other French competitiveness clusters (hi France network) to identify investable SMEs.
• Club Experts Conseils Club of experts and consulting firms (law, consulting, finance, recruitment) offering professional services to cluster members and their innovation projects.
• Engineering-consultant accompaniment service Engineering and expert-consultant (ingénieurs-conseils et experts) accompaniment for members, supporting the structuring, financing and launching of innovation projects.
• SOLNOVO Living Lab 5-year, multi-partner action-research program and living-lab accelerating the transition to regenerative agriculture in the soils of South-West France, targeting 10-15 collective projects and backed by carbon finance.
• AgroTIC HUB Transnational Eurorégion initiative creating a digital-innovation competence hub to support the digital transformation of agri-food businesses in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the Basque Country and Navarre.
• AgRobotics Land Reference brand co-created with Sicoval that federates the agricultural robotics ecosystem in the south-east of Toulouse, supporting the development of agricultural robotics players.
• DIVA / DIVAx European acceleration program European program (and its extension DIVAx) accelerating the emergence and deployment of innovative digital solutions for the agri-food, environment and forestry sectors.
• AURORA European program European collaborative initiative (with Valorial) supporting innovation in agri-food value chains, organised around exploratory missions across Europe (Spain, Rennes, Bordeaux, Wageningen, etc.).
• Occitanum Living Lab Living-lab digital agriculture program in the Occitanie region, supporting experimentation and deployment of digital solutions for agriculture.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 years of continuous operation (2006–2026)
• +6 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• BIOSOLUDOE (Interreg SUDOE programme)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 November 2025European Interreg SUDOE project (ref S2/2.4/F0250) on biosolutions; Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation acts as lead partner (chef de file), coordinating partners on administrative and financial aspects.
• ValorialflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 December 2023Partner pôle de compétitivité; co-winner with Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation of the "Trophée Pôles pour l'Europe" 2023 in the "Meilleure Initiative collaborative" category for the European AURORA project. Also co-signed the 2021 INRAE tripartite partnership.
• KubotacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 July 2023Collaboration announced 19 July 2023: Kubota pursues its investment in European innovation networks to accelerate the development of future agricultural machines, contributing to the environmental, social and economic transition of the agricultural sector via the cluster.
• Négoce ExpansioncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 April 2022Organiser of the "Négoce-up'" challenge for innovative solutions in favour of the agroecological transition, supported by Syngenta and Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation. Challenges target start-ups/PMEs in collaboration with agricultural trading companies (négoces agricoles).
• SyngentacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 14 April 2022Supporter of the "Négoce-up'" challenge organised by Négoce Expansion with the support of Syngenta and Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation, aimed at surfacing innovative solutions for the agroecological transition.
• Eurorégion Nouvelle-Aquitaine – Euskadi – Navarre (AgroTIC HUB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 February 2022Cross-border Eurorégion partnership (2021–2023+) funding the "AgroTIC HUB" project to support the digital transformation of agri-food companies in Navarre, the Basque Country and Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
• SicovalflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 December 2021Public inter-municipal cooperation (syndicat intercommunal) in the south-east Toulouse area. Co-creator of "AgRobotics Land", the new brand reference for the agricultural robotics ecosystem in south-east Toulouse, launched at World FIRA.
• INRAEflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 November 2021Partnership signed on 29 October 2021 between INRAE (Philippe Mauguin, PDG), Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation (Cédric Cabanes, President) and Valorial (Eric Philippe, President) to accelerate innovation in the agricultural and agri-food sectors. Drives joint R&D projects and links public research with the cluster's industrial members.
• PlantAlliance consortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2021Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation is a partner of the PlantAlliance consortium, a collaborative framework for plant genetics research and innovation addressing climate-change adaptation of plant production.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Valorial: French Pôles de compétivité focused on agri-food innovation in western France (Bretagne, Pays de la Loire, Normandie). Directly comparable as a peer competitiveness cluster, co-signatory of the 2021 INRAE tripartite partnership and co-winner with ASOI of the 2023 Pôles pour l'Europe trophy for the AURORA project.
• VEGEPOLYS VALLEY: French pôle de compétitivité dedicated to the plant sector (horticulture, seeds, crops, landscaping) headquartered in Angers. A direct peer as another State-labelled French competitiveness cluster serving the broader agriculture/horticulture ecosystem with labelling, EU project coordination and a territorial network.
• IAR (Industries et Agro-Ressources): French pôle de compétitivité dedicated to the bioeconomy and agro-resources value chain. Directly comparable to ASOI as a labelled French competitiveness cluster supporting agro-industrial innovation, EU funding access and a multi-stakeholder network of companies, labs and regions.
• Terralia: French pôle de compétitivité focused on agri-food innovation in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Direct peer as a State-labelled competitiveness cluster serving the same agri-food value chain in a different French region with a comparable labelling and EU-project model.
• Aquimer: French pôle de compétitivité dedicated to seafood and marine aquaculture products, based in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Comparable as a State-labelled French competitiveness cluster running labelling, R&D coordination and EU project work for an adjacent food/agri value chain.

Broad incumbents

• INRAE: France's national public research institute for agriculture, food and the environment, and an ASOI strategic partner (tripartite partnership signed 29 October 2021). Comparable as a much larger incumbent ecosystem player providing the public-research backbone that French competitiveness clusters orchestrate around.
• Bpifrance: France's public investment bank that funds innovation, start-ups and SMEs across all sectors including agritech. Comparable as a broader incumbent French public finance and innovation-support institution whose funding instruments (BPI) overlap with the cluster's financing-access mission for members.
• ADEME: France's ecological transition agency funding projects in energy, circular economy and sustainable agriculture. Comparable as a broader French public funder whose programmes (e.g. on soils, biocontrôle, agroecology) overlap directly with ASOI's SOLNOVO, BiosolutioNA and agroecological-transition initiatives.
• FranceAgriMer: French national establishment for agriculture and fisheries products, financing and supporting the agri-food sector. Comparable as a broader French public-sector incumbent operating adjacent (regulatory, funding) to the competitiveness-cluster ecosystem that ASOI orchestrates.

Emerging players

• La Ferme Digitale: French association that federates agritech and agri-foodtech start-ups and represents them to public authorities and investors. Comparable as a community-led emerging player building visibility and lobbying capacity for the same agritech start-up ecosystem that ASOI labels and supports through WiCLUB AgriTech and AgriO.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AgriSOI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agri-sud-ouest-innovation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation