Generation5

What Generation5 does

Génération 5 is a French private educational publishing house (S.A.S., registered in Chambéry, RCS B 348 080 813) founded in 1988 and headquartered in Bassens, Savoy. It designs, produces and sells program-aligned teaching materials for the full French K-12 spectrum — from maternelle through lycée and into CPGE/supérieur — under proprietary collection brands including iParcours (Maths and Français), Sacado Maths, Explorer (history, geography, sciences, English), M@ths en-vie and M@mos de langues (English, Spanish, German, Italian, French, Latin). Each new edition is conformed to the latest official French national curricula (e.g., 2024, 2025, 2026 programs).

Its offering is a hybrid paper + digital format: physical cahiers-manuels (combined textbook/workbook), printed textbooks, and exercise booklets are bundled with complementary digital resources. Digital delivery runs through dedicated platforms — G5-web for resource access, G5-apps for iOS/Android/Windows/Mac tablet and smartphone applications, Edupages Creator and Edulivres for interactive book creation and distribution, and Le campus numérique des CFA for vocational e-learning — plus downloadable software and Premium digital versions with offline access, annotation and resource-sharing features. Educational hardware (pedagogical robots, visualiseurs, digital recorders, audio equipment) is also resold as complementary classroom material.

The business model combines one-time unit sales of physical and digital products (€2.00–€99.00 per item) with recurring online platform access, an affiliate referral program paying 10% commissions, and a separate hardware revenue stream. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the generation5.fr e-commerce site, supported by phone, mail and school purchase-order channels (the latter via the Chorus system for municipalities and public institutions), and channel-based via the Diffu-G distributor for bookstores and resellers. International delivery is offered worldwide. Since 2024 the company has operated as part of the Les Artisans du Sens group, sharing distribution under Diffu-G with Le Génie Editeur, FontainePicard and La Fontaine de Siloé; leadership under Philippe CAILLAU has run the business since succeeding founder Alain LAURENT in 2020.

Name

Generation5

Legal name

S.A.S Génération 5

Website

https://generation5.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Génération 5 is a French educational publisher selling program-aligned paper and digital textbooks, workbooks, and classroom resources for maternelle through lycée, complemented by educational hardware and distributed via its own e-commerce site and the Diffu-G wholesale network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chambéry

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Physical Product Sales: Sale of physical educational resources including workbooks, textbooks, and teaching materials with prices ranging from €2.00 to €99.00
2. Digital/Software Products: Downloadable software and digital versions of educational materials, including Premium versions with enhanced features
3. Online Platform Subscriptions: Access to online platforms and resources for digital learning
4. Educational Hardware: Pedagogical robots, visualizers, digital recorders, and audio equipment for schools
5. Affiliate Program Commission: 10% commission revenue sharing with affiliate partners who direct customers to the site

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Génération 5 is a French educational publishing house that develops, produces, and sells hybrid paper-and-digital teaching materials (cahiers-manuels, textbooks, workbooks) and software for students from preschool (Maternelle) through high school (Lycée) and vocational training. Its core catalog covers mathematics, French, history, geography, sciences, English, and other languages, with branded collections including iParcours, Explorer, M@ths en-vie, Sacado, and Mémos de langues. The company also distributes educational hardware such as pedagogical robots, visualizers, and digital recorders, and operates digital platforms (G5web, G5-apps, Edupages) for content access and authoring.

Product overview

Génération 5 is a Savoyan educational publishing house offering a comprehensive portfolio of pedagogical resources for students from maternelle (preschool) to lycée (high school) and higher education. The core product offerings include: the iParcours family (mathematics and French textbook-workbook collections in paper and digital formats), the Explorer collection (history, geography, sciences, and English), M@ths en-vie (problem-solving methodology using real-world contexts), Sacado Maths (secondary mathematics workbooks), and Mémos de langues (language reference guides for English, Spanish, German, Italian, French, and Latin). Digital operations are supported through dedicated platforms: G5-web (online resource access), G5-apps (tablet/smartphone applications), Edupages Creator (interactive book creation tool), Edulivres (digital publishing), and Le campus numérique des CFA (vocational e-learning). The company operates primarily in the French educational market, with products aligned to French national programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iParcours: A paper/digital mathematics collection covering CE2 to 3e (college level).
• Explorer
• M@ths en-vie
• Sacado
• Mémos de langues

Products and services

• iParcours Maths A mathematics textbook and exercise book collection available in paper, digital, and combined cahier-manuel formats, covering CE2 through 3e, aligned with current French educational programs.
• iParcours Français French language textbook-workbook collection combining text study and grammar into unified paper and digital formats for secondary students, aligned with 2026 programs.
• Explorer (Histoire, Géo, Sciences, Anglais) Integrated collection covering history, geography, sciences, and English at primary and secondary levels, with downloadable software, student worksheets, and answer keys included.
• M@ths en-vie Mathematics problem-solving methodology using real-world photo-problems and bar modeling techniques, aligned with French educational programs for primary cycles.
• Sacado Maths Mathematics cahier-manuel collection for secondary school (Seconde and Première Spécialité), combining textbook and exercise book in one unified format with digital supplements.
• Mémos de langues Language reference guide collection covering English (A2-B1, B1-B2, B2-C1), Spanish, German, Italian, French, and Latin at various proficiency levels, available in paper and online formats with interactive exercises.
• G5-web Platform Online platform providing access to all of Génération 5's digital educational resources, supporting various subjects and grade levels.
• G5-apps Mobile Platform Mobile application platform offering tablet and smartphone applications for iPad/iPhone, Android, Windows, and Mac devices.
• Edupages Creator Digital book creation tool that enables teachers to create interactive digital books and mini-books for educational use.
• Edulivres Digital book publishing platform for distributing books created with Edupages Creator.
• Le campus numérique des CFA E-learning platform for vocational training centers (CFA) offering hundreds of hours of training across all subjects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products conform to official French educational programs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, historical and minor.

• Les Artisans du Sens GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024In 2024, Génération 5 joined the Les Artisans du Sens group alongside Le Génie Editeur, FontainePicard, and La Fontaine de Siloé. The group operates distribution through Diffu-G from warehouses in Bourg-en-Bresse.
• SésamathcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership established in 2006 with the Sésamath teacher association for collaborative textbook creation. First collaborative school manuals developed through this partnership.
• BerchethistoricalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership from 2000-2006 with Berchet for creating and commercializing educational toys and digital materials for children, including 'Clavier des Bébéts' keyboard and computer mice.
• Affiliate PartnersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliate program where partners receive 10% commission on sales generated through their website referrals. Partners can be individuals or professionals and have access to promotional materials.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Nathan: French educational publisher (part of Éditions Nathan / Interforum) producing textbooks and learning materials for maternelle through lycée. Directly competes with Génération 5 across K-12 subjects in the French school market.
• Hatier: Major French K-12 textbook and educational materials publisher. Directly comparable to Génération 5 as it offers school textbooks and pedagogical resources across the same French school levels and subjects, though at significantly larger scale.
• Bordas: Established French school publisher offering textbooks and pedagogical resources aligned with French national programs. Directly comparable product portfolio across grade levels and core subjects.
• Éditions Retz: French educational publisher specializing in pedagogical tools, teacher guides, and school resources. Comparable in its focus on teacher-facing materials and school-level deployment.
• Magnard: French educational publisher with K-12 textbook and workbook offerings across the same core subjects (math, French, history, geography, sciences) as Génération 5.
• Le Génie Éditeur: Sister publishing house within the Les Artisans du Sens group, also producing French K-12 educational resources. Highly comparable business model and target customer base under shared Diffu-G distribution.
• Belin Éducation: French publisher of educational materials for primary, secondary, and higher education, including textbook collections aligned with French curricula. Comparable in subject coverage and target audience.

Broad incumbents

• Pearson: Global educational publisher and digital learning provider. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering textbooks and educational content across multiple school systems, though operating at significantly larger scale and with a global footprint Génération 5 lacks.
• Hachette Éducation: Large-scale French K-12 textbook publisher (part of Hachette Livre), offering textbooks and digital resources across all school levels and subjects. Competes with Génération 5's iParcours and Explorer collections with much broader portfolio scale.

Emerging players

• Rue des Écoles: Smaller French independent educational publisher with K-12 school textbook offerings. Comparable in size and target market to Génération 5, often positioned in the same school-purchase decision sets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Editions_G5
• Facebookfacebook.com/Generation5.fr

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Generation5