YouFirst Campus

What YouFirst Campus does

YouFirst Campus is a French student and young professional housing operator owned by Gecina, one of France's leading institutional real estate companies. The company operates 18 residences across France, with the majority concentrated in Paris and the Île-de-France region (Paris, Boulogne-Billancourt, Courbevoie, Ville-d'Avray) and additional properties in Bordeaux, Lyon, Lille, and Marseille. Its offering spans studios, T1/T2 apartments, and coliving/shared apartments, all furnished and equipped, with common amenities including gyms, coworking spaces, lounges, and rooftop terraces managed by on-site YouFirst Managers.

The technology stack is a cloud-based, self-service property management and booking platform hosted on Microsoft Azure (France Centre region), supporting a 4-step booking flow (apartment selection, document upload, electronic lease signing, and key collection) with 24-hour application review. The platform includes a tenant portal for rent payment, maintenance requests, and document access. The business integrates Visale (government-backed) and GarantMe guarantees to remove the guarantor barrier for international and under-30 tenants, and is fully CAF housing aid eligible.

Revenue is generated primarily through monthly recurring rental income (subscription), with ancillary revenue from a 7.5% commission on rental marketing services for property owners and a community-driven referral program (€100 rent credit for both referrer and referred). The go-to-market is digital-first, direct-to-consumer, and supplemented by partnerships with 30+ French schools and universities plus education facilitator organizations. The primary customer segments are students (with secondary segments of young professionals under 30, interns/trainees, and families).

Name

YouFirst Campus

Legal name

YouFirst Campus Immobilier

Website

https://campus.youfirst.co

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

YouFirst Campus is a French student and young professional housing operator (Gecina subsidiary) running 18 furnished residences across France — primarily Paris — with a digital booking platform, 30+ school partnerships, and integrated guarantor solutions for international tenants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Housing

NAICS

Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers' Camps (72131)

SIC

Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

University Dorms & Affiliated Summer Housing (THAMAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Student Housing Marketplaces & Booking Platforms (THAMAGAJ), Student/Academic Serviced Residences (THAGAEAF), Student & Academic Term Monthly Housing (THAMAFAH), Off-Campus Shared Student Houses (Room-by-Room) (THAMAGAC)

Keywords

• Student housing rentals
• Furnished apartments
• Coliving spaces
• Young professional housing
• Residential property management

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Student and Young Professional Housing Rentals: Monthly rental income from furnished apartments, studios, T1, T2 units, and coliving spaces across 18 residences in France. Rent includes common charges; in coliving apartments, electricity, heating, and internet are included. Individual apartments require tenants to arrange their own utilities.
2. Referral Program Incentives: Tenants earn 100€ rent reduction for each successful referral; new tenants also receive 100€ first-month rent reduction. Program incentivizes word-of-mouth growth within tenant community.
3. Rental Marketing Commission: Commission-based fees from property owners for rental marketing services: 7.5% of first year's annual rent excluding tax and charges, plus 20% VAT.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

YouFirst Campus rents fully furnished, equipped, and connected apartments (studios, T1, T2, coliving/shared units) to students and young professionals across 18 residences in France, primarily in the Paris region with additional locations in Bordeaux, Lyon, Lille, and Marseille. Tenants are onboarded through a 100% digital self-service booking platform featuring online application submission, electronic lease signing, and an online tenant portal for rent payments and maintenance requests, with on-site YouFirst Managers providing daily operational support and community events.

Product overview

YouFirst Campus is a student and young professional housing platform operated by Gecina, offering 18 residences across France (primarily in Paris region, with locations in Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, and Marseille). The core product is the online apartment booking platform where users can search, apply for, and reserve furnished accommodations including studios, T1, T2 units, and coliving/shared apartments. The platform integrates with guarantee agencies Visale and GarantMe for international students without French guarantors. Properties include common amenities such as fitness rooms, coworking spaces, lounges, and rooftops managed by on-site YouFirst Managers. All apartments are furnished and equipped, with shared apartments including utilities (electricity, heating, internet) and home insurance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• YouFirst Campus Student Residences (Studios) Individual furnished studio apartments for single occupancy, featuring a bedroom with bed and mattress and an equipped kitchen with refrigerator, cooking hobs, and microwave, located within YouFirst Campus residences across France.
• YouFirst Campus T1/T2 Apartments One and two-bedroom furnished apartments available across YouFirst Campus residences, suitable for individuals, couples, and families needing larger living spaces in major French cities.
• YouFirst Campus Colocation (Shared Apartments) Shared living arrangements where each tenant signs an individual lease and pays rent solely for their own room, with electricity, heating, internet, and home insurance included in the monthly rent.

Quantifiable outcome

• Application review within 24 working hours (48 hours for decision and payment completion window)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Université Paris NanterrecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner university in Île-de-France providing priority housing processing and potential application fee discounts for enrolled students.
• Telecom PariscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner engineering school providing priority housing processing and potential application fee discounts for enrolled students.
• ESCP EuropecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner business school providing priority housing processing and potential application fee discounts for enrolled students.
• IESEG School of ManagementcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner business school providing priority housing processing and potential application fee discounts for enrolled students.
• EDHEC Business SchoolcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner business school in Lille providing priority housing processing and potential application fee discounts for enrolled students.
• Kedge Business SchoolcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner business school in Marseille providing priority housing processing and potential application fee discounts for enrolled students.
• Le WagonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCoding bootcamp partner providing priority housing processing and potential application fee discounts for enrolled students.
• ISARA (Institut Supérieur d'Agriculture Rhône-Alpes)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner agricultural school in Lyon providing priority housing processing for students.
• De Vinci (EM Normandie)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner higher education institution providing priority housing processing and potential application fee discounts.
• UCLY (Catholic University of Lyon)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner university in Lyon providing priority housing processing for students.
• IFCV (Institut Français du Cheval et de l'Équitation)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner vocational institute providing priority housing processing for students.
• IFSI La BlancardeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner nursing institute in Marseille providing priority housing processing for nursing students.
• IOB (Institut Ouvrier de Bordeaux)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner educational institute in Bordeaux providing priority housing processing for students.
• EFREI ParisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner engineering school providing priority housing processing and potential application fee discounts.
• EIDM (European Institute of Design)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner fashion and design school providing priority housing processing for students.
• Omnes EducationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner higher education group providing priority housing processing for students across their institutions.
• Alliance Française BordeauxminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner French language school in Bordeaux providing priority housing for international students.
• Kampus 5minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFacilitator organization partner for student housing referrals.
• Orientation EducationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStudent orientation and education facilitator partner for housing referrals.
• Location EDUminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStudent housing platform facilitating housing placements for international students.
• Quartier LatinminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEducation district partner facilitating housing referrals for students in the Latin Quarter area.
• GarantMecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuarantee agency acting as guarantor for French and international students who lack a French guarantor. Accepts students without physical guarantors in France. Essential for international student accessibility.
• VisalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment-backed guarantee program (Action Logement) acting as guarantor for students and young professionals under 30. Essential alternative for international students without French guarantors.
• Microsoft AzurecoreTechnology or IntegrationCloud hosting provider for the YouFirst Campus website and booking platform, using France Centre region for data residency compliance.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Direct peers

• Cardinal Campus: Cardinal Campus manages student residences across multiple French cities with furnished studios, T1/T2 units, and online booking. Direct competitor offering similar housing products to French students and young professionals.
• Studyo: Studyo is a French student housing operator offering furnished residences in Paris and other French cities with online booking. It is a direct competitor with the same product format (furnished studios, coliving, monthly rentals) and target customer (students and young professionals).
• Kley: Kley operates a large network of student and young-worker residences across France with co-living, coworking, and amenitized formats. It is a direct competitor targeting the same student/young professional segment with similar coliving and furnished apartment products.
• Nemea Appart'Etud: Nemea operates student residences (Appart'Etud brand) in major French cities alongside serviced apartments and student housing. Direct peer offering comparable furnished accommodation with similar digital booking for the French student market.
• Studéa (Reside Études): Studéa, part of the Reside Études group, runs student residences across France with furnished studios, T1/T2 units, and student-focused services. Direct competitor with similar product offering and customer base in French student housing.

Emerging players

• Studapart: Studapart is a French digital platform facilitating student housing bookings across partner residences and private landlords. It overlaps with YouFirst Campus's booking platform mission in the French student segment, with particular strength in digital tenant acquisition.
• HousingAnywhere: HousingAnywhere is a European booking platform for student housing with a strong focus on international students moving across borders. It is an emerging player with partial overlap in the international student housing booking flow that YouFirst Campus serves.
• ImmoJeune: ImmoJeune is a French rental listing platform focused on student and young professional housing. It is an emerging marketplace that overlaps with YouFirst Campus's digital booking channel, though it primarily aggregates third-party listings rather than operating residences.

Others

• Gecina (parent): Gecina is the parent company and a major French REIT specializing in residential and office real estate. While not a direct competitor, it is the controlling entity whose broader real estate strategy frames YouFirst Campus's positioning and capital access.

Broad incumbents

• Les Estudines (Accor): Les Estudines is Accor's student residence brand, offering furnished apartments across major French university cities. As part of the global Accor hotel group, it is a broad incumbent with similar student residence products and substantial distribution scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/youf1rst_

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 YouFirst Campus