COBER
COBER is a French IT consulting network, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Bordeaux, that connects 150+ enterprise and public-sector clients with 19,000+ independent IT experts across seven specialized domains through 11 French offices.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What COBER does
COBER, operating as COBER SAS, is a French IT consulting network founded in 2016 and headquartered in Bordeaux, with 11 additional offices across France. The company curates a community of 19,000+ independent IT experts (freelancers, salaried staff, and portage arrangements) recommended by peers and clients, and matches them with large enterprises and public-sector organizations across seven specialized domains: Data & AI, Web & Mobile, Cybersecurity, Infra & Clouds, AMOA, Digital Workplace, and Agility. COBER explicitly positions itself as a "disruptive model" between traditional 100% salaried ESNs (Digital Services Companies) and open freelance platforms, emphasizing human relationship-driven matching, listening, empathy, and long-term partnerships over algorithmic keyword matching.
The business operates two principal revenue streams: professional-services placement of IT consultants with enterprise and government clients, and managed technical-assistance contracts delivered through public procurement frameworks. The company is an awardee of the CANUT central purchasing body covering Île-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and Grand Est, and delivers public-sector projects in co-traitance with Sully Group and Klee Group. COBER has also productized a public-sector suite (Plateforme — OpenSource microservices platform; Produit — rapid prototyping and impact validation; Expertise — specialized skill network) and maintains credentials relevant to public buyers, including WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility, EcoVadis Gold Medal, UN Global Compact signatory status, and the RFAR responsible procurement charter (signed December 2025). Underlying technology is lightweight: a Wix-based website, HubSpot for CRM, Progessi for billing, with no public API, mobile app, or proprietary AI/ML assets disclosed.
COBER reports 150+ clients (large accounts and public administrations), 1,500+ completed projects, and serves named sectors including finance, transport, media, e-commerce, and government, with AVIV Group as a visible testimonial. Ownership is private and not publicly attributed; no venture-capital, private-equity, or founder-investor details are disclosed, and no funding rounds, M&A, or leadership changes are reported. The company employs 101–250 staff internally while relying on its independent consultant network for delivery capacity.
COBER firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- COBER
- Legal name
- COBER SAS
- Website
- https://cober.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- COBER is a French IT consulting network, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Bordeaux, that connects 150+ enterprise and public-sector clients with 19,000+ independent IT experts across seven specialized domains through 11 French offices.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
COBER industry classification
Industry- Product category
- IT Consulting Services
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Multi-Site / Branch Network Staffing (BPACACAJ)
Keywords
Where COBER is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices12 records
Markets served
COBER business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- IT Consulting Placement: COBER places independent IT experts (consultants) with client organizations, acting as an intermediary network. The company matches consultant expertise with client needs across specialized IT domains.
- Technical Assistance Contracts: COBER is an awardee of public procurement frameworks (CANUT market), providing technical assistance and project management services to public sector organizations across multiple French regions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based IT consulting services |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
COBER product offering
Product offeringCore offering
COBER operates a curated network of 19,000+ independent IT consultants that it places with large enterprise clients and public administrations across France. The company matches qualified experts across seven specialized domains—Data & AI, Web & Mobile, Cybersecurity, Infra & Clouds, AMOA, Digital Workplace, and Agility—with client project needs. It also provides technical assistance, project management, and an OpenSource development platform for public sector digital projects.
Product overview
COBER is a network of independent IT experts that matches organizations with over 19,000 qualified consultants (independent workers, salaried, and portage arrangements) recommended by their peers. The company operates a differentiated model distinct from traditional ESNs (100% salaried IT services firms) and freelance platforms. COBER offers three service offerings for the public sector: Plateforme (an OpenSource-based development platform for creating microservices applications), Produit (innovation support for rapid prototyping and impact validation), and Expertise (access to specialized skill networks). The core value proposition centers on connecting clients with experts across seven specialized domains: Data & IA, Web & Mobile, Cybersécurité, Infra & Clouds, AMOA, Digital Workplace, and Agilité. The platform serves 150+ large enterprise and public sector clients across France with 11 office locations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Data & IA Consulting Placement of independent IT consultants specialized in Big Data, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, NLP, Data Engineering, and Computer Vision for enterprise and public sector clients.
- Web & Mobile Consulting Placement of independent IT consultants specialized in Frontend, Backend, API, UX/UI, PWA, DevOps, Security, and Performance for web and mobile application development projects.
- Cybersecurity Consulting Placement of independent cybersecurity consultants specialized in Pentest, IAM, SIEM, Zero Trust, EDR, and Encryption for enterprise and public sector organizations.
- Infra & Clouds Consulting Placement of independent IT consultants specialized in DevOps, Kubernetes, Virtualization, IaaS, PaaS, Security, Observability, and Automation for infrastructure and cloud projects.
- AMOA Consulting Placement of functional consultants specialized in Project Framing, Requirements Gathering, Specifications, Change Management, Testing, UX, Business Processes, and Project Management.
- Digital Workplace Consulting Placement of independent consultants specialized in Collaboration, Communication, Automation, Mobility, Security, and User Experience for modern workplace transformation projects.
- Agility Consulting Placement of independent consultants specialized in Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, Lean, DevOps, Product Management, Agile Coaching, and CI/CD for agile transformation projects.
- Plateforme (Public Sector Development Platform) Development platform built on OpenSource foundation for creating, developing, and deploying web applications using modern microservices architectures. Designed for public sector organizations requiring secure, accessible, and compliant digital solutions.
- Produit (Public Sector Innovation Support) Innovation support service that helps idea holders in the public sector rapidly produce a first version of a service to validate impact before scaling. Provides guidance through the product development lifecycle for public sector innovation projects.
- Expertise (Public Sector Specialized Skills) Access to COBER's network of specialized skills and expertise, provided in compliance with specific public sector constraints. Offers niche expertise consulting for public sector digital projects through the CANUT procurement framework.
- Technical Assistance & Project Management (CANUT) Managed technical assistance and project management services for public sector organizations across multiple French regions, delivered through the CANUT central purchasing framework in co-traitance with Sully and Klee groups.
Quantifiable outcome
- 19,000+ qualified consultants in network
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use COBER
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
COBER technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature1 record
COBER partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- CNA (Charte Relations Fournisseurs et Achats Responsables)minorCOBER signed the Responsible Supplier Relations and Purchasing Charter, building durable partnerships based on transparency, fairness, and trust.
- CANUT (Centrale d'Achats Numériques et Télécoms)coreCANUT is a central purchasing body for digital and telecom services that simplifies administrative procedures for public organizations. COBER is an awardee of CANUT's IT technical assistance and project management contract, enabling simple collaboration with public structures in Île-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and Grand Est regions.
- Sully GroupcoreCOBER operates in co-traitance (joint venture) with Sully Group on public sector IT projects under the CANUT framework.
- Klee GroupcoreCOBER operates in co-traitance (joint venture) with Klee Group on public sector IT projects under the CANUT framework.
- EcoVadisminorEcoVadis assessed COBER and awarded the Gold Medal to the top 5% of companies evaluated, recognizing the quality of sustainability management systems.
- United Nations Global CompactminorCOBER officially confirmed its commitment to support the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact relating to human rights, labor standards, environment, and anti-corruption.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
COBER competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Andjaro: French platform specializing in staff mobility and temporary reassignment of IT/digital talent between client organizations. Adjacent competitor targeting the same flexible staffing pain points COBER addresses, with overlap in large enterprise accounts.
- Comet.co: French tech-focused freelance platform offering vetted engineers, data scientists and product managers to enterprises. Comparable to COBER's curated approach but with a pure marketplace model rather than managed-service contracts.
Regional players
- SQLI: French-headquartered digital services firm providing IT consulting, e-commerce and digital experience services. Comparable in French regional footprint and enterprise customer base, though more traditional ESN model.
- EGERIE (public sector framework partner): French IT consulting and digital transformation firm active in public-sector digital projects and co-traitance arrangements. Comparable as a regional ESN competing for the same CANUT-style framework contracts COBER depends on.
Broad incumbents
- Devoteam: European IT consulting and digital transformation firm with strong French presence serving enterprise and public-sector clients across cloud, cybersecurity and data. Comparable in customer base and expertise domains, though operates a traditional consulting model.
- Toptal: Global elite freelance marketplace for software developers, designers and finance experts. Comparable curated-talent positioning internationally but with less public-sector penetration than COBER's France-centric model.
- Akkodis (formerly Akka Technologies): Major European ESN (now part of Modis/Akkodis) providing IT engineering and digital consulting to large enterprises including public sector. Broad incumbent representing the traditional salaried-consultant model that COBER explicitly positions against.
- Capgemini Engineering (formerly Altran): Global IT engineering and R&D consulting leader with significant French operations across all COBER expertise domains. Competes for the same large enterprise and public-sector digital transformation budgets.
Direct peers
- Freelance.com: French IT freelancer marketplace and portage salarial operator connecting independents with enterprise clients. Direct competitor on the freelance-platform side, with overlap in portage arrangements COBER uses.
- Malt: Leading European freelance platform connecting independent IT and digital experts with enterprise clients. Direct competitor to COBER on the freelance-discovery side of the market, though COBER differentiates via curated peer-recommended vetting and hybrid ESN-style delivery.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
COBER social profiles
Digital presenceCOBER compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
COBER financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
COBER leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
COBER funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
COBER M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about COBER
What does COBER do?
COBER operates a curated network of 19,000+ independent IT consultants that it places with large enterprise clients and public administrations across France. The company matches qualified experts across seven specialized domains—Data & AI, Web & Mobile, Cybersecurity, Infra & Clouds, AMOA, Digital Workplace, and Agility—with client project needs. It also provides technical assistance, project management, and an OpenSource development platform for public sector digital projects.
Is COBER a public or private company?
COBER is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was COBER founded?
COBER was founded in 2016. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is COBER based?
COBER is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does COBER make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. IT Consulting Placement is the primary driver. The others are technical Assistance Contracts.
Who are COBER's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Andjaro and Comet.co. Regional players are SQLI and EGERIE (public sector framework partner). Broad incumbents are Devoteam, Toptal, Akkodis (formerly Akka Technologies) and Capgemini Engineering (formerly Altran). Direct peers are Freelance.com and Malt.
Does COBER have an API?
No public API is recorded for COBER.
What industry is COBER in?
COBER's product category is IT Consulting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACACAJ, Multi-Site / Branch Network Staffing. Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.