CARBAO

What CARBAO does

CARBAO is a French business networking organization operating a national network of 139 local clubs that connect 2,811 business leaders and entrepreneurs through a structured word-of-mouth referral system. The company facilitates business exchanges via "Tickets BIZ" — referral tickets between members that have produced nearly 4,000 signed contracts since January 2021 at a 75.56% recommendation-to-contract conversion rate. The network is governed by a signed ethical charter enforcing equal speaking time and a non-competitive membership model (one representative per professional activity per club), and operates on three pillars: Business, Exchange, and Ethics. Bi-weekly statutory meetings form the operational core, supplemented by 218 business events and 42 national events annually, including the annual CARBAO BUSINESS PARTY convention.

The technology stack consists of a proprietary platform comprising a professional directory, a collaborative web platform, a mobile application (iOS and Android), and an exclusive member social network with features including Flux (social feed), Biz reactions, private messaging, an events calendar, and the Tickets BIZ tracking system. The product portfolio extends beyond core networking into training modules (Entrevues for presentation skills, Atelier Tickets BIZ for referral teams, Club Animation Training for club leaders, delivered through the Purple Office platform), event formats (CARBAO DRINK, RENCONTRE BUSINESS, INTERCLUBS, QUIZZ), and societal programs (Action CARBAO for entrepreneurs in their first year, TREC CARBAO for youth mentorship). The Place Aux Experts podcast, launched in 2024, extends brand reach via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Deezer.

CARBAO generates revenue through annual membership subscriptions paid by individual members, with pricing not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: new members join via discovery meetings (réunions ouvertes), personal invitations from existing members, and engagement at national events. The customer base consists primarily of French SME owners, independent professionals, freelancers, and company directors (dirigeants), segmented horizontally across industries such as insurance, legal services, digital services, hospitality, IT, and consulting. The company is privately held and founder-led, with Walter BELLON serving as President and Sébastien REY as Director General, and has no disclosed institutional investment or external funding.

Name

CARBAO

Legal name

CARBAO

Website

https://carbao.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CARBAO operates a national network of 139 local business clubs across France, connecting 2,811 SME leaders through a structured word-of-mouth referral system (Tickets BIZ) with a 75.56% recommendation-to-contract conversion rate, monetized via annual membership subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Networking Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer/User Conferences & Client Advisory Boards (THAHAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)

Keywords

• Business networking clubs
• Professional referral network
• Word-of-mouth marketing
• SME business development
• Membership networking services

Headquarters

HQ city

Troyes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Subscriptions: CARBAO generates revenue through annual membership fees paid by members. Each member belongs to a local club and pays a yearly cotisaton (subscription). The membership is renewable annually and provides access to all club meetings, the platform, events, and the national network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CARBAO operates a national business networking network of 139 local clubs across France, where 2,811 business leader members exchange qualified business referrals through a proprietary Tickets BIZ system. Members pay annual subscriptions to join a local club, attend bi-weekly statutory meetings, and access the collaborative platform, mobile app, exclusive social network, and national events (218 business events and 42 national events annually).

Product overview

CARBAO is a French business networking organization structured as a network of 139 local clubs across France, connecting 2,811 business leaders. The core offering consists of the CARBAO Business Network platform combined with the Tickets Biz recommendation system (75.56% conversion rate), statutory bi-weekly meetings, and the Purple Office training system. Members also access a mobile application, collaborative platform, and exclusive social network for ongoing networking. The portfolio includes event products (CARBAO DRINK, RENCONTRE BUSINESS CARBAO, QUIZZ, INTERCLUBS, CARBAO BUSINESS PARTY), training modules (Entrevues, Atelier Tickets BIZ, Club Animation Training), societal programs (Action CARBAO, TREC CARBAO), and the Place Aux Experts podcast. The ecosystem is governed by the CARBAO Ethics Charter ensuring non-competitive membership (one representative per activity per club).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TICKETS BIZ: Business tickets representing business recommendations between members, the core currency of business exchange within the CARBAO network.
• CARBAO BUSINESS PARTY
• CARBAO DRINK
• RENCONTRE BUSINESS CARBAO
• Action CARBAO
• TREC CARBAO
• Purple Office

Products and services

• CARBAO Business Network Membership Annual membership to the CARBAO business club network, providing access to a local club, the national network of 2,811 business leaders across 139 clubs in France, bi-weekly statutory meetings, the collaborative platform, mobile app, and exclusive social network. Targeted at entrepreneurs, SME owners, and independent professionals seeking qualified business referrals.
• Tickets BIZ Referral System Proprietary business recommendation tracking and exchange system used by CARBAO members to record and convert referrals into signed contracts. 75.56% of recommendations convert to business, with nearly 4,000 contracts signed since January 2021.
• CARBAO Events Program Portfolio of business event formats for CARBAO members, including CARBAO DRINK (informal gatherings), RENCONTRE BUSINESS CARBAO (speed business), QUIZZ (expert challenges), INTERCLUBS (regional multi-club meetings), and the annual CARBAO BUSINESS PARTY national convention. 218 business events and 42 national events are organized annually.
• Purple Office Training Platform Technical support and training platform providing onboarding tools and resources for members to use CARBAO digital tools effectively, including training modules such as Entrevues, Atelier Tickets BIZ, and Club Animation Training.
• Action CARBAO Program Year-long societal program where club members support and mentor a business creator or takeover entrepreneur through a structured development journey, providing guidance from experienced entrepreneurs.
• TREC CARBAO Program Initiative connecting members with young people close to entering the workforce, enabling knowledge transfer and professional guidance from experienced entrepreneurs.
• Place Aux Experts Podcast Weekly podcast released every Sunday at 9am providing business intelligence content, available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Deezer.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75.56% of business recommendations result in signed contracts
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• OVHminorOthersOVH provides web hosting services for CARBAO's websites (www.carbao.fr and www.carbao.net). Located at 2 rue Kellermann, 59100 Roubaix, France. OVH is a major European cloud computing company.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Lunchclub: AI-driven 1:1 professional networking platform. Targets the same professional networking need as CARBAO but via virtual, algorithmically matched meetings rather than local clubs.
• Réseau Entreprendre: French entrepreneur network pairing business creators with established mentors; overlaps with CARBAO's Action CARBAO program and targets similar SME founders, though anchored in mentorship rather than referrals.
• Meetup: Platform for organizing local professional and interest-based meetups. Competes indirectly for the same SME networking use case via lighter-weight, lower-friction local events.
• APM (Association Progrès du Management): French network of SME CEOs organized in local groups for peer exchange and training; comparable club-based structure and SME director persona but with a management-training rather than referral focus.

Direct peers

• LeTip International: US-based business networking organization with a one-member-per-category club model and structured weekly meetings and referral tracking, comparable in core mechanics to CARBAO.
• BNI (Business Network International): Global business referral networking organization with the same one-member-per-profession-per-chapter model. Closest direct competitor and benchmark for CARBAO's club-based referral mechanics.
• BNI France: French franchise of BNI operating structured referral chapters across France. Directly competes with CARBAO for the same SME member base in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• Rotary International: Global membership-based club organization with local chapters, ethical framework, and regular meetings. Shares the structured-club-and-charter DNA with CARBAO, though focused on service rather than business referrals.
• CCI France (Chambres de Commerce et d'Industrie): National network of French Chambers of Commerce serving SMEs with networking, training, and advocacy. Broader, institutionally backed incumbent that overlaps in serving French business owners.
• CPME (Confédération des PME): National confederation representing French SMEs. Overlaps with CARBAO's target persona (SME directors) but operates as an advocacy and representation body rather than a referral network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCl0DDrR5a1CnGrP_yj6fhvw
• Facebookfacebook.com/carbao.france
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carbao-france
• Instagraminstagram.com/carbao_france
• Xx.com/CarbaoFrance

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 CARBAO