What Les Ombres does

Les Ombres is a French nonprofit association (association loi 1901 d'intérêt général) founded in 2021, headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, that delivers mentoring and academic/professional insertion support to young people aged 14-21 in the Aide Sociale à l'Enfance (ASE) child welfare system. The organization originated as a spin-off from YourOrientation, a 2019 Parcoursup orientation platform whose three founders (Antoine, Louis, Gabriel) declined a buyout offer to redirect their work toward ASE youth, a population of approximately 400,000 in France facing elevated rates of unemployment (30%), non-completion of diplomas (70%), homelessness (25%), and reduced life expectancy (20 years lower). The service portfolio comprises three core pillars—individual mentoring (1-on-1 with expert volunteers, 1-2 hours/week for 4-12 months), collective orientation workshops (academic orientation, Parcoursup navigation, CV/interview preparation, administrative procedures), and volunteer tutoring sessions at partner facilities—augmented by a computer donation program (700 units distributed via Capgemini and Break Poverty Foundation), driving license financing for rural youth (Renault Foundation), and a mobile outreach initiative called Tour de France des Foyers reaching underserved rural areas. Reported outcomes include 87% employment access, 91% finding their path, and 94% mentoring satisfaction among accompanied youth.

The technology layer is intentionally lightweight: Airtable for volunteer-mentee matching, website intake forms, and HelloAsso for donations, with no proprietary AI/ML components or integration platform. The operating model is volunteer-centric, mobilizing 1,000+ active mentors (students, employees, retirees) coordinated by a core staff of approximately 14 led by co-presidents Antoine Marvier and Louis Poinsignon, Director General Mourad Remili, and treasurer Gabriel Marvier. Distribution is executed through 100+ partner youth home facilities, on-site workshops at ASE structures, and the Tour de France des Foyers mobile program, supported by regional government partnerships with Ville de Paris and the départements of Alpes-Maritimes and Nord.

Revenue is not publicly disclosed and is generated entirely through a three-stream donation model: tax-deductible individual donations (60% deduction in France), corporate partnerships (Société Générale, Capgemini, FDJ, Elevation Capital Partners, MAN Energy Solutions), and foundation grants (Fondation de France, Bettencourt Schueller, Renault Foundation, Break Poverty Foundation). The organization is GDPR-compliant, holds no patents, and operates exclusively within France with no disclosed foreign expansion plans.

Name

Les Ombres

Legal name

Les Ombres

Website

https://les-ombres.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Les Ombres is a French nonprofit founded in 2021 that provides mentoring, orientation workshops, and academic/professional insertion support to youth aged 14-21 in the French child welfare system (Aide Sociale à l'Enfance), funded through donations, corporate partnerships, and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Mentorship and Social Welfare Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• Career orientation support
• Child welfare assistance
• Educational guidance programs
• Nonprofit social services

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulogne-billancourt

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals (60% tax deductible in France) supporting computer equipment, mentoring programs, and coaching workshops.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with companies like Société Générale, Capgemini, FDJ who provide funding, volunteer programs, and donations.
3. Foundation Grants: Support from foundations including Fondation de France, Fondation Bettencourt Schueller, and Fondation Renault for specific programs and initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Les Ombres is a French non-profit association that provides academic and professional insertion support to young people aged 14-21 in the Aide Sociale à l'Enfance (ASE) child welfare system. Its core offerings consist of one-on-one mentoring with volunteer mentors, group orientation workshops covering Parcoursup navigation and career guidance, volunteer tutoring sessions, computer donations for digital inclusion, and driving license financing for rural youth.

Product overview

Les Ombres operates as a non-profit association offering a unified mentoring and support ecosystem for young people in the French child welfare system (ASE). The core offering consists of three interconnected service pillars: (1) Individual Mentoring with expert volunteers, (2) Collective Orientation Workshops, and (3) Volunteer Tutoring. These are supported by supplementary services including computer donations, driving license financing, and the mobile 'Tour de France des Foyers' program. The organization is developing 'L'École des Ombres' to train educators. The platform connects young people (ages 14-25) with volunteer mentors who provide guidance on academic orientation, professional insertion, and administrative procedures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mentorat Individuel (Individual Mentoring) One-on-one mentoring program pairing young people from the Aide Sociale à l'Enfance (ASE) aged 14-21 with expert volunteer mentors for personalized educational and professional support, typically 1-2 hours per week for 4-12 months.
• Ateliers Collectifs d'Orientation (Collective Orientation Workshops)

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, regional and minor.

• Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale et de la JeunessecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench Ministry of Education partnership supporting educational orientation and academic insertion for ASE youth.
• EDHEC Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness school partnership providing student volunteers as mentors and educational expertise.
• Département des Alpes-MaritimesregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional government partnership supporting Tour de France des Foyers and local youth support.
• Ville de ParisregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerParis city government partnership supporting youth programs in the capital region.
• Département du NordregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional government partnership supporting Tour de France des Foyers in the Nord department.
• MAN Energy SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial company supporting programs through financial contributions.
• BenevityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate giving platform enabling employees of partner companies to donate to Les Ombres through workplace giving programs.
• WenabiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEmployee engagement platform facilitating corporate volunteering and donations.
• Jour de la PersonneminorOthersCorporate partner encouraging employee engagement and volunteering.
• VendrediminorOthersCorporate partner facilitating employee volunteering programs.
• VertoneminorOthersConsulting firm engaged in employee volunteer activities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Singa France: French nonprofit creating connections between refugees and local communities through mentoring and professional inclusion programs. Comparable in volunteer-mentor driven integration model, with overlapping corporate partner base.
• Article 1: French nonprofit focused on equal opportunity and mentoring for young people from under-resourced backgrounds. Directly comparable to Les Ombres in mentoring/youth-insertion mission, though serving a broader population beyond ASE.
• NQT (Nos Quartiers ont du Talent): French nonprofit pairing young graduates from priority neighborhoods with professional mentors for employment access. Closely comparable professional-insertion mentoring model and volunteer-driven approach.
• AFev (Association de la Fondation Étudiante pour la Ville): Major French student-volunteer mentoring association running campus-based tutoring programs in priority neighborhoods. Closely comparable volunteer-mentor model for educational equity, with similar target demographics.
• Télémaque: French NGO supporting scholarship students from priority neighborhoods through long-term mentoring and academic/professional support. Highly comparable 1-on-1 mentoring structure with similar target age and outcomes.

Broad incumbents

• Fondation de France: France's largest grant-making foundation. Functions both as a peer funder of youth-serving nonprofits and as a direct funder of Les Ombres; comparable in targeting vulnerable-youth outcomes through grant-making.
• Emmaüs France: Major French social-inclusion federation with broad programs across housing, employment, and education for vulnerable populations. Larger incumbent with overlapping beneficiary populations and foundation partnerships.

Emerging players

• Chemins d'avenirs: French nonprofit focused on rural youth equal opportunity and academic orientation. Comparable in its rural-distribution focus and academic-orientation mission, particularly relevant to Les Ombres' Tour de France des Foyers model.
• Mozaïk RH: French impact recruitment firm promoting diversity in hiring, often connecting young people from underprivileged backgrounds with employment. Comparable in employment-insertion outcomes, though more B2B-focused.

Others

• Benevity: Corporate-giving platform that enables employees to donate and volunteer with nonprofits like Les Ombres. Ecosystem enabler and current GTM partner; comparable only in enabling corporate volunteer engagement at scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lesombres1215
• Facebookfacebook.com/lesombres.ase
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/les-ombres
• Instagraminstagram.com/lesombresasso/?igsh=MWVsbzVybDd4ZzBqdw%3D%3D
• TikToktiktok.com/@lesombresasso

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Les Ombres