Groupe One

What Groupe One does

Groupe One is a Brussels-headquartered Belgian non-profit founded in 1998 that supports the transition to a sustainable economy by coaching, incubating, and financing sustainable entrepreneurs. It operates a three-pillar service model — INSPIRER (awareness, training, events), ACCOMPAGNER (coaching, incubation, financing, workspace), and CHANGER (territorial innovation projects) — and serves aspiring entrepreneurs, active SMEs, women entrepreneurs (WomenLab), young graduates (BoostLab), public institutions, and sustainable-food ecosystem actors primarily in Brussels and Wallonia, with select European partnerships extending reach to France, the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, the UK, Romania, Slovenia, and Hungary.

Its core product suite comprises START (business creation coaching), GROW (coaching for active entrepreneurs), HOST (workspace rental), WomenLab and BoostLab (specialized incubators), Village Finance (€5,000 grants for exemplary sustainable Brussels businesses), and proprietary tools including the Ecotoolkit (ecological diagnostic), Boost Your Shop (retail sustainability toolkit), and the CAGE European e-learning platform. Territorial innovation projects — Bike Delivery (mutualized cargo-bike logistics), V.R.A.C. (collective food purchasing), Agricœur (community food hub), Recyclerie de Sport (sports equipment circularity), and GROOF (rooftop-greenhouse business-model research) — extend the model beyond coaching into on-the-ground economic-transition infrastructure. Underlying technology is essentially non-proprietary: the organization is a services-and-community operator, not a software product company, relying on standard web platforms, content libraries, and structured program curricula.

Revenue mechanics blend fee-for-service coaching (partially subsidized via Walloon chèques-entreprises at 75% coverage), paid incubation (WomenLab, co-financed by the ING Fund via Fondation Roi Baudouin), free subsidized programs (BoostLab, funded by Région de Bruxelles-Capitale), subsidized coworking rentals, and a substantial share of institutional grant and European-project funding (INTERREG NWE for GROOF, Erasmus+ for CAGE/Building Bridges, Bruxelles Économie et Emploi and Bruxelles Mobilité for Bike Delivery). Customer acquisition is community-led and event-driven, supplemented by direct coaching intake and partnerships with regional governments, research institutions, and European consortia.

Name

Groupe One

Legal name

Groupe One

Website

https://groupeone.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Groupe One is a Belgian non-profit founded in 1998 that supports sustainable entrepreneurship through coaching, specialized incubators (WomenLab, BoostLab), subsidized coworking, and territorial innovation projects, serving aspiring entrepreneurs, SMEs, and public institutions in Brussels and Wallonia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Support Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Circular Economy & Sustainable Products (Reuse, Repair, Upcycling) (BPAGALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

SME & Entrepreneurship Development (Trade-Linked) (BPADAMAE), Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

Keywords

• Sustainable entrepreneurship support
• Business incubation services
• Entrepreneurship coaching
• Circular economy consulting
• Sustainable food systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Coaching and consulting services: Groupe One generates revenue through coaching services for business creation (START), business development (GROW), and organizational coaching. These are fee-for-service offerings, partially subsidized by public programs (chèques-entreprises in Wallonia, regional subsidies in Brussels).
2. Incubation program fees: WomenLab is described as a paid/co-financed program (cofinancé par le Fonds ING géré par la Fondation Roi Baudouin). BoostLab is free, funded by the Région de Bruxelles-Capitale.
3. Workspace rental (Village Partenaire): Groupe One operates Village Partenaire, a coworking/enterprise center offering subsidized office spaces to young entrepreneurs, generating rental income.
4. Public grants and project subsidies: Groupe One receives funding through European projects (INTERREG NWE for GROOF, Erasmus+ for CAGE, Building Bridges), regional government subsidies (Région Bruxelles-Capitale, Région wallonne), and institutional partnerships for territorial innovation projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Groupe One is a non-profit organization that supports sustainable entrepreneurship in Belgium through coaching, incubation programs, subsidized coworking spaces, grants, and territorial innovation projects. Its services span three axes — inspiring individuals to act for change (awareness, training, events), accompanying entrepreneurs (business creation coaching, active entrepreneur coaching, group programs, financing, workspace), and driving territorial change (studies, consulting, project management for sustainable economic transition).

Product overview

Groupe One offers a comprehensive suite of entrepreneurship support services organized around three core pillars: INSPIRER (awareness, training, and events), ACCOMPAGNER (coaching and incubation), and CHANGER (territorial innovation projects). The primary offerings include START for new business creation, GROW for existing business coaching, and HOST for workspace provision. Specialized incubation programs include WomenLab for female entrepreneurs and BoostLab for young entrepreneurs. Supporting tools include Village Finance grants, Ecotoolkit for environmental diagnostics, and Boost Your Shop for retail sustainability. The organization also manages territorial innovation projects including Bike Delivery for cyclo-logistics, V.R.A.C. for collective food purchasing, and Agricœur as a collaborative food hub.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WomenLab: Incubator program for women entrepreneurs with a 100% female and tailored program to help women overcome barriers and start their own businesses.
• BoostLab
• Village Partenaire
• Village Finance
• Bike Delivery
• CAGE (Circular Academy for Green Entrepreneurs)
• Bruxsel Demain

Products and services

• START Business creation coaching program for aspiring entrepreneurs in Belgium, covering business model development, financial planning, legal structure, and administrative guidance for launching a sustainable business.
• GROW Coaching services for active entrepreneurs seeking to stabilize, develop, or transform their businesses toward greater resilience and sustainability.
• WomenLab 100% female-focused incubation program helping women entrepreneurs overcome barriers and progress through each stage of business creation, co-financed by the ING Fund managed by the Fondation Roi Baudouin.
• BoostLab Free incubator program for young students and recent graduates to develop and launch their entrepreneurial ventures during or after their studies, funded by Région de Bruxelles-Capitale.
• Village Partenaire Subsidized coworking space center in Saint-Gilles, Brussels offering affordable office solutions and a community environment for early-stage entrepreneurs.
• Village Finance Grant program providing €5,000 bursaries for exemplary sustainable businesses in the Brussels region, administered in partnership with Bruxelles Économie et Emploi.
• EXPLORE Program helping existing businesses transform their activities toward greater sustainability through coaching and support.
• Ecotoolkit Online diagnostic tool helping businesses assess their ecological footprint and receive sustainability improvement recommendations.
• Boost Your Shop Toolkit designed to enhance the sustainability of urban commerce businesses, providing practical guides for retail sustainability.
• CAGE (Circular Academy for Green Entrepreneurs) European e-learning platform offering free online modules on circular economy entrepreneurship and sustainable entrepreneurship for European youth, developed in partnership with 4 European organizations.
• Bike Delivery Shared cargo bike delivery service for Brussels small businesses and merchants, enabling eco-friendly last-mile deliveries and now operated by Velo Cargo.
• V.R.A.C. (Vers un Réseau d'Achat en Commun) Association promoting collective purchasing of quality food at affordable prices, addressing both food precarity and fair producer compensation. Groupe One developed the Brussels branch in 2022 and is expanding to Charleroi in Wallonia.
• Agricœur Collective food hub providing production, processing, storage, sales spaces, and business support services for sustainable food entrepreneurs in Frasnes-Lez-Gosselies, co-founded by Groupe One.
• Territorial Innovation Consulting Consultancy and project management services for municipalities, regional governments, and public bodies on sustainable economic transition, local commerce revitalization, food system transformation, and sustainable development projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% of coaching costs subsidized through Walloon chèques-entreprises program for eligible entrepreneurs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FarmforgoodcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Farmforgood is a cooperative of local producers supplying Maison Dandoy with flour from regenerative agriculture at a 30% premium over market price, but free from speculative markets. Groupe One features this partnership as a model of robust supply chain management and relocalization.
• CNPCD (Romania)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 December 2023CNPCD is a Romanian partner in the Circular Academy for Green Entrepreneurs (CAGE) project, a European e-learning initiative on circular economy and sustainable entrepreneurship co-created with Groupe One, Miitr (Slovenia), and Fitt (Romania). The project includes roadtrips in Belgium and Romania.
• Miitr (Slovenia)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 December 2023Miitr is a Slovenian partner in the CAGE European e-learning project coordinated by Groupe One, alongside CNPCD and Fitt (Romania). The platform offers free online modules on circular economy entrepreneurship for European youth.
• Fitt (Romania)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 December 2023Fitt is a Romanian partner in the CAGE circular economy e-learning project, collaborating with Groupe One, CNPCD, and Miitr to deliver online entrepreneurship training and inspirational roadtrips across Europe.
• Probono LabminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 April 2022Probono Lab partnered with Groupe One, Pour la Solidarité, and Önkéntes Központ on the APTE (A Pathway to Employment) project launched in Paris in April 2022, focused on social and sustainable economy employment.
• Pour la SolidaritéminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 April 2022Pour la Solidarité is a Belgian think-and-do tank partnering with Groupe One on the APTE project alongside Probono Lab and Önkéntes Központ to promote employment in social and sustainable economy.
• Önkéntes Központ (Hungary)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 April 2022Önkéntes Központ is a Hungarian organization partnering with Groupe One on the APTE project for employment in the social and sustainable economy sector.
• IED (Greece)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2021IED (Greece) was a partner in the Building Bridges project alongside Groupe One, CNPCD (Romania), MIITR (Slovenia), and FITT (Romania), which launched a European e-learning platform to promote sustainable entrepreneurship and circular economy among young people.
• MIITR (Slovenia)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2021MIITR (Slovenia) partnered with Groupe One and others on Building Bridges, a European e-learning platform promoting circular economy entrepreneurship among youth, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme.
• Groupement d'Action Locale du Pays des 4 BrascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021This local action group initiated the Agricœur tiers-lieu project, bringing together partners in sustainable food to build a community food hub. Groupe One is co-founder and board member of Agricœur.
• Commune des Bons VillersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The Commune des Bons Villers hosts the Agricœur food hub project (tiers-lieu nourricier) initiated by the Pays des 4 Bras action group, with Groupe One as co-founder.
• Commune de NivellesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021The Commune de Nivelles commissioned Groupe One for a 6-month mission to revitalize its city center by supporting existing businesses, helping new entrepreneurs, increasing visibility, and improving parking accessibility.
• Various Brussels municipalitiesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Multiple Brussels communes support Groupe One's Recyclerie de Sport initiative, collaborating on the circular economy and social reintegration project alongside SportCircular and Recyclerie Sociale de Saint-Gilles.
• Solvay Start LabminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Solvay Start Lab is an incubator that several Groupe One-supported entrepreneurs (e.g., Ozer Concept, Canopée) used as their primary incubation structure, with Groupe One providing supplementary coaching at Village Partenaire.
• UrbikecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Urbike is a Brussels-based cargo bike logistics operator partnered with Groupe One on the Bike Delivery project (evolved from MaZone), providing affordable, eco-friendly cargo bike delivery services for small Brussels merchants, with support from Bruxelles Économie et Emploi and Bruxelles Mobilité.
• Velo CargominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Velo Cargo is a Brussels-based cargo bike logistics operator that took over operations of the Bike Delivery prototype originally developed by Groupe One, BEE, Bruxelles Mobilité, and Urbike, continuing the shared delivery service for small Brussels merchants.
• SportCircularminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020SportCircular partners with Groupe One to advise municipalities, sports clubs and centers on optimizing sustainability and resources for circular economy in sports, part of the Recyclerie de Sport initiative.
• Recyclerie Sociale de Saint-GillesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Recyclerie Sociale de Saint-Gilles collaborates with Groupe One's Recyclerie de Sport project, combining experiences in reuse and social reintegration through collection, sorting, and repair of sports equipment.
• Collectif Développement Cantine Durable (CDCD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020CDCD is a collective of 9 field actors working to transform food offerings in schools toward sustainable, local, organic, and equitable models. Groupe One is a member, contributing expertise on food systems, supply chains, and sustainable entrepreneurship.
• Office Nationale de l'Enfance (ONE)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020ONE provides pediatric consultations at the Agricœur tiers-lieu, integrating social and health services within the community food hub ecosystem managed by Groupe One.
• Kaya des Eco-preneur·es (coalition)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Groupe One participates in and influences policy through the Kaya coalition of eco-entrepreneurs, a collective advocacy initiative aimed at shaping public policy for sustainable entrepreneurship.
• Hub.brusselsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Hub.brussels helped organize Ozer Concept's first pop-up event and is a partner in providing entrepreneurship support services that complement Groupe One's coaching offerings.
• GEL DansaertminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020GEL Dansaert (Groupement des Entreprises du Logement) provided additional support to Groupe One-assisted entrepreneurs such as Ozer Concept in the Brussels area.
• Centre de Recherche en Agriculture Urbaine de Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech (ULiège)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech's urban agriculture research center inaugurated the SERR'URE low-energy rooftop greenhouse (one of 4 GROOF pilot greenhouses) in December 2022. Groupe One contributes business model research for urban agriculture within this European project.
• GROOF (11 European partners, INTERREG NWE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018GROOF is a European INTERREG NWE project studying and experimenting with rooftop greenhouses, involving 11 European partners including Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech. Groupe One contributes business model research for urban agriculture and supports development of greenhouse projects across Belgium, Germany, France, Netherlands, England, and Ireland.
• V.R.A.C. (Vers un Réseau d'Achat en Commun)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013V.R.A.C. is an association born in France in 2013, focused on group purchasing of quality food to make sustainable nutrition accessible to precarious populations while ensuring fair income for producers. Groupe One developed the Brussels branch in 2022 and is expanding to Charleroi (Wallonia) by creating a new non-profit.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Réseau Entreprendre: France- and Belgium-active non-profit network of entrepreneurs providing coaching, mentoring, and financing to business creators; structurally similar mission to Groupe One's coaching and incubation programs.
• Solvay Start Lab: Brussels-based incubator serving early-stage entrepreneurs; Groupe One has explicitly referred entrepreneurs to Solvay Start Lab as primary incubator while providing complementary coaching, indicating close overlap in offering.
• Hub.brussels: Brussels agency supporting entrepreneurship and business growth, including for sustainable and impact ventures; explicit partner in the data and a direct competitor for the same Brussels entrepreneur pool.
• Impact Hub Brussels: Coworking and incubation space focused on social entrepreneurship and sustainability in Brussels; directly comparable to Village Partenaire and Groupe One's incubation/community model.
• Ashoka Belgium: Global social-entrepreneurship support organization active in Belgium; comparable as a non-profit network identifying, coaching, and funding system-changing entrepreneurs with similar program structures.

Others

• GreenBiz: Media and community platform focused on sustainable business practice; thematically aligned with Groupe One's circular-economy and sustainability content (Ecotoolkit, Boost Your Shop) but operates as an information/community provider rather than direct coaching.
• European Enterprise Network (EEN): EU-wide network supporting SMEs and entrepreneurs with cross-border services; adjacent ecosystem participant that overlaps with the international components of Groupe One's European project portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Enactus: Global non-profit operating student- and youth-focused entrepreneurship programs with a sustainability mission; comparable to BoostLab and CAGE youth entrepreneurship offerings, though operating at much larger scale.
• Bpifrance: France's public investment bank running nationwide entrepreneurship support, training, and coaching programs; a broader incumbent in the same SME/entrepreneurship support category with similar subsidized-coaching mechanics.

Regional players

• Bruxelles Formation: Brussels public body delivering professional training and entrepreneurship programs; competes for the same regional public funding pot and the same Brussels-based aspiring entrepreneurs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bikedelivery.brussels
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/18548644/admin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Groupe One