Only Lyon

What Only Lyon does

Only Lyon is the operating brand of ONLYLYON & CO (formerly ADERLY — Agence pour le Développement Économique de la Région Lyonnaise), a French non-profit association founded in 1974 and co-chaired by Métropole de Lyon and CCI Lyon Métropole Saint-Étienne Roanne. The organization runs two core programs: ONLYLYON Invest, an economic attraction initiative that provides free personalized support (real estate solutions, funding and grants, HR, employee mobility, business partnerships, legal/tax guidance, communication/networking) to companies seeking to establish or expand operations in the Lyon region; and the broader ONLYLYON territorial marketing initiative, launched in 2007 as a pioneering brand in France and Europe to promote Lyon's attractiveness nationally and internationally.

The organization's platform architecture is centered on a Territorial Marketing brand and an Ambassador Network Platform (ambassadeurs.onlylyon.com) with SSO integrations (Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Facebook), a separate Invest portal (invest.onlylyon.com), a Press Dossiers distribution channel, and an ONLYLYON Box prospect engagement package. It serves four primary segments — tourists and visitors, investors and businesses, students and academics, and event organizers — through direct digital channels, 14 globally connected ambassador communities, and institutional partners.

The business model is non-commercial: services are free to all target audiences. Operating funding comes from membership fees and contributions from public co-chairs, founding members (Grand Lyon La Métropole, Ville de Lyon, Université de Lyon), and private GTM partners (EDF, Keolis, JCDecaux, Huttopia, EPSA Group, Endrix). Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The organization holds GDPR-compliant data practices and operates with 11–50 employees.

Name

Only Lyon

Legal name

ADERLY - Agence de Développement Économique de la Région Lyonnaise

Website

https://onlylyon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Only Lyon (legally ONLYLYON & CO, formerly ADERLY) is a French non-profit association that runs the official territorial marketing brand for Lyon and the ONLYLYON Invest economic attraction program, offering free promotion, relocation support, and an ambassador network of 26,000+ members to tourists, investors, students, and event organizers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising Agencies (54181)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

Keywords

• Territorial marketing services
• Economic development agency
• Investment attraction services
• Destination promotion
• Business relocation support

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ONLYLYON is the official territorial marketing and economic development agency for the Lyon metropolitan area, operating under the non-profit association ADERLY (rebranded ONLYLYON & CO). It delivers the ONLYLYON Invest program (free personalized support for companies and investors establishing or expanding in Lyon, covering real estate, funding, HR, mobility, partnerships and legal/tax guidance) and the broader ONLYLYON territorial marketing program that promotes the region internationally through a 26,000+ ambassador network and dedicated portals for tourism, study and events.

Product overview

Only Lyon operates as a dual-component territorial marketing and economic development initiative. The core consists of two interconnected programs: ONLYLYON Invest (economic attraction) handles business development and investment facilitation, while the broader ONLYLYON territorial marketing campaign manages international promotion and brand building. Supporting these are digital platforms including the Ambassador Network Platform (member management and networking) and supplementary resources such as Press Dossiers and the ONLYLYON Box for prospect engagement. The organization also publishes annual activity reports and maintains sector-focused sub-sites covering talent, industry, and living in Lyon.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Métropole de LyoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-chair of ONLYLYON & CO association; primary institutional partner providing strategic direction and funding for territorial marketing initiatives.
• CCI Lyon Métropole Saint-Étienne RoannecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-chair of ONLYLYON & CO association; Chamber of Commerce providing economic expertise and business network access.
• Grand Lyon La MétropolecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of the ONLYLYON program; metropolitan authority supporting regional development initiatives.
• ADERLY (Agency for Economic Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManaging organization for ONLYLYON Invest economic attraction program; supports company establishment in the region.
• ONLYLYON Tourisme et CongrèscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTourism and convention bureau providing visitor services and event organization support for Lyon.
• Ville de LyoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Lyon; founding member providing municipal support and alignment with city development goals.
• Université de LyoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity consortium; founding member promoting higher education and research collaboration.
• EDFminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrivate partner supporting ONLYLYON marketing initiatives; energy sector collaboration for regional promotion.
• KeolisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrivate partner; public transport operator contributing to regional mobility promotion.
• JCDecauxminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrivate partner; outdoor advertising company providing marketing visibility support.
• HuttopiaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrivate partner; camping and sustainable tourism operator collaborating on nature-based tourism promotion.
• EPSA GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial, operational and environmental performance consulting firm supporting economic development initiatives.
• EndrixminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConsulting firm partner providing business and organization expertise.
• AxeleraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompetitiveness cluster for chemistry and environment in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
• LyonbiopôleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompetitiveness cluster for health and life sciences fostering innovation in biotechnology.
• MEDEF Lyon RhôneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployer federation representing businesses and contributing to economic development discussions.
• École Centrale de LyonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering school contributing to talent development and research collaboration.
• EM Lyon Business SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness school partner supporting entrepreneurship and executive education initiatives.
• INSA LyonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering institute contributing to technical talent development and innovation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Berlin Partner for Business and Technology: Public-private partnership promoting Berlin as a business and technology hub, providing investment support, talent attraction, and tourism marketing. Structurally similar to Only Lyon: co-chaired by public institutions, runs ambassador-style programs, and integrates economic development with territorial marketing.
• Choose Chicago: Chicago's destination marketing organization, responsible for tourism promotion and convention attraction. Comparable to Only Lyon's tourism/convention bureau function, though Only Lyon layers investment attraction on top.
• London & Partners: London's business growth and destination agency, running both investment promotion (Grow London) and tourism/convention marketing (Visit London). Directly comparable to Only Lyon's dual mandate of territorial marketing plus investment attraction for a major European metro.
• Invest in Bavaria: Bavaria's state-level business promotion agency, attracting foreign companies and providing site selection and HR support. Comparable in mission and service mix to ONLYLYON Invest's investment facilitation function.
• Paris Region Entreprises (Choose Paris Region): Economic development agency for the Paris region, attracting foreign investment and promoting the Île-de-France business ecosystem. The most direct domestic competitor for foreign industrial investment projects and structurally analogous to ONLYLYON Invest.

Broad incumbents

• VisitBritain: The national tourism agency for Great Britain, running territorial marketing at a country level. Comparable to Only Lyon's promotional mandate, though operating at greater scale and without the embedded economic development function.
• Business France: France's national agency supporting French companies internationally and promoting inward investment. Overlaps with Only Lyon's ONLYLYON Invest function, though at national rather than regional level; a relevant structural comparable.
• Atout France: France's national tourism development agency, supporting tourism promotion across French destinations. Overlaps with Only Lyon's tourism/convention promotion mandate at the national coordination level.

Regional players

• Greater Zurich Area: Swiss marketing organization promoting the Greater Zurich area as a business location, with strong investment-attraction focus and tech-hub positioning. Comparable to Only Lyon's territorial marketing model in a different (non-French) European market.
• Marseille Provence Invest (Rising Sud): Economic development and territorial marketing agency for the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. The most direct French regional peer, competing for foreign industrial investment projects and offering comparable business support services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OnlyLyon
• Facebookfacebook.com/LyonFrance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/onlylyon

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Only Lyon