Commown

What Commown does

Commown is a Strasbourg-based cooperative (SCIC SA) that rents eco-designed, repairable consumer electronics — primarily smartphones (Fairphone, Crosscall, Shift), laptops (why!, HP), and audio equipment — to individuals, businesses, and public-sector bodies, without any option to purchase. By retaining ownership of the devices, Commown's economics are structurally aligned with maximising device lifespan through repair, refurbishment, and urban mining (the Mine Urbaine buyback of Fairphone 3/3+), directly inverting the planned-obsolescence incentives of conventional sales. The core technology is not algorithmic but operational: a curated catalogue of modular, ethically sourced hardware, in-house repair workflows, a service-de-continuité (loaner/replacement) layer, and a degressive subscription pricing model (6% reduction every six months after month 13, up to 60% over six years) that rewards long-term retention.

The company monetises primarily through recurring monthly subscriptions (range roughly €5.30–€25.90 per device per month), bundled service tiers (Base and All-Inclusive), a Fairphone buyback/credit program, and one-time cooperative share purchases (€20/share, 18% French tax reduction). Distribution is direct via two e-commerce storefronts — shop.commown.coop for individuals and greener-it-pro.commown.coop for professionals — plus a referral/parrainage program and a joint TeleCommown bundle with TeleCoop. The cooperative is embedded in cooperative federations (Licoornes, FairTEC), works with ADEME, INR, and DINUM on responsible public procurement, and ships to France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, and Switzerland; claimed scale is 6,250+ active devices (majority Fairphone) and a 9.5/10 average customer service rating across 1,000+ evaluations.

Strategic posture is constrained by design: the SCIC status caps capital remuneration and enforces democratic governance, with one disclosed Managing Director (Elie Assémat). Revenue, funding, and headcount detail beyond the 11–50 employee band are not publicly disclosed, and there are no announced funding rounds, M&A activity, or AI/ML capability claims in the available data.

Name

Commown

Legal name

COMMOWN - SCIC SA Siret 828 811 489 00040

Website

https://commown.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Commown is a Strasbourg-based cooperative (SCIC) that rents eco-designed, repairable smartphones, laptops, and audio equipment to individuals, businesses, and public-sector buyers across France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, and Switzerland, retaining ownership to maximise device lifespan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Strasbourg

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Device Rental - Subscription Revenue: Monthly rental fees for smartphones, computers, and audio equipment with degressive pricing (6% reduction every 6 months after the first year). Revenue comes from both individual and professional customers through subscription-based rental contracts.
2. Service Contracts: Additional service tiers (Base and All-Inclusive) providing protection against damage, theft, loss, repairs, and technical support, billed as part of monthly subscriptions.
3. Urban Mining Recovery: Commown purchases back Fairphone 3/3+ devices from customers (€60 via bank transfer or €120 as credit for new rentals), recovering devices for repair and reuse.
4. Investment Shares (Parts Sociales): Commown offers cooperative shares for investment, providing 18% tax reduction, with investors gaining voting rights in the General Assembly.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Commown is a French cooperative (SCIC) that leases eco-designed, repairable electronic devices — primarily smartphones, laptops, and audio equipment — to individuals, professionals, and public collectivities through a subscription-based rental model with no option to purchase. The model aligns Commown's economic incentives with maximizing device longevity through repair, refurbishment, and urban mining, while customers benefit from degressive monthly pricing, full repair coverage, and replacement-device continuity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TeleCommown: Joint offering between Commown and TeleCoop cooperatives providing combined mobile and device services with up to 10% reduction for customers subscribing to both services.

Products and services

• Smartphone Rental Subscription

Quantifiable outcome

• 9.5/10 average customer service rating from 1000+ evaluations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TeleCoopcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Joint TeleCommown offering combining Commown's device rental with TeleCoop's mobile services. Provides up to 10% discount for customers subscribing to both cooperatives. Code 'TeleCommown2021' enables €1.50/month reduction at Commown and €1/month at TeleCoop. Both cooperatives share values of solidarity and sustainability.
• LicoornesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective of cooperatives that Commown and TeleCoop belong to, working together on shared projects and mutualization.
• FairTECminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative federation focused on fair technology, bringing together ethical tech companies.
• Libre ObjetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial integration workshop in Strasbourg that manufactures PC bags from upcycled materials for Commown. Accompanies people in job integration programs and has helped over 1000 people find employment since 1997.
• ADEME (Agence de la transition écologique)minorOthersFrench ecological transition agency collaborating on responsible public procurement guidelines.
• INR (Institut du Numérique Responsable)minorOthersFrench institute for responsible digital technology, contributing to responsible public procurement standards.
• DINUM (Direction interministérielle du numérique)minorOthersFrench interministerial digital directorate working on digital public procurement standards.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Grover: Berlin-based tech device subscription/rental company offering smartphones, laptops, and consumer electronics on monthly subscriptions with similar flexibility. Grover is the most direct comparator to Commown's core business model, though it operates at significantly larger scale and with venture capital funding.
• Circulee: Dutch circular IT hardware leasing company providing refurbished laptops and PCs on subscription to businesses with a circular-economy value proposition. Like Commown, Circulee centers sustainability and device longevity in its model, making it a direct competitor in the circular-IT rental space.

Regional players

• asgoodasnew: German retailer specializing in refurbished smartphones, tablets, and laptops with buy-back trade-in services. Adjacent to Commown's Mine Urbaine buyback program and competes for similar DACH sustainability-driven consumers.
• Back Market: France-headquartered marketplace for refurbished consumer electronics, with strong presence in Western Europe. While Back Market sells rather than rents, both companies pursue the same sustainability-conscious customers and compete for the 'circular electronics' brand association in the French market.
• Refurbed: Austrian marketplace for refurbished consumer electronics operating across DACH and broader Europe. Refurbed addresses the same end-customer demand for sustainable devices as Commown but via a resale model rather than subscription rental.
• reBuy: Germany-based recommerce platform that buys and sells used consumer electronics, including laptops and smartphones. Operates as a resale alternative to Commown's rental model within the same sustainability narrative in German-speaking markets.

Others

• Fairphone: Dutch ethical smartphone manufacturer whose devices dominate Commown's installed base. Fairphone is a critical supplier and ecosystem partner rather than direct competitor, but both companies share the same sustainability-led brand and target customer segment.

Broad incumbents

• CHG-MERIDIAN: Major European IT leasing and lifecycle management company operating technology rental and refurbishment programs for enterprises. Comparable as a broad incumbent in device-as-a-service but with a much larger portfolio spanning multiple asset categories beyond consumer electronics.
• Econocom: European IT leasing and digital services heavyweight offering device-as-a-service, financing, and circular IT to enterprises. Econocom is a broad incumbent that competes with Commown on corporate B2B device fleets but lacks Commown's cooperative values-based positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=LLE-W3qBfbs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/commown
• Xx.com/commownfr
• Facebookfacebook.com/commownfr

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 Commown