Dartagnans
Dartagnans is a French heritage-preservation company that pioneered collective castle ownership via equity crowdfunding, operating two historic château properties (La Mothe Chandeniers and Boulogne-la-Grasse) with 50,000+ co-owners across 183 countries, plus eco-lodges, event hosting, and pan-European nighttime heritage events.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Dartagnans does
Dartagnans is a private French heritage-preservation company (SAS, founded 2017, headquartered in Paris) that invented and operates a collective-ownership model for historic French castles. The company acquires and restores abandoned châteaux by selling shares in dedicated Special Purpose Companies (SAS de la Mothe Chandeniers, SAS Châteaux Merveilles), enabling thousands of individuals — referred to as "co-Châtelains" — to become fractional owners with governance rights. €6.8M has been collectively raised through two crowdfunding campaigns to date (2017, 2022), creating a community of 50,000+ co-owners across 183 countries plus ~7,500 for the second property.
The operational business spans several integrated revenue streams: day-visitor admissions to two owned/managed castles (Château de la Mothe Chandeniers in Vienne and Château de Boulogne-la-Grasse in Oise), four ecolodge overnight stays at La Mothe Chandeniers, private-event privatization in a 400m² glass orangery (weddings up to 350 guests, corporate seminars), a tiered member-card subscription (€10-€15 annually) with cashback features, and merchandise via the Boutique des Châteaux. Distribution is multi-channel, combining direct online share-investment sites, physical castle visits open 365 days/year, e-commerce storefronts, and event-ticketing platforms. The two recurring European events — La Nuit des Châteaux (annual, October, since 2019 across 5 countries) and La Nuit des Monuments (spring, since 2025, expanding beyond castles) — coordinate 300+ partner monuments and have drawn 180,000+ visitors cumulatively.
La Mothe Chandeniers reached profitability in 2025 and four consecutive Michelin Green Stars (2022-2025) anchor premium brand positioning; the company's headcount (11-50), technology stack (Wix/AWS, no proprietary AI or platform tooling), and crowdfunding-led capital structure place it firmly in the cultural-tourism SME segment rather than a venture-scalable software business. The founder-CEO Romain Delaume has guided the company through a near-three-year regulatory review of its endowment fund (cleared Dec 2025), and the strategic roadmap signals further property roll-ups and event-franchise expansion through 2030.
Dartagnans firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Dartagnans
- Legal name
- Dartagnans
- Website
- https://dartagnans.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Dartagnans is a French heritage-preservation company that pioneered collective castle ownership via equity crowdfunding, operating two historic château properties (La Mothe Chandeniers and Boulogne-la-Grasse) with 50,000+ co-owners across 183 countries, plus eco-lodges, event hosting, and pan-European nighttime heritage events.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Dartagnans industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cultural Heritage Tourism
- NAICS
- Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (71212), Historical Sites (712120)
- SIC
- Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), Venue-Owned/Operated Event Organizers (In-House Promoters) (MPAKADAI)
Keywords
Where Dartagnans is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Dartagnans business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Co-ownership shares and crowdfunding: The company raises capital for castle acquisitions and restoration through the sale of shares in Special Purpose Companies (SAS). Co-châtelains purchase shares starting at €79 per share to become part-owners of castles like La Mothe Chandeniers and Château de Boulogne.
- Tourism and visits: Revenue from visitor admissions to the castles, guided tours, and cultural experiences at the properties.
- Ecolodges and hospitality: Four eco-lodges at La Mothe Chandeniers offering overnight stays with modern comfort facing the historic castle. Rooms feature Queen Size beds, ensuite bathrooms, kitchen facilities, and views of the château.
- Private events and venue rental: The company generates revenue through privatization of castle spaces for weddings, corporate events, seminars, and team building activities. The glass orangery accommodates 350 attendees with full event infrastructure.
- Member cards and merchandise: Annual membership cards (€15 for new, €10 renewal) provide co-châtelains with privileges, discounts, and cashback benefits. The card system creates recurring revenue stream and enhances community engagement.
- Event participation fees: La Nuit des Châteaux and La Nuit des Monuments events generate revenue through participant fees (10% commission from partner monuments). Hundreds of castles across Europe participate in these annual events.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Share purchase in castle co-ownership (La Mothe Chandeniers) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Share purchase in castle co-ownership (Château de Boulogne) |
| Subscription | Annual | Member card (new purchase) |
| Subscription | Annual | Member card (renewal) |
| Subscription | Annual | 11-tier color-coded card system based on shares held |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels9 records
Dartagnans product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Dartagnans enables collective ownership of historic French castles through equity crowdfunding, with thousands of co-owners (co-Châtelains) purchasing shares in dedicated SAS companies to acquire and restore heritage sites. The company then operates these castles as tourism destinations with visits, eco-lodge accommodations, private events, and weddings, while producing large-scale pan-European cultural events (La Nuit des Châteaux and La Nuit des Monuments).
Product overview
Dartagnans is a French heritage preservation company that operates a multi-product platform centered on saving and revitalizing historic castles through collective ownership crowdfunding. The core offering consists of two owned/managed properties—Château de la Mothe Chandeniers (awarded a Michelin Green Star since 2022) and Château de Boulogne-la-Grasse—both acquired through public share offerings that created communities of thousands of co-Châtelain shareholders. Supporting the visitor experience are ecolodge accommodations, a glass orangerie event space for weddings and corporate events, and a tiered membership card with payment and cashback features. The company also creates and organizes two large-scale European events: La Nuit des Châteaux (annual October event since 2019, now in its 8th edition) and La Nuit des Monuments (spring event since 2025 open to all monument types). An online boutique sells merchandise and membership cards. The business model combines tourism revenue (visits, stays, events), crowdfunding capital raises, and recurring membership fees to fund restoration work.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- La Mothe Chandeniers: A restored 19th-century fairytale castle in Vienne, France, distinguished with a Michelin Green Star, offering visits, events, hospitality, and local products.
- Château de Boulogne-la-Grasse
- La Nuit des Châteaux
- La Nuit des Monuments
- La Boutique des Châteaux
Products and services
- Château de la Mothe Chandeniers A 19th-century fairy-tale château in Vienne, France, saved through crowdfunding in 2017 and opened as a tourist destination offering guided tours, events, weddings, seminars, and eco-lodge accommodations. Recognized with a Michelin Green Star since 2022.
- Château de Boulogne-la-Grasse A historic château in Oise, France, collectively purchased by over 5,000 co-Châtelains in 2022 and opened to the public in 2024. Currently under restoration with plans for guided tours, immersive accommodations, and scenographed visit experiences.
- Écolodges de la Mothe Chandeniers Four eco-friendly lodging units within the estate park offering modern amenities including equipped kitchen, queen-size bedroom, and shower facilities, with views of the historic château. Targeted at overnight guests seeking an immersive heritage experience.
- La Nuit des Châteaux An annual European nighttime event (8th edition in 2026) where hundreds of monuments simultaneously open their doors for unique nocturnal experiences, featuring illuminations, spectacles, and torch-lit visits. Generated 180,000+ visitors across 5 countries by 2025.
- La Nuit des Monuments
Quantifiable outcome
- La Mothe Chandeniers reached profitability in 2025 with projected €500K revenue
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Dartagnans
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Dartagnans technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Dartagnans partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- La Demeure HistoriquecoreLa Demeure Historique is an association representing and supporting owners of private historic monuments in France. They partner with Dartagnans for the Nuit des Monuments event, helping promote heritage preservation to their member network of monument owners.
- Ateliers DelattreminorConstruction firm that built the Eiffel-style event space in the park of La Mothe Chandeniers (2021), creating a 350-person capacity event venue overlooking the château.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)minorWebsite hosting provider as stated in the Terms and Conditions. All Dartagnans web properties are hosted on AWS infrastructure.
- Pass CultureminorFrench government cultural pass program allowing young people (18+) to access cultural experiences. Dartagnans castles are available through the platform.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves14 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Dartagnans competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Adopte1Château: French crowdfunding initiative offering symbolic "adoption" of historic châteaux in need of restoration. Direct functional competitor to Dartagnans' collective-ownership model with the same heritage-saving narrative and donor base.
- La Demeure Historique: French association of private owners of historic monuments, actively partnering with Dartagnans on La Nuit des Monuments. Comparable mission of supporting château preservation, though structured as an owner association rather than a for-profit operator.
Emerging players
- Ulule: One of the leading French reward-based crowdfunding platforms. Comparable in mobilizing mass communities of small contributors toward shared cultural/heritage projects, though Ulule is a horizontal platform while Dartagnans operates vertically in heritage.
- Patrimoine & Héritage (Heritage Foundation crowdfunding initiatives): Fondation du Patrimoine runs the national Loto du Patrimoine and crowdfunding missions for endangered French heritage sites. Direct functional competitor/adjacent in financing château restoration, though it operates as a recognized public-interest foundation rather than a profit-oriented operator.
- KissKissBankBank: Major French crowdfunding platform (now owned by Ulule/Bankraizer group) that has hosted heritage and château preservation projects. Overlaps with Dartagnans on the donation/reward crowdfunding mechanic applied to heritage causes.
Broad incumbents
- Relais & Châteaux: Global association of luxury hotels and restaurants, many housed in historic châteaux. Overlaps with Dartagnans on heritage hospitality (eco-lodges, weddings) and Michelin-recognized dining, but operates at much higher price points and scale.
- Centre des monuments nationaux: French public institution operating ~100 national monuments including châteaux. A much larger established incumbent in heritage tourism, with overlapping visitor base and complementary role to Dartagnans as both a competitor and a potential partner for Nuit des Châteaux.
Others
- Châteaux de la Loire (regional tourism body): Regional tourism organization promoting Loire Valley castles, already listed as a Dartagnans marketing partner. Comparable in promoting castle tourism to the same visitor segments but operates as a public marketing body rather than a property operator.
- Ateliers Delattre: French construction firm specializing in heritage and contemporary event infrastructure, listed as Dartagnans' partner for the La Mothe Chandeniers glass orangery (2021). Comparable as a supplier-side peer enabling Dartagnans' heritage tourism build-out.
Regional players
- Château de Versailles Spectacles: Subsidiary of the Château de Versailles public establishment producing large-scale nighttime shows (Royal Opera, fireworks, garden shows). Closest direct analog to La Nuit des Châteaux in operating spectacle-driven nighttime heritage events, though at a single, far larger landmark.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Dartagnans social profiles
Digital presenceDartagnans financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Dartagnans leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Dartagnans subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Dartagnans funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Dartagnans M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Dartagnans
What does Dartagnans do?
Dartagnans enables collective ownership of historic French castles through equity crowdfunding, with thousands of co-owners (co-Châtelains) purchasing shares in dedicated SAS companies to acquire and restore heritage sites. The company then operates these castles as tourism destinations with visits, eco-lodge accommodations, private events, and weddings, while producing large-scale pan-European cultural events (La Nuit des Châteaux and La Nuit des Monuments).
Is Dartagnans a public or private company?
Dartagnans is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Dartagnans founded?
Dartagnans was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Dartagnans based?
Dartagnans is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Dartagnans make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Co-ownership shares and crowdfunding is the primary driver. The others are tourism and visits, ecolodges and hospitality, private events and venue rental, member cards and merchandise and event participation fees.
Who are Dartagnans's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Adopte1Château and La Demeure Historique. Emerging players are Ulule, Patrimoine & Héritage (Heritage Foundation crowdfunding initiatives) and KissKissBankBank. Broad incumbents are Relais & Châteaux and Centre des monuments nationaux. Others are Châteaux de la Loire (regional tourism body) and Ateliers Delattre. Château de Versailles Spectacles is listed as a regional player.
Does Dartagnans have an API?
No public API is recorded for Dartagnans.
What industry is Dartagnans in?
Dartagnans's product category is Cultural Heritage Tourism. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJACAC, Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites, with a secondary code of THAJADAI, Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations). Its NAICS code is 712 and its SIC code is 7000.