Les Mardis de l'ESSEC

What Les Mardis de l'ESSEC does

Les Mardis de l'ESSEC is a French student association (association loi 1901) founded in 1961 at ESSEC Business School in Cergy, recognized as France's first student tribune. The organization operates a weekly debate series featuring political, economic, and cultural personalities, with all events free and open to the public. Over 500 high-profile figures have participated since inception, including former French presidents, prime ministers, business leaders, and artists. The association is currently led by an annually rotating student bureau; the 2026/2027 bureau comprises seven executive members under President Alexandre Roussillon-Serre.

The product portfolio spans five lines: the flagship weekly debate series at the ESSEC campus, the special 'Les Mardis à l'Elysée' presidential event series, the La Grande Tribune cross-school consortium with eight French higher education institutions, written opinion content (Confrontations des Mardisiens), and a historical archive of past debates back to 1961. Distribution is multi-channel: live events at ESSEC campus and Paris venues, a website (lesmardis.fr), social media presence (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), email newsletter, and YouTube — including retransmission through partner LCP (La Chaîne Parlementaire). There is no proprietary technology platform; the digital infrastructure is limited to standard content publishing and video hosting.

The business model is a non-profit sponsorship model. All debates are free with no ticketing or paid access. Revenue derives from corporate partnerships (ODDO BHF since 2023, EY since 2026), media partnership with LCP, and in-kind contributions from Drappier (wine), Maison Boissier (confectionery), and Noir Sur Blanc ESSEC (photography). The customer base is the general public and students, with primary attendees drawn from ESSEC and partner schools. There is no disclosed revenue, no equity ownership structure, and no funding rounds, consistent with the association's non-profit legal status.

Name

Les Mardis de l'ESSEC

Legal name

Les Mardis de l'Essec

Website

https://lesmardis.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Les Mardis de l'ESSEC is a non-profit student association founded in 1961 at ESSEC Business School (Cergy-Pontoise, France) that runs France's first student tribune, organizing free weekly debates with political, economic, and cultural personalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Debate Forums

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Education, Research & Academic Congresses (THAHAJAD)

Keywords

• Student debate forum
• Public intellectual events
• Political discourse platform
• Youth civic engagement
• Academic forum series

Headquarters

HQ city

Cergy-pontoise

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship and Partnerships: The organization receives financial and operational support from corporate sponsors including LCP (media coverage and YouTube retransmission), ODDO BHF (financial group), EY (audit and professional services), and in-kind support from Drappier (wine) and Maison Boissier (confectionery).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Les Mardis de l'ESSEC organizes free, open-to-all public debates featuring political, economic, and cultural personalities at the ESSEC Business School campus in Cergy, France. Founded in 1961, it is France's first student tribune and has hosted over 500 high-profile speakers across its 65+ year history. The association also runs special presidential-period events (Les Mardis à l'Elysée) and a collaborative youth initiative (La Grande Tribune) bringing together eight French higher-education institutions.

Product overview

Les Mardis de l'ESSEC operates as a unified events and content platform centered on its core weekly debate series. The main offering consists of open debates at ESSEC, supplemented by special presidential events (Les Mardis à l'Elysée), collaborative youth tribunes (La Grande Tribune), written opinion content, and searchable archives of past debates. The portfolio spans from live event organization to media distribution and publication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Les Mardis de l'ESSEC (Weekly Debates) Flagship weekly debate series organized since 1961, featuring open debates with political, economic, and cultural personalities. Open to all and held primarily at the ESSEC campus in Cergy, France.
• Les Mardis à l'Elysée Special presidential event series organized during election periods, featuring a week of encounters and exchanges with students around democratic participation, including events at the Elysée Palace.
• La Grande Tribune Collaborative event bringing together eight student tribunes from major French schools (HEC, ESSEC, Polytechnique, Dauphine, La Sorbonne, SciencesPo, ENSAE, CentraleSupelec) for conferences, debates, and TED talks designed by and for youth.
• Publications / Opinions Written content including press reviews and student opinion pieces (Confrontations des Mardisiens) covering current events topics.
• Archives Historical collection of past debate recordings and photographs dating back to the organization's founding in 1961, accessible via the website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ high-profile speakers hosted since 1961

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LCP (La Chaîne Parlementaire)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench public parliamentary channel created in 1999, mission to make National Assembly proceedings visible and understandable to citizens. Records debates and retransmits them live on its YouTube channel, providing media reach and legitimacy.
• DrappierminorOthersFamily-owned Champagne house in Urville, founded 1808, specializing in Pinot Noir. Operates under organic and natural farming principles. Provides wine for events.
• Maison BoissierminorOthersHistoric French confectionery house founded in 1827 by Bélisaire Boissier, known for inventing marrons glacés. Located on prestigious Parisian avenues. Provides confectionery for events.
• Noir Sur Blanc ESSECminorOthersPhotography service handling all photography for debates.
• La Grande Tribune (8 student publications consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative initiative bringing together student publications from HEC, ESSEC, Polytechnique, Dauphine, La Sorbonne, SciencesPo, ENSAE, and CentraleSupelec. Organizes joint conferences, debates, TED talks, and tables rondes designed by and for youth to promote equality of opportunity and school desegregation through debate.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tribune Sciences Po: Student debate forum at Sciences Po, a La Grande Tribune partner. Closely aligned format and audience profile, focusing on political and civic discourse.
• Tribune HEC: Student tribune at HEC Paris, one of the co-founding partners of La Grande Tribune alongside Les Mardis de l'ESSEC. Organizes comparable debates with political and economic personalities for HEC students.
• Tribune Dauphine: Student tribune at Université Paris-Dauphine, member of La Grande Tribune consortium. Comparable student-led debate format with political/economic speakers.
• Tribune Polytechnique: Student tribune at École Polytechnique, a co-founding partner of La Grande Tribune. Organizes debates and conferences on the Polytechnique campus in the same student-debate category.

Broad incumbents

• Institut Montaigne: Leading French think tank that organizes public debates, conferences, and publishes reports on policy and economic topics. Comparable in hosting high-profile speakers and shaping public discourse, but at a professional rather than student scale.
• France Culture (Radio France): France's public cultural radio channel, which regularly hosts intellectual debates, interviews, and forums with political and cultural figures. Comparable audience mission (civic and cultural discourse), with much broader reach.
• TED (TEDx France): Global talks and debate brand with French TEDx events. While not a student tribune, the format (idea-based talks with public figures, free access, video distribution) overlaps with Les Mardis' core proposition at a larger scale.

Emerging players

• Conférence Olivaint: One of the older French student conference societies (ESSEC-affiliated historically), hosting public talks with figures from politics and culture. Closely parallels Les Mardis' student-led debate format.

Regional players

• Le Grand Débat: National civic consultation format launched in France in 2019 to engage citizens in political discussion. Comparable mission of fostering democratic debate, but organized at a state level rather than as a student-led association.
• Sciences Po Évenements: Sciences Po's institutional public event programming featuring high-profile speakers. Operates in the same French academic debate ecosystem and competes for the same pool of speakers and sponsors.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/lesmardis
• Facebookfacebook.com/lesmardis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/les-mardis-de-l%27essec
• Instagraminstagram.com/lesmardis
• Xx.com/lesmardis

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 Les Mardis de l'ESSEC