What AFINEF does

AFINEF, legally Les entreprises du numérique pour l'éducation et la formation, is a French association loi 1901 (non-profit) founded in 2012 and headquartered at 59 rue de Ponthieu, 75008 Paris. It operates as a sector federation that aggregates and represents companies in the French digital education and training industry, alongside French territorial collectivities (regions, departments, municipalities) seeking to integrate EdTech into their educational projects. The association is governed by a permanent team, a president, and a member-elected bureau, and runs on a member-owned, non-investor-backed ownership structure.

The organization does not develop or sell a technology product. Its core deliverables are advocacy, networking, and policy-co-construction services, articulated through three mission pillars: bringing ecosystem actors together, supporting member companies, and co-building public policy. Concrete outputs include policy position papers (e.g., 15 propositions for digital education, 10 propositions for inclusive schooling, 5 for orientation), publications and sector studies, an Espace Club newsletter, working groups on market development, inclusion, interoperability, international expansion, and professional training, plus event programming that spans the AFINEF'Tour regional series (Nantes, Normandie, Avignon) and participation in flagship French education events such as BETT, Learning Technologies France, EDUC@TECH EXPO, and Salon des Maires. It also runs the Flamme de l'Innovation Pédagogique and Grand Prix des collectivités innovantes competitions and co-organizes the French finale of the Global EdTech Startups Awards.

Commercially, AFINEF generates revenue solely through recurring membership fees paid by EdTech companies and local authorities; pricing is not publicly disclosed and interested parties must contact the association directly. Its customer base spans EdTech startups, SMEs, and larger enterprises (illustrative members referenced in the input include Idruide, KDetude, Futur en Herbe, Sylex, and KOKORO lingua), as well as territorial collectivities. Strategic positioning centers on being a tiers de confiance (trusted third party) between EdTech vendors and public-sector buyers, with formal partnerships into the Ministry of Education's Direction du numérique pour l'éducation (DNE), Banque des Territoires (Caisse des Dépôts), Réseau Canopé, ANDEV, and FENI for francophone international visibility.

Name

AFINEF

Legal name

AFINEF

Website

https://afinef.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AFINEF is a French non-profit association founded in 2012 that federates and represents EdTech companies and territorial collectivities, providing advocacy, working groups, events, and policy co-construction for the French digital education sector.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: AFINEF generates revenue through annual membership fees from EdTech companies and local authorities seeking to join the federation and access its network, resources, and representation services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

AFINEF is a French non-profit industry association (loi 1901) that federates and represents EdTech companies and local authorities in the digital education and training sector. It provides sector representation to the Ministry of Education, organizes events and working groups, publishes policy proposals, and serves as a trusted third party connecting EdTech vendors with French territorial collectivities. Revenue is generated primarily through annual membership fees from member companies and local authorities.

Product overview

AFINEF (Les entreprises du numérique pour l'éducation et la formation) is a non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2012 that federates and represents companies in the digital education and training sector in France. It does not offer a technology product or software platform. Instead, AFINEF provides advocacy, publications (such as policy proposals on digital education, inclusive schooling, and career orientation), organizes events (including Afinef'Tour regional events and the Grand Prix des collectivités innovantes innovation awards), facilitates working groups on topics like market development, inclusion, interoperability, and international expansion, and offers community support services to its member EdTech companies and territorial collectivities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Membership (Adhésion Entreprises) Annual membership program for EdTech companies that provides access to AFINEF's network, sector representation with the Ministry of Education, working groups, newsletter, event discounts, and policy influence.
• Local Authority Membership (Adhésion Collectivités) Annual membership program for French regional and local authorities that provides guidance on the EdTech market, vetted vendor introductions, sector expertise, and access to financing partnerships such as Banque des Territoires.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Direction du numérique pour l'éducation (DNE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal partnership with the French Ministry of Education's Digital Education Directorate. AFINEF participates in the sector committee with DNE and representative associations to co-construct education policies.
• Banque des territoirescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Banque des Territoires (Caisse des Dépôts) to support local authority projects and provide financing solutions for digital education initiatives.
• Réseau CanopécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the public educational publisher and multimedia resource center to support educational content development and distribution.
• Entreprendre pour ApprendreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to support entrepreneurship education and help young people develop entrepreneurial skills.
• FENI (French EdTech National Interest)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFINEF participates in FENI to make French EdTech visible internationally and facilitate international expansion for member companies.
• ANDEVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with ANDEV (Association Nationale des Directeurs et des Ressources Humaines des Etablissements d'Enseignement Catholique) for collaboration in Catholic education sector.
• AFT-RN (Académie des Futures Technologies)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with AFT-RN to promote future technologies in education and training.
• SCC FranceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIT infrastructure partner providing technology distribution and integration services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SIIA (Software & Information Industry Association): SIIA is a larger US trade association whose education division (EdTech Industry Network) represents software and content companies to policymakers, mirroring AFINEF's representation role but at much greater scale.
• EDUCAUSE: EDUCAUSE is a major US-based nonprofit association advancing higher education IT and digital learning, providing community, research, and advocacy similar to AFINEF's role in the French EdTech ecosystem.
• ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education): ISTE is the largest international membership organization for EdTech educators and leaders, with broader scope than AFINEF but overlapping advocacy, standards, and event functions for the digital education ecosystem.

Direct peers

• SETDA (State Educational Technology Directors Association): SETDA is a US membership association of state-level educational technology directors focused on policy advocacy and capacity building, closely paralleling AFINEF's policy co-construction with French territorial authorities and the DNE.
• European Schoolnet (EUN): European Schoolnet is a network of European education ministries that coordinates EdTech policy and innovation across Europe, operating at the supranational level that AFINEF is extending toward via its FENI partnership.
• CoSN (Consortium for School Networking): CoSN is a US-based professional association serving K-12 EdTech leadership, providing advocacy, networking, and resources analogous to AFINEF's French EdTech federation mandate.
• BESA (British Educational Suppliers Association): BESA is the UK national trade association for educational suppliers and EdTech companies, representing them to government and running sector events — the closest European functional parallel to AFINEF's role in France.

Emerging players

• Digital Promise: Digital Promise is a US-based nonprofit that convenes educators, researchers, and EdTech companies to accelerate innovation in learning, intersecting AFINEF's advocacy and ecosystem-building work around French EdTech.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AFINEF
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/10266238

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AFINEF