Invest in Lyon

What Invest in Lyon does

ONLYLYON Invest is the official economic attractiveness agency for the Lyon metropolitan region, jointly governed and funded by the Métropole de Lyon and the CCI Lyon Métropole Saint-Étienne Roanne. It provides a single, free point of contact for companies — both domestic and international — that seek to establish or expand durable operations in the territory. The agency's offering is structured as seven advisory service modules: real estate solutions, financing and public aid, human resources, employee mobility (including Schengen visa support), business and partnership facilitation, legal and fiscal guidance, and communication and network access. It also operates the ONLYLYON Box resource hub and maintains a dedicated career portal.

The agency does not sell a product, license technology, or generate commercial revenue. It is structured as a managed public service, co-piloted by a metropolitan government and a chamber of commerce, and is positioned to address the full lifecycle of business implantation — from site selection and incentive sourcing to talent recruitment and regulatory compliance. Its go-to-market is enterprise-focused, with direct field engagement supported by content marketing via invest.onlylyon.com, event participation (VivaTech, BIO-Europe Spring 2027), and integration into the broader ONLYLYON territorial brand.

On the technology dimension, ONLYLYON Invest has no proprietary software, no API surface, no mobile app, and no disclosed AI capabilities. Its operating model is human-advisory rather than platform-mediated, and the core technology is its institutional mandate combined with curated relationships across Lyon's industrial ecosystem spanning health and life sciences, chemistry and environment, industrial and digital technologies (Industry 5.0), energy (battery, hydrogen), sustainable construction, mobility, technical textiles, and agrifood. Lyon's positioning as the #1 EU region for foreign industrial investment projects (EY 2026) and France's leading industrial metropolis (80,000 industrial jobs) provides the underlying market gravity the agency channels.

Name

Invest in Lyon

Legal name

ONLYLYON Invest

Website

https://aderly.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ONLYLYON Invest is a public economic development agency co-governed by the Métropole de Lyon and CCI Lyon Métropole Saint-Étienne Roanne, providing free, comprehensive advisory support to companies seeking to establish or expand durable operations across the Lyon metropolitan region and its strategic industrial verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Entity Setup & Expansion Advisory (Market Entry, Subsidiary Formation) (BPACAHAM)

Keywords

• Economic development agency
• Business implantation services
• Foreign direct investment
• Regional investment promotion
• Business advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: The agency is co-piloted and co-financed by the Métropole de Lyon and the CCI Lyon Métropole Saint-Étienne Roanne, operating as a public service rather than a commercial enterprise.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ONLYLYON Invest is an economic attractiveness agency that provides free, personalized advisory and support services to companies seeking to establish or expand operations in the Lyon metropolitan region. The offering consists of seven core service modules covering real estate solutions, financing and public aid, human resources, employee mobility (including visa and Schengen support), business development and partnerships, legal/fiscal guidance, and communication/networking. Services are delivered as a comprehensive accompaniment program co-piloted by the Métropole de Lyon and CCI Lyon Métropole Saint-Étienne Roanne.

Product overview

ONLYLYON Invest operates as an economic attractiveness agency providing a unified platform of advisory and support services for businesses seeking to establish sustainable operations in the Lyon metropolitan region. The offering consists of seven core service modules covering real estate solutions, financing and public aid, human resources, employee mobility (including visa support), business development and partnerships, legal and fiscal guidance, and communication and networking. These services are delivered as a personalized, comprehensive accompaniment program co-piloted by the Métropole de Lyon and the CCI Lyon Métropole Saint-Étienne Roanne, with the goal of facilitating successful business implantation in the territory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Real Estate Solutions (Solutions immobilières) Real estate advisory services helping businesses identify and secure suitable locations and properties for their operations in the Lyon metropolitan area.
• Financing & Aid (Financement & aides) Guidance on financing options and public aid programs available for companies establishing or expanding in the Lyon region.
• Human Resources (Ressources humaines) Support services for human resources needs including recruitment assistance and workforce planning for incoming businesses.
• Employee Mobility (Mobilité des salariés) Assistance with employee mobility including visa and Schengen permit guidance for international workforce relocation to Lyon.
• Business & Partnerships (Business & partenariats) Facilitation of business connections, partnerships, and networking opportunities within the Lyon economic ecosystem.
• Legal & Fiscal (Juridique & fiscal) Legal and fiscal advisory services to help businesses navigate regulatory requirements and optimize business structure in France.
• Communication & Networks (Communication & réseaux) Communication support and access to professional networks to help businesses establish their presence and visibility in the Lyon region.
• ONLYLYON Box Resource hub providing companies with tools, information, and materials to support their investment and establishment process in Lyon.

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

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Métropole de LyoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-pilotage and co-financing partner. The Métropole de Lyon is the regional authority that co-governs ONLYLYON Invest and provides primary funding and strategic direction for the economic attractiveness agency serving the Lyon metropolitan area.
• CCI Lyon Métropole Saint-Étienne RoannecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-pilotage and co-financing partner. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) Lyon Métropole Saint-Étienne Roanne co-governs ONLYLYON Invest and contributes funding alongside the Métropole de Lyon to support economic development and business attraction in the region.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Business France: France's national investment promotion agency supporting foreign companies seeking to invest in France. Directly comparable to ONLYLYON Invest at the national level; both operate under French public-private governance and offer free accompaniment for inbound investors.
• UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) – Investment: UK government's investment promotion function under DBT. Provides free end-to-end support for foreign companies investing in the UK. Directly comparable mandate and service model to ONLYLYON Invest, though national in scope.
• Wallonia Foreign Investment and Trade Promotion Agency (AWEX): Belgian regional agency promoting Wallonia as an FDI destination. Same public agency model and free accompaniment framework as ONLYLYON Invest; focuses on industrial and life-sciences sectors and competes in EU FDI rankings.
• Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA): Dutch national agency operating under the Ministry of Economic Affairs to attract foreign investment. Same mandate, free advisory model, and sector-agnostic FDI promotion as ONLYLYON Invest; well-resourced and a direct competitor in European FDI rankings.
• Invest in Bavaria (Bayern International): Bavaria's regional investment promotion agency. Direct regional-level peer to ONLYLYON Invest — both compete specifically for high-tech industrial FDI in their respective German/French regions, with similar sector targeting (automotive, Industry 4.0/5.0, biotech, energy).
• Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI): Germany's federal economic development agency providing market-entry support for foreign companies investing in Germany. Closest international peer — public body, free advisory services, sector-specific promotion — and the principal European competitor for industrial FDI.
• CzechInvest: Czech Republic's national investment promotion agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Provides free market-entry services for foreign investors — same business model as ONLYLYON Invest — and is a major CEE competitor for industrial FDI.
• Choose Paris Region (Paris Île-de-France Capitale Économique): Regional economic attractiveness agency for the Paris Île-de-France region. Same business model as ONLYLYON Invest — public-private agency offering free, end-to-end market-entry accompaniment for foreign investors — but focused on the Paris region, the principal domestic competitor for FDI projects.
• ICEX Invest in Spain: Spain's national investment promotion division under ICEX. Comparable public agency providing free accompaniment, market intelligence, and aftercare services for foreign companies establishing in Spain; competes with ONLYLYON Invest for Southern European industrial projects.

Broad incumbents

• JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization): Japan's government-related organization promoting trade and investment. Comparable to ONLYLYON Invest in mandate (FDI promotion, free advisory) but operates at significantly larger scale and global footprint, including dedicated inward-investment teams competing in Europe for Japanese industrial projects.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/InvestInLyon
• Facebookfacebook.com/onlylyon.fanpage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aderly

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Invest in Lyon