Creapole
Creapole is a private Paris-based design school offering a 1-year preparatory course, a 3-year Bachelor, and a 5-year diploma across seven specializations, with a placement service that sources 13-month internships from 12,000+ partner companies for individual students.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Creapole does
Creapole is a private French higher-education institution dedicated to design and creation, operating under the legal name CREAPOLE - ESDI (École de design et de création management) and structured as a Société Anonyme à conseil d'administration with registered capital of 1,725,000 EUR. Founded circa 1994-1995 and headquartered at 128 Rue de Rivoli in central Paris, the school delivers a 1-year preparatory 'Mise à Niveau', a 3-year Bachelor, and a 5-year Diplôme Bac+5 across seven specializations: fashion design, visual communication and multimedia, product design and innovation, transport and mobility design, interior architecture and decoration, animation and video games, and art design and luxury. Curriculum is anchored in a Design Thinking methodology and supplemented by Discovery Workshops (5-day intensive, 320 EUR), the CREAPOLE Academy (Saturday drawing track, 480 EUR/year), the Formation Permanente continuing-education line, and language training including Japanese. Programs are delivered exclusively on-campus with no online channel.
Revenue is generated primarily through annual tuition (7,880 EUR for first-year students in the 2025-2026 academic year, plus 150 EUR in mandatory technical fees covering Adobe Creative Suite access), augmented by continuing-education fees, workshop fees, and other supplemental charges. The GTM is event-driven: open houses (Journées Portes Ouvertes), orientation days, 5-day workshops, Instagram Live sessions, and participation in external education fairs such as Studyrama, with phone and web-form conversion. The school's central commercial asset is its placement service, which orchestrates 13 months of internships across a network of 12,000+ partner companies and underwrites a reported 90% graduate placement rate within four months of diploma completion. Notable named partners include Nike (flaghip), Adidas, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Cartier, Dior, Rolls Royce, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford, Ubisoft, Salomon, Puma, Publicis, Havas, and Estée Lauder. Governance is led by Jean-Michel LERALU as Président Directeur Général; the institution holds Qualiopi certification for continuing-education quality compliance and is privately held with no parent company or external investment disclosed.
Creapole firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Creapole
- Legal name
- CREAPOLE
- Website
- https://creapole.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Creapole is a private Paris-based design school offering a 1-year preparatory course, a 3-year Bachelor, and a 5-year diploma across seven specializations, with a placement service that sources 13-month internships from 12,000+ partner companies for individual students.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Creapole is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Creapole business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Tuition Fees: Primary revenue stream from tuition fees for the 5-year diploma program and 3-year Bachelor program. Students pay annual tuition for their design education.
- Orientation Workshops: Revenue from 5-day design orientation and initiation workshops (320 EUR) and CREAPOLE Academy drawing courses (480 EUR annually).
- Continuing Education: Revenue from permanent formation (continuing education) programs for adults seeking career changes into creative fields.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | First Year Tuition 2025-2026 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Orientation Workshop |
| Subscription | Annual | CREAPOLE Academy |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Creapole product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Creapole is a private French design higher education institution that delivers multi-year diploma programs (5-year Bac+5, 3-year Bachelor, and a foundation preparatory year) across seven design specializations including Fashion Design, Product Design, Transport Design, Interior Architecture, Visual Communication, Animation/Video Games, and Art Design & Luxury. The school bundles tuition-based instruction with 13 months of school-arranged internships at 12,000+ partner companies, taught by 100% working professional faculty using a Design Thinking methodology. Supplementary paid offerings include 5-day discovery workshops, Saturday academy drawing courses, and continuing education for adult career-changers.
Product overview
Creapole is a private French design school (École de Design et de Création Management) located at 128 rue de Rivoli, Paris. The institution offers a unified educational platform centered on seven design specializations: Fashion Design, Visual Communication, Product Design, Transport Design, Interior Architecture, Animation/Cinema, and Art & Luxury Design. The core product portfolio consists of three academic programs: a 1-year Prépa (Foundation Year) providing creative foundations and career orientation; a 3-year Bachelor Degree offering rapid professional integration; and a 5-year Diplôme Bac+5 forming complete designers and design managers. The school augments its academic offerings with supplementary programs including Discovery Workshops (short intensive orientations), Academy Saturday drawing courses, Continuing Education for adult career-changers, and Language Training. All programs are connected through CREAPOLE's signature Design Thinking methodology, 13 months of school-arranged internships, international exposure opportunities, and a professional teaching faculty. The school has cultivated relationships with major luxury, fashion, automotive, and sports brands for student placement and industry engagement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Prépa – Mise à Niveau (Foundation Year) One-year preparatory program for students after Baccalauréat providing foundational creative tools, expression techniques (traditional and digital), and introducing the Design Thinking creative process. Four variants available: General, Specialized, International, and Digital tracks.
- Diplôme Design Bac+5 (5-Year Design Degree) Five-year program culminating in a Bac+5 diploma that forms designers, creators, and design managers. Students first complete the foundation year, then choose from seven specializations for years 2-5, with 13 months of school-arranged internships integrated throughout.
- Bachelor Design Bac+3 (3-Year Bachelor) Three-year professional track enabling rapid market entry with two years of specialization and 3 months of school-arranged internships, concluding with a Bachelor degree.
- Stylisme Mode et Modélisme (Fashion Design Specialization) Fashion design specialization covering stylisme, pattern making (modélisme), and artistic direction, preparing students for careers in the fashion industry.
- Communication Visuelle et Multimédia (Visual Communication Specialization) Visual communication and multimedia specialization focusing on graphic design, digital communication, and visual identity development.
- Design Produit et Innovation (Product Design Specialization) Product design and innovation specialization teaching industrial design, product development, and creative problem-solving for consumer and industrial products.
- Design Transport et Mobilité (Transport Design Specialization) Transportation design specialization covering exterior design, interior design, colors/materials/finishes (CMF), and UX/UI design for automotive and mobility sectors.
- Architecture Intérieure et Décoration (Interior Architecture Specialization) Interior architecture and decoration specialization training spatial designers for residential, commercial, and hospitality environments.
- Cinéma d'Animation et Jeu Vidéo (Animation and Video Games Specialization) Animation cinema and video game design specialization covering 2D/3D animation, game design, and visual effects production.
- Art Design et Luxe (Art Design and Luxury Specialization) Art design and luxury specialization focusing on luxury object design, artisan craft, and bespoke creation for the luxury goods sector.
- Ateliers Découverte (Discovery Workshops) Five-day intensive orientation workshops (35 hours) for students from 3ème (age 14+) providing hands-on introduction across all seven specializations to help confirm vocational interests. Priced at 320 EUR per workshop.
- CREAPOLE Academy Saturday afternoon drawing courses (3 hours weekly for one year) taught by professional designers, covering character creation, color techniques, volume, dynamic composition, storyboarding, and VR creation initiation. Priced at 480 EUR annually.
- Formation Permanente (Continuing Education) Adult professional conversion program for career changers seeking to enter creative design professions, with evening courses in object design, interior architecture, graphic design, and fashion.
- CREAPOLE Langue (Language Training) Language training programs including English courses and Japanese language instruction for international track students.
Quantifiable outcome
- 90% of graduates placed within 4 months of diploma completion
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Creapole
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Creapole technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Creapole partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
30 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- NikeflagshipNike is a flagship partner of CREAPOLE, providing internship opportunities and graduate employment. In April 2025, multiple Nike Vice Presidents including Sebastien Mermet (VP Creative Director), Andy Caine (VP Footwear Design), and Rob Dolan (VP/Creative Director of Footwear) visited campus for exclusive student engagement including conference, Q&A sessions, portfolio reviews, and student project presentations.
- AdidascoreAdidas partners with CREAPOLE for internship placements and real-world case studies in design education.
- Louis VuittoncoreLouis Vuitton provides internship and employment opportunities for CREAPOLE graduates. Graduate Anahide Manoukian works as Chef de Projet & Developer Packaging.
- Rolls RoycecoreRolls Royce partners with CREAPOLE for talent acquisition. Graduate Steeve Burkhalter works as Expert Designer at Rolls Royce.
- UbisoftcoreUbisoft provides internship and job placement opportunities for animation and game design graduates.
- PSA Peugeot CitroëncorePSA Peugeot Citroën partners with CREAPOLE for internships and case studies in transportation design.
- DiorcoreDior partners with CREAPOLE for internship opportunities in fashion design.
- CartiercoreCartier partners with CREAPOLE for luxury design internships.
- HermèscoreHermès partners with CREAPOLE for internship and case study opportunities.
- Jaguar Land RovercoreJaguar Land Rover provides internship and case study opportunities in automotive design.
- KenzocoreKenzo provides internship opportunities for fashion design graduates.
- ArmanicoreArmani partners with CREAPOLE for internship opportunities.
- PumacorePuma provides internship opportunities in sportswear and lifestyle design.
- IkeacoreIkea partners with CREAPOLE for product design case studies.
- SalomoncoreSalomon provides employment for graduates. Mégane Langeron works as Footwear Designer 3D Modeler.
- SoftBank RoboticscoreSoftBank Robotics partners with CREAPOLE for technology and robotics design projects.
- CitroëncoreCitroën provides automotive design internship and case study opportunities.
- FordcoreFord provides automotive design internship opportunities.
- QuikSilvercoreQuikSilver provides internship opportunities in surf and action sports design.
- LancelcoreLancel provides luxury leather goods design internship opportunities.
- MontblanccoreMontblanc provides luxury writing instruments and accessories design internship opportunities.
- BETCcoreBETC (advertising agency) provides communication and visual design case study opportunities.
- HavascoreHavas provides communication and advertising design case study opportunities.
- PubliciscorePublicis provides communication and digital design case study opportunities.
- Dragon RougecoreDragon Rouge provides brand design and strategy case study opportunities.
- MillimagescoreMillimages provides animation and film production internship opportunities.
- Festival de CannescoreFestival de Cannes provides film and animation industry connections and opportunities.
- Le Bon MarchécoreLe Bon Marché department store provides retail and lifestyle design case study opportunities.
- DeezercoreDeezer provides digital and multimedia design internship opportunities.
- Estée LaudercoreEstée Lauder provides beauty and cosmetics packaging design internship opportunities.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Creapole competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Strate School of Design: French private design school near Paris offering product, transport, interaction, and digital design programs. Closely comparable in program structure, target student demographic, and industry-partnership model.
- HEAD – Genève: Geneva University of Art and Design covering visual communication, product, and interior architecture. Comparable continental European design school with similar applied-arts orientation and industry partnerships.
- Rubika: French private school offering animation, game design, and industrial design programs. Direct competitor for French applicants in the animation/3D and product design tracks that overlap with CREAPOLE's specialization portfolio.
- LISAA School of Design: French private design school with multiple Paris-area campuses covering fashion, interior, graphic, and product design. Comparable private French peer competing for similar post-Bac design applicants.
- ENSCI Les Ateliers: Paris-based elite French design school offering product, textile, and materials design programs. Most direct geographic and curricular peer to CREAPOLE within France, competing for the same French and international design talent pool.
- Parsons Paris (Parsons School of Design): Paris campus of Parsons/The New School offering fashion, art, and design programs. Direct competitor for international design students choosing Paris, and explicitly comparable on fashion/product/visual design offerings.
- ECAL – École cantonale d'art de Lausanne: Top Swiss design school offering product, type, photography, and media design programs. Comparable European peer competing in the international design-education segment and for design-award recognition (e.g., CDN-style events).
- École de Design Nantes Atlantique: Leading French private design school offering Bachelor, Master, and continuing education tracks across product, digital, and interaction design. Closely comparable as a French private design institution with multi-year degree programs.
Broad incumbents
- Royal College of Art: London-based, world-leading postgraduate university of art and design. Larger, better-capitalized incumbent that competes with CREAPOLE for top international design talent and was a direct competitor in the 2025 CDN Sketch Battle.
- Central Saint Martins (UAL): London-based flagship design and art college within University of the Arts London. Larger incumbent with overlapping fashion, product, and visual communication programs competing for global design applicants.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Creapole social profiles
Digital presenceCreapole compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Creapole financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Creapole leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Creapole funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Creapole 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 Creapole
What does Creapole do?
Creapole is a private French design higher education institution that delivers multi-year diploma programs (5-year Bac+5, 3-year Bachelor, and a foundation preparatory year) across seven design specializations including Fashion Design, Product Design, Transport Design, Interior Architecture, Visual Communication, Animation/Video Games, and Art Design & Luxury. The school bundles tuition-based instruction with 13 months of school-arranged internships at 12,000+ partner companies, taught by 100% working professional faculty using a Design Thinking methodology. Supplementary paid offerings include 5-day discovery workshops, Saturday academy drawing courses, and continuing education for adult career-changers.
Is Creapole a public or private company?
Creapole is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Creapole founded?
Creapole was founded in -1.
Where is Creapole based?
Creapole is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Creapole make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Tuition Fees are the primary driver. The others are orientation Workshops and continuing Education.
Who are Creapole's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Strate School of Design, HEAD – Genève, Rubika, LISAA School of Design, ENSCI Les Ateliers, Parsons Paris (Parsons School of Design), ECAL – École cantonale d'art de Lausanne and École de Design Nantes Atlantique. Broad incumbents are Royal College of Art and Central Saint Martins (UAL).
Does Creapole have an API?
No public API is recorded for Creapole.