FCE France

What FCE France does

FCE France (Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises France) is a nonprofit association under French law (loi 1901), founded in 1981, that serves as the national professional network for women business owners in France. The organization operates through a decentralized structure of 65 local delegations across all French regions (including overseas territories such as New Caledonia, Reunion, and French Polynesia), bringing together more than 2,500 women CEOs, founders, and business leaders. Its core offering is membership-based community access, delivered through monthly delegation meetings, regional events, annual national congresses, and international FCEM congresses. Members gain networking, peer support, professional development resources, and representation in 500 institutional mandates across French economic decision-making bodies.

The business model is subscription-based membership dues, supplemented by corporate partnership sponsorships from entities including BNP Paribas, AGIPI, KPMG, Banque de France, and Infogreffe. The go-to-market is community-led: prospective members attend two events before formal adhesion, with growth driven primarily by member referrals. Distribution is handled through the 65 local delegations and co-located at CCI France (French Chamber of Commerce) headquarters in Levallois-Perret. The organization is the French national chapter of FCEM (Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises Mondiales), a global network present in over 100 countries, and is a founding member of 2GAP, a coalition of 60 public and private networks advancing gender equality. Key strategic partnerships include institutions such as MEDEF, CPME, CCI France, and CMA France, embedding FCE France within the French economic policy and business support ecosystem. The association is governed by a national president (currently Carole GRATZMULLER), regional delegates, and local delegation presidents, with a small core staff managing 11-50 employees.

Name

FCE France

Legal name

Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises - FCE France

Website

https://fcefrance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FCE France is a nonprofit association founded in 1981 that serves as the national professional network for women business owners in France, operating 65 local delegations and connecting 2,500+ women CEOs and founders across all French regions through membership-based networking, advocacy, and professional development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Colmar

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. Membership dues: FCE France generates revenue through annual membership fees paid by women business owners who join the association. Members pay dues to access networking events, regional meetings, national congresses, and international FCEM events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

FCE France is a nonprofit professional association that provides a national membership network for women business owners in France, operating through 65 local delegations and serving more than 2,500 members. The association delivers monthly regional meetings, national congresses, international FCEM events, advocacy through 500 institutional mandates in French economic decision-making bodies, peer networking, professional development resources, and press and media communications support for its members.

Product overview

FCE France operates as a membership-based professional network organization rather than a technology product company. The core offering consists of a national network for women entrepreneurs (Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises) providing regional delegation services, events organization (national, regional, and international), communications and press resources, and member support through a digital platform with member login functionality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FCE France Membership Network

Quantifiable outcome

• 500 institutional mandates held by FCE members in economic decision-making bodies

Named customers2 records

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

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CCI FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCE France is headquartered within CCI France (French Chamber of Commerce and Industry) offices. The partnership provides institutional support and collaboration on economic development initiatives for women entrepreneurs.
• BNP ParibasminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner listed on the FCE France website partners section, providing potential banking services and financial support to members.
• AGIPIminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInsurance partner listed on the FCE France website, offering potential insurance products to members.
• InfogreffecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual partnership for the Baromètre Infogreffe x FCE France tracking female entrepreneurship data and business creation statistics in France.
• Banque de FrancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInstitutional partner collaborating on economic data and analysis for women entrepreneurs in France.
• 100,000 EntrepreneursminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation partner focused on youth entrepreneurship education and mentoring programs.
• 2GAPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCE France is a founding member of 2GAP, an organization bringing together 60 public and private networks to advance gender equality. Organizes annual Assises des réseaux professionnels féminins et mixtes.
• MEDEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCE France collaborates closely with MEDEF (Movement of French Enterprises) and participates in Université des Entreprises events. The network holds significant representation through MEDEF and economic institutions.
• CPMEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CPME (Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises) for advocacy and business support.
• CMA FrancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with Chambres de Métiers et de l'Artisanat for Trophées Madame Artisanat awards recognizing women artisans.
• BGEminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for entrepreneurship support and development programs through CEP (Conseil en Evolution Professionnelle) network.
• APECminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for professional evolution and career development programs through CEP network.
• KPMGminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKPMG GCMS provides expertise and training on electronic invoicing reforms and accounting practices for FCE members through regional events.
• FCEM (Femmes Chefs d'Entreprises Mondiales)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCE France is the French national chapter of FCEM, the global association of women business owners present in over 100 countries. Participates in annual World Congresses and International Committees in Uruguay, Argentina, Morocco, Mauritius, Germany, South Korea, Tunisia, Bahrain, Mexico, and USA.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Femmes Business Angels: French association of women business angels investing in startups led by women. Membership-based, women-only professional community with networking, events, and investment activity — same target persona as FCE France, with a narrower investing focus.
• Force Femmes: French nonprofit association supporting women's professional development and return-to-work initiatives. Membership/community model with employer and institutional partnerships — directly comparable organizational structure, scale, and nonprofit association status to FCE France.
• PWN Paris (Professional Women's Network): Paris chapter of the global Professional Women's Network. Membership-based association serving senior women professionals with networking events and leadership programming in France — same target persona and subscription/membership revenue model as FCE France, with similar event-led GTM.
• Women in Tech France: French chapter of Women in Tech Global, a membership-based community for women in technology and entrepreneurship. Closely comparable in operating model (community-led, events, corporate partnerships, local chapters) though narrower vertical focus on tech.
• Les Premières: French network supporting women entrepreneurship through incubators and accelerators across France. Comparable in target audience (women entrepreneurs), geographic footprint (multiple French regions), and nonprofit/association structure.

Broad incumbents

• Réseau Entreprendre: French nonprofit network supporting entrepreneurs through mentoring, financing, and peer connections. Similar association structure, decentralized chapter model, and member services — but not women-specific.
• France Active: National network of associative financing bodies supporting entrepreneurship and social economy in France. Comparable in nonprofit/association structure, decentralized regional footprint, and institutional partnership model, though focused on financing rather than networking.
• BGE (Boutique de Gestion): French association network supporting business creation and entrepreneurship training. Already a partner of FCE France, BGE operates comparable nonprofit association programming across France with a broader (gender-neutral) entrepreneur-support scope.
• CCI France (Chambers of Commerce and Industry): National body coordinating France's Chambers of Commerce, where FCE France is actually headquartered. Comparable in institutional influence, national regional network, and mandate-based representation — though CCI serves all businesses rather than women-specific entrepreneurs.
• Initiative France: National federation of associative platforms supporting business creation and growth in France. Comparable decentralized network model with local associations across France, but gender-neutral and broader entrepreneur-support mandate rather than women-specific.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FCEFrance
• Facebookfacebook.com/FCEFrance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/femmes-chefs-d-entreprises-colmar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries10 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 FCE France