IMSF

What IMSF does

IMSF (Institut des Métiers du Sport et de la Forme) is a privately held French vocational training institution founded in 2014 and headquartered within the IPSO Campus network, operating two physical campuses in Grenoble and Lyon. The institution's core offering is state-recognized professional diplomas for the sports and fitness sector — principally BPJEPS specializations in fitness activities (Activités de la Forme) and team sports (football, handball, basketball, rugby), augmented by DEJEPS for advanced practitioner roles and a STAPS university pathway. Through its parent IPSO Campus, IMSF has broadened its catalog to include preparatory courses for paramedical competitive exams (nursing, nursing assistants, childcare assistants, psychomotor therapists) and public security exams (police, gendarmerie, customs, firefighters), plus ancillary credentials such as CQP APS (security agent) and SST (workplace first aid).

The underlying technology stack is minimal and non-proprietary: delivery is in-person classroom instruction combined with practical internships, with no proprietary platform, software product, or AI capability referenced. Marketing and lead generation run through a WordPress-based website (imsf.fr) supplemented by SEO-oriented blog content on health, sports, and training topics, plus contact/registration forms — a classic low-cost top-of-funnel motion for prospective individual students.

IMSF's business model is professional services revenue from per-student training fees, with programs habilitated by the French Ministry of Youth and Sports and therefore eligible for CPF (Compte Personnel de Formation) public financing channels. The customer base is a long tail of individual career-changers and aspiring professionals across sports, healthcare, and public security — no enterprise B2B contracts or named institutional clients are evidenced. The institution operates as a subsidiary of IPSO Campus, a strategic operating parent, with no venture funding, public listing, M&A activity, or external investor disclosures present in the source data.

Name

IMSF

Legal name

Institut des Métiers du Sport et de la Forme (IMSF)

Website

https://imsf.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IMSF is a private French vocational training institution operating campuses in Grenoble and Lyon under the IPSO Campus network, delivering Ministry-habilitated BPJEPS, DEJEPS, and STAPS diplomas plus preparatory courses for paramedical and public security competitive exams to individual career-changers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Education and Training

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Safety, Security & Emergency Services (OSHA, Fire, EMS, Security CE) (EDAAALAK)

Keywords

• Sports vocational training
• BPJEPS certifications
• Fitness instructor training
• Paramedical exam preparation
• Professional career training

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Training Course Fees: Revenue generated from professional training programs including BPJEPS certifications, preparatory courses for competitive exams, and continuing education. Programs are habilitated by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and may be financed through CPF (Compte Personnel de Formation).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

IMSF is a French vocational training institute that delivers state-recognized diploma programs (BPJEPS) for fitness and team sports coaching careers. It also provides preparatory courses for paramedical competitive entrance exams (nursing, nursing assistants, childcare assistants, psychomotor therapists) and for public security entrance exams (police, customs, firefighters, fire lieutenants), with programs habilitated by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and delivered via classroom instruction combined with practical internships.

Product overview

IMSF (Institut des Métiers du Sport et de la Forme) is a training institute offering professional sports and fitness education programs. The portfolio consists of BPJEPS (Brevet Professionnel de la Jeunesse, de l'Éducation Populaire et du Sport) diplomas in fitness activities and team sports as foundational programs, complemented by preparatory classes for sports careers. Advanced offerings include DEJEPS for professional development and a STAPS university pathway. Career-oriented programs encompass paramedical competition preparation (nursing, childcare) and public security competition preparation (police, fire services). The institute operates under IPSO Campus, providing both initial training and professional retraining options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BPJEPS Activités de la Forme (BPJEPS AF) A professional diploma program that trains fitness and gym instructors, authorized by the French Ministry of Youth and Sports. It targets individuals passionate about sports and fitness who want to become fitness professionals, including professors of fitness, musculation animators, and coaches.
• BPJEPS Sports Collectifs A professional diploma program for coaching team sports including football, handball, basketball, and rugby. It targets individuals seeking careers as team sports coaches and educators.
• Classes Préparatoires aux Métiers du Sport Preparatory classes for careers in sports, designed for students seeking to enter sports education professions. The program covers pathways into roles such as professeur de fitness, animateur, coach sportif, préparateur physique, and éducateur sportif.
• Préparation aux Concours Paramédicaux Preparation courses for paramedical competitive entrance exams including nursing (Infirmier), nursing assistants (Aide-soignant), childcare assistants (Auxiliaire de puériculture), and psychomotor therapists (Psychomotricien). Targets individuals seeking to enter the healthcare sector through competitive exams.
• Préparation aux Concours de Sécurité Preparation courses for public security competitive entrance exams covering police (Police, Gendarmerie, Douanes), civil security (Sapeurs-pompiers, Lieutenant de Sapeurs-pompiers), as well as CQP APS security agent training and workplace first aid (SST) training. Targets candidates pursuing careers in public safety and security.
• DEJEPS An advanced diploma for sports professionals seeking roles in improvement, coordination, and project development within the sports sector. It targets existing sports professionals looking to advance their careers.
• Filière STAPS A university pathway in Sports Sciences and Techniques (Sciences et Techniques des Activités Physiques et Sportives), offering exploration of training, education, sports organization management, and adapted physical activity. Targets students pursuing a university-level route into sports professions.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• IPSO CampuscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2014IMSF joined IPSO Campus in July 2014, becoming part of a larger network of training centers. IPSO Campus was founded by former high-level athletes, coaches, and physical education teachers passionate about sports and competition. The partnership enables IMSF to diversify its offerings to include paramedical and public security exam preparations, leveraging the infrastructure and expertise of IPSO Campus Lyon near Part-Dieu station, medical faculties, and paramedical schools.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• IPSO Campus: IMSF's parent organization headquartered in Lyon. IPSO Campus offers the same sports (BPJEPS AF, Sports Collectifs), paramedical, and public security prep programs and shares instructors, infrastructure, and CPF-eligible frameworks with IMSF — making it the most directly comparable entity.

Broad incumbents

• INSEEC U. Major French private higher education group offering programs in management, sports management, and professional certifications across multiple French cities. Comparable in CPF-eligible professional credentialing and French vocational education market, but operating at significantly larger scale.
• Studialis / MySchool Education: French private higher education network offering professional and vocational programs. Comparable in serving French adult learners through CPF-financed credentials, but with broader academic scope and different geographic distribution.
• AD Education: European private higher education group with French operations across creative and professional disciplines. Comparable in operating habilitated French vocational programs and accessing CPF financing, but with a much wider institutional footprint.
• OMNES Education: French private higher education group encompassing engineering, business, and specialized schools. Comparable in CPF-eligible professional programs and French vocational credentialing, with significantly broader program breadth than IMSF.
• Galileo Global Education: Europe's largest private higher education group, with a broad portfolio of French vocational and professional schools. Overlaps with IMSF in French professional certification and vocational training markets, but serves a much wider academic spectrum.
• AFTRAL: One of France's largest private professional training groups, offering habilitated vocational programs across transport, logistics, and safety. Comparable business model (Ministry-habilitated programs, CPF eligibility, multi-campus delivery) but a much broader and more diversified portfolio than IMSF.

Regional players

• CREPS (Centres de Ressources, d'Expertise et de Performance Sportives): Network of regional public sports training centers across France offering BPJEPS and sports diploma programs. Most direct comparator to IMSF's BPJEPS offering; competes on price (public funding) but with less flexibility on program customization and reconversion pathways.

Emerging players

• IES (Institut d'Enseignement Supérieur): French private higher education provider offering specialized professional programs. Comparable in targeting French adult learners with CPF-eligible credentials, but with smaller scale and narrower geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imsf

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 IMSF