Agence France Entrepreneur - AFE

What Agence France Entrepreneur - AFE does

Agence France Entrepreneur (AFE), operating as Bpifrance Création, is a French government-backed public service initiative housed within Bpifrance (Banque Publique d'Investissement), France's state-owned public investment bank. The platform was established in 2013 to support individuals across the full lifecycle of entrepreneurship in France — from idea generation and business creation through acquisition, growth management, and transfer. Headquartered in Paris with 76 employees, AFE operates a digital-first self-service platform (bpifrance-creation.fr and afecreation.fr) providing free tools, content, and personalized guidance to French entrepreneurs, business acquirers, micro-entrepreneurs, and business sellers.

The core technology is a web-based digital platform built around three anchor offerings: Mon Pass Créa, a guided step-by-step toolkit for building a creation or takeover project; the Bourse de la Transmission, a business transfer marketplace aggregating 80,000+ listings of businesses, franchises, and commercial real estate from national partners including Fusacq and Cession; and an Encyclopédie with over 500 thematic articles covering legal structures, taxation, financing, and creation steps. Supporting tools include interactive simulators for financing eligibility, legal-status selection, micro-enterprise thresholds and social charges, hiring cost, and a fiscal calendar, plus the Base nationale des aides publiques — a national database of public business aid managed in partnership with CMA France. The platform also links to Tousnosprojets, a crowdfunding marketplace, and connects users to a national network of accredited counselors and CitésLab advisors for in-person support.

AFE's business model is publicly funded and free to end users. As a government-backed initiative under Bpifrance, all core services, tools, encyclopedic content, and applications are provided at no charge to entrepreneurs, with no direct revenue generated from users. Revenue mechanics rely on public appropriations rather than fees, subscriptions, or transaction-based pricing. Customer segments span new entrepreneurs, business acquirers, growing business owners, business sellers, micro-entrepreneurs, and rural very small businesses, served through a hybrid digital-plus-field distribution model that combines self-service web tools with counselor referrals, events (including Bpifrance Inno Génération), webinars, and multi-channel content marketing.

Name

Agence France Entrepreneur - AFE

Legal name

Bpifrance Création

Website

https://afecreation.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Agence France Entrepreneur (AFE) operates Bpifrance Création, a free, government-backed digital platform under Bpifrance that provides French entrepreneurs with tools, encyclopedic content, and a business-transfer marketplace covering creation, takeover, growth, and transfer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Support Services

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

SME & Entrepreneurship Development (Trade-Linked) (BPADAMAE)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship support services
• Business creation guidance
• Business transfer marketplace
• Public funding assistance
• Small business resources

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public funding: As a government-backed initiative under Bpifrance, the platform is publicly funded and provides free services to entrepreneurs. No direct revenue is generated from users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Agence France Entrepreneur (AFE) operates Bpifrance Création, a free, government-backed digital platform that helps individuals in France create, take over, manage, or transfer a business. The platform combines a step-by-step creation toolkit (Mon Pass Créa), a business transfer marketplace aggregating 80,000+ listings from national partners (Bourse de la Transmission), a curated encyclopedia of 500+ articles, interactive simulators (legal status, micro-enterprise thresholds, social charges, hiring costs), a national public-aid database (with CMA France), and a crowdfunding marketplace (Tousnosprojets). All core services are provided free of charge to entrepreneurs as a public service under Bpifrance.

Product overview

Agence France Entrepreneur (AFE) operates Bpifrance Création, a comprehensive entrepreneurship support platform organized as a central digital hub with integrated tools and content resources. The core offering centers on Mon Pass Créa (a step-by-step creation toolkit), the Bourse de la Transmission (a business transfer marketplace with 80,000+ listings), and an Encyclopédie (500+ knowledge articles). Supporting tools include financing simulators, legal status advisors, micro-enterprise calculators, hiring cost estimators, and a fiscal calendar. Additional resources include webinars, digital dossiers (Dossiers Projecteurs), a crowdfunding marketplace (Tousnosprojets), and a digital library. The platform also features a crowdfunding marketplace (Tousnosprojets) and organizes events including BIG (Bpifrance Inno Génération) conferences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mon Pass Créa Step-by-step digital toolkit that helps entrepreneurs build and structure a business creation or takeover project, providing resources, templates, and personalized guidance. It is offered free of charge to individuals in France launching or acquiring a business.
• Bourse de la Transmission Online business transfer marketplace aggregating 80,000+ listings of businesses, shops, franchises, and commercial real estate from multiple national partners (Fusacq, Cession, and others). It enables entrepreneurs in France to find acquisition opportunities for business takeovers.
• Tousnosprojets (Crowdfunding) Crowdfunding marketplace platform that connects entrepreneurs with investors and backers to fund their projects. Operated within the Bpifrance ecosystem and accessible to French entrepreneurs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80,000+ business transfer listings available through platform

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CMA France (Chambres des Métiers et de l'Artisanat)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCMA France partners with Bpifrance Création to manage the Base nationale des aides publiques, a national database of regional and local public aid available to businesses. The network of Chambers of Trades and Crafts also provides local support and webinars for artisans.
• FusacqcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFusacq is a national partner supplying business transfer listings to the Bourse de la Transmission platform, one of the major sources of the 80,000+ announcements aggregated on the platform.
• Cession (and other national partners)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMultiple national partners contribute business transfer and franchise listings to the Bourse de la Transmission platform, which aggregates these announcements alongside Fusacq to provide over 80,000 listings to entrepreneurs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• LegalPlace: LegalPlace is a French online legal services platform offering business creation, contract drafting, and legal document services to entrepreneurs and SMBs. It competes with AFE's legal status selection and business creation tools in a commercial freemium model.
• Captain Contrat: Captain Contrat is a French legaltech platform helping SMBs and entrepreneurs create companies, draft contracts, and manage legal obligations online. It overlaps with AFE's legal status selection aid and incorporation guidance but operates as a commercial legal services platform.

Direct peers

• ADIE: ADIE (Association pour le Droit à l'Initiative Économique) is a French association financing and supporting micro-entrepreneurs and SMB creators excluded from traditional banking. It overlaps with AFE's micro-entrepreneur segment and financing guidance mission.
• Fusacq: Fusacq is a leading French business transfer marketplace connecting business sellers with acquirers. It is both a direct peer (same product category) and an existing partner of AFE, supplying listings to the Bourse de la Transmission platform.
• Initiative France: Initiative France is a national network supporting business creation and SMB financing through local associations, offering mentoring and prêt d'honneur (honor loans). It is a directly comparable peer providing entrepreneur support, financing access, and counseling across France.
• Cession PME: Cession PME is a French online marketplace specializing in business transfer listings, including franchises and commercial real estate. It is also a national partner supplying listings to AFE's Bourse de la Transmission, making it a directly comparable peer.
• Réseau Entreprendre: Réseau Entreprendre is a French network of business leaders supporting entrepreneurs through mentoring, financing, and peer support. It serves a similar SMB creation and growth mission with comparable target users.
• France Active: France Active is a French network financing and supporting entrepreneurs, particularly those facing access-to-finance barriers. It is comparable to AFE in supporting SMB creation and providing financing guidance to entrepreneurs.

Others

• CCI France: CCI France is the national body for Chambers of Commerce and Industry, providing business creation support, training, and local services to entrepreneurs. It is a complementary public service ecosystem rather than direct competition, with overlapping customer segments.
• CMA France: CMA France (Chambres des Métiers et de l'Artisanat) is the national body for Chambers of Trades and Crafts, supporting artisans and craft businesses. It is an existing strategic partner of AFE (managing the Base nationale des aides publiques) with overlapping SMB support services.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bpifrancecrea
• YouTubeyoutube.com/bpifrance
• Facebookfacebook.com/bpifrance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agencefranceentrepreneur

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 Agence France Entrepreneur - AFE