APESA FRANCE

What APESA FRANCE does

APESA FRANCE (Aide Psychologique aux Entrepreneurs en Souffrance Aiguë) is a French non-profit association loi 1901, founded in 2013 by clinical psychologist Jean-Luc Douillard and Saintes commercial court clerk Marc Binnié, headquartered at 18 Boulevard Guillet Mallet, 17100 Saintes. The organization delivers free psychological support to entrepreneurs in acute psychological distress through a nationwide alert network: trained "sentinelles" embedded in judicial and economic institutions (judges, greffiers, accountants, lawyers, CCI representatives) detect entrepreneurs in distress and trigger alerts, which are routed through a national coordination system — operated in partnership with VYV Ecoute et Solution's RMA platform — to psychologists trained in suicide prevention who proactively contact the entrepreneur for evaluation and arrange 1-5 confidential consultations near their location.

The core product is a single coordinated service rather than a technology platform per se; the underlying "platform" is the national alert and routing backbone (RMA), combined with a proprietary sentinel training curriculum, a charte APESA governance framework, and a scientific committee producing recommendations. Service is delivered entirely free to beneficiaries, with no consumer-facing sales channel; all engagement is referral-based through the professional sentinel network. APESA France operates as the national coordinating entity for a federated network of autonomous local APESA associations (110 across France as of October 2025, plus APESA NC in Nouvelle-Calédonie), with strategic conventions signed with the CNAJMJ, CCI, URSSAF Bretagne, AGS, and various sector federations to embed sentinelles across professional touchpoints where distressed entrepreneurs are encountered.

The business model is that of a donation- and partnership-funded non-profit: there is no fee charged to beneficiaries, no tiered pricing, and no commercial revenue stream. Funding comes from individual donations, partner contributions (insurers such as Harmonie Mutuelle and Pavillon Prévoyance, mutualist groups), local fundraising events (e.g., Rotary Club de Dax solidarity concert raising €1,850 in April 2025), and public support. Local APESA associations are autonomously responsible for fundraising to finance coordination and psychological consultations, while APESA France handles national coordination, training, and institutional partnerships. With 68 employees, 6,465 trained sentinels, 2,002 mobilized psychologists, and 14,444 cumulative interventions triggered since 2013, the organization represents the first systematic psychological support network specifically designed for distressed entrepreneurs in France.

Name

APESA FRANCE

Legal name

APESA FRANCE

Website

https://apesa-france.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

APESA France is a non-profit association delivering free psychological support to entrepreneurs in acute distress via a national network of 6,465 trained sentinels, 2,002 mobilized psychologists, and 110 local associations across France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saintes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Public Support: APESA operates as a non-profit organization funded through donations and public support. The service is completely free for entrepreneurs in distress. Local APESA associations are autonomous in fundraising to finance coordination and psychological consultations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

APESA France operates a free psychological support coordination system for entrepreneurs in acute distress. A national network of trained "sentinelles" (judges, greffiers, accountants, lawyers, and business organization representatives) detects distress in entrepreneurs and triggers alerts through the RMA platform. APESA-trained psychologists then proactively contact the entrepreneur for confidential evaluation and arrange 1-5 consultations with nearby psychologists.

Product overview

APESA France operates as a single unified service offering psychological support to entrepreneurs in acute distress. The core service consists of a network of trained 'sentinelles' (sentinels) who identify entrepreneurs in psychological distress and trigger an alert system. A psychologist then rapidly contacts the entrepreneur for confidential evaluation and arranges nearby psychological consultations. The service is coordinated nationally through APESA France while deployed locally through autonomous regional associations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• APESA Psychological Support Service (Aide Psychologique aux Entrepreneurs en Souffrance Aiguë) Free, confidential psychological support service for entrepreneurs in acute distress, delivered through a network of trained sentinelles who detect distress situations and trigger alerts routed via the RMA platform to APESA-trained psychologists who proactively contact the entrepreneur for evaluation and arrange 1-5 consultations with a nearby psychologist.

Quantifiable outcome

• 14,444 interventions triggered since 2013
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• URSSAF BretagnecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025New partnership strengthening the sentinel network and psychological support coverage in Brittany region.
• Rotary Club de DaxminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2025Local service organization organizing fundraising events for APESA 40, including a golf tournament, theater performance, and concert (raised €1,850).
• CNAJMJ (Conseil National des Administrateurs Judiciaires et Mandataires Judiciaires)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 November 2024Signed convention for mutual awareness: APESA informs entrepreneurs about AJMJ roles while CNAJMJ sensitizes professionals to APESA mission. Judicial administrators naturally serve as sentinelles.
• Harmonie MutuelleminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2023Health insurance partner supporting the mental health of entrepreneurs. Listed as a useful link on APESA website.
• Fédération Nationale de l'Hôtellerie de Plein AircoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2023Camping federation partnership to support members experiencing psychological distress, training sentinelles within their network.
• Pavillon PrévoyanceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrevention and protection insurance partner supporting entrepreneur welfare.
• CCI (Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCI published an article about the APESA system, raising awareness among business leaders and facilitating sentinel recruitment in commercial courts.
• U2P 40minorGTM or Marketing PartnerUnion of Small Businesses ( Landes) partnership for local APESA support and fundraising.
• CAPEB 40minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCrafts and Building trades confederation partnership in Landes for APESA support.
• AGS (Association pour la Gestion du régime de Garantie des créances Salariales)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAGS supports APESA as their mission intersects with APESA's: AGS handles wage guarantees in bankruptcies but lacks psychological support dimension for entrepreneurs. Partnership provides holistic crisis response.
• PRAGA AssurancesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInsurance partnership providing rapid psychological support to agents facing acute distress, supporting their wellbeing and breaking isolation.
• Dispositif Casques Bleus FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCasques Bleus helps business owners in distress with company difficulties. Partnership with APESA adds psychological support dimension. They have complementary geographic coverage.
• VYV Ecoute et Solution (RMA Platform)coreTechnology or IntegrationNational health platform receiving all alert forms from sentinelles across France and coordinating with APESA-trained psychologists for rapid response. This is the operational backbone of the national alert system.
• Les Passagers du tempscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal suicide prevention association that initially funded and supported the first APESA experimental pilot in 2013 at Saintes tribunal.
• Tribunal de Commerce de SaintescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBirthplace of APESA in 2012-2013, where the co-founders Jean-Luc Douillard (psychologist) and Marc Binnié (greffier) initiated the first experimental device.
• Tribunal de Commerce de Bourg-en-BressecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInitiated APESA 01 in November 2020, demonstrating the model's replicability to other jurisdictions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• 3114 (Numéro national de prévention du suicide): France's 24/7 national suicide prevention helpline. APESA itself directs emergency cases to 3114, making it a complementary rather than competing mental-health service — same crisis-intervention domain but serving the general population.
• CJD (Centre des Jeunes Dirigeants d'entreprise): French association of young business leaders focused on leadership development and peer exchange. Touches the same business-leader population APESA serves and is positioned thematically around entrepreneur well-being, though its mission is developmental rather than crisis-oriented.
• France Bénévolat: National association promoting and supporting volunteering across France. APESA's sentinel network operates on a quasi-volunteer basis (professionals donating detection time), making France Bénévolat an adjacent ecosystem actor on volunteer mobilization.

Direct peers

• BGE (Boutique de Gestion): National network of associations supporting entrepreneurship and business creation, particularly for vulnerable populations. Operates a similar federated association model across France and serves entrepreneurs who may overlap with APESA's target segment.
• Initiative France: Federation of local associations supporting business creation and resilience across France. Shares APESA's community-association structure, geographic distribution model, and entrepreneur-focused mission, though oriented more toward financing than psychological support.
• France Active: National French network financing and supporting entrepreneurs in difficulty, including those facing business failure. Comparable audience of vulnerable entrepreneurs and complementary intervention (financial + social support), making it a natural ally and peer in the entrepreneur-resilience ecosystem.
• ADIE (Association pour le Droit à l'Initiative Économique): French association supporting entrepreneurship through microcredit and advisory services, particularly for entrepreneurs excluded from mainstream finance. Overlaps with APESA in serving entrepreneurs facing financial distress and business difficulty.
• Réseau Entreprendre: French network of business leaders providing mentoring and capital to entrepreneurs, including those in difficulty. Comparable target audience (small business leaders) and a community-led delivery model centered on volunteer business leaders.
• 60 000 Rebonds: French non-profit helping entrepreneurs recover after business failure through mentoring and support. Operates in the same problem space — entrepreneurs in distress following business crisis — with overlapping target population and a comparable community-led delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• CCI France: National network of French Chambers of Commerce and Industry — a broad incumbent institution serving all French businesses. CCI is both an APESA partner (for sentinel recruitment) and an adjacent ecosystem actor operating at much greater scale across the same entrepreneur audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AssociationAPESAFrance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apesa-france

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 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 APESA FRANCE