Biocycle

What Biocycle does

Biocycle is a French nonprofit association (association loi 1901), founded in 2014 and headquartered in Paris, that combats food waste and food insecurity by collecting unsold food from markets, supermarkets, and food retailers and redistributing it to charitable associations via a fleet of European-manufactured electric cargo bikes. The organization employs 11 staff plus 8 cyclo-livreurs in social insertion roles, and operates from a site hosted by La Mie de Pain in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, with collection activities extending into first-ring suburbs such as Ivry-sur-Seine and Ermont. Its core technical asset is the Vélomixeur, a bicycle-powered blender that transforms imperfect fruits and vegetables into smoothies and soups during awareness workshops and corporate team-building events.

Biocycle monetizes through four interconnected professional services: paid food waste collection logistics for food professionals (with 60% tax deduction documentation for donors), anti-food-waste awareness workshops and corporate CSR events using the Vélomixeur, consulting and training services for businesses and local authorities (audits, action plans, anti-waste strategy), and a social franchise program (Nouvelles antennes Biocycle) that licenses its operational framework to project carriers in new territories. Customer segments are hybrid: food professionals and supermarkets (Biocoop), charitable associations (Secours Populaire, Armée du Salut, Emmaüs, AGORAé, Aurore), corporates seeking CSR activations (Nissan, Groupe AGRICA), and local authorities (Ivry-sur-Seine, Ermont, Fontenay-sous-Bois schools).

The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, relying on association forums, public events such as the Salon de l'Agriculture, press relations, newsletter, and word-of-mouth through the 130+ partner network. Biocycle has received the 2019 Médaille de la Ville de Paris from Mayor Hidalgo, has cumulatively supported over 80,000 food aid beneficiaries and sensitized 45,000 citizens to food waste issues, and operates in the Île-de-France region under SIRET 81794477000020 with no disclosed institutional investors or parent entity.

Name

Biocycle

Legal name

Biocycle

Website

https://biocycle.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Biocycle is a Paris-based nonprofit that collects unsold food from retailers and markets via electric cargo bikes and redistributes it to charitable associations, while also running anti-food-waste workshops using its proprietary Vélomixeur bike-blender for corporates, schools, and municipalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food Waste Collection Services: Logistics service collecting unsold food from food professionals and redistributing to charitable associations, enabling 60% tax deduction for donors.
2. Consulting and Training: Advisory services and training programs for businesses and local authorities to optimize food waste management, audits, and action plans.
3. Event Animation Services: Awareness workshops, teambuilding events, and corporate social responsibility activities using Vélomixeur and other interactive tools.
4. Social Franchise: Licensing model allowing project carriers to replicate the Biocycle model in new territories with support, training, and operational guides.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Biocycle is a French nonprofit social enterprise that collects unsold food from food professionals (markets, supermarkets, retailers) using electric cargo bikes and redistributes it to charitable associations serving people in food insecurity. In addition to its core food collection and redistribution service, the organization delivers anti-food-waste awareness workshops using its signature Vélomixeur bike-powered blender, offers consulting and training services to businesses and local authorities, and licenses a social franchise model for territorial replication.

Product overview

Biocycle operates as a social enterprise offering four interconnected services: food waste collection and redistribution via cargo bikes (Collecte d'invendus alimentaires), anti-food waste awareness through interactive workshops using the Vélomixeur bike blenders (Sensibilisation à l'anti-gaspi), consulting and training for organizations (Conseil & Formations), and a social franchise model for territorial expansion (Nouvelles antennes). The organization uses cargo triporteur bikes for eco-friendly last-mile delivery and has created social inclusion jobs for cyclo-livreurs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vélomixeur: Cycling smoothie bikes used for community awareness workshops on food waste prevention
• Biocycle Franchise

Products and services

• Collecte d'invendus alimentaires (Food Waste Collection Service) Logistics service that collects unsold food from food professionals (markets, supermarkets, retailers) and redistributes it to charitable associations via cargo bikes on the last mile, including cold chain management and administrative follow-up. Targets food professionals in the Paris region who need a turnkey solution to convert unsold inventory into tax-deductible donations.
• Sensibilisation à l'anti-gaspi (Anti-Waste Awareness Workshops) Awareness and education service using interactive workshops and the Vélomixeur (bike-powered blender) to teach individuals, employees, and students about food waste reduction through practical anti-waste techniques. Includes corporate team-building events, school interventions, and public activations.
• Conseil & Formations (Consulting and Training)
• Nouvelles antennes Biocycle (Social Franchise) Social franchise program allowing project leaders to replicate the Biocycle model in new French territories. The package includes contracts, operational guides, network access, commercial training, and strategic programs to support local launch of food waste collection and awareness activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80,000+ food aid beneficiaries supported
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• 13 Avenir - Territoires Zéro ChômeurscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2018Partnership with the 'Territoires Zéro Chômeurs' experiment in Paris 13th arrondissement. Two cyclo-delivery workers from 13 Avenir participate weekly in collections, receiving training in cargo bike delivery.
• Secours PopulairecoreOthersCharitable partner receiving redistributed food donations. One of the key beneficiaries of Biocycle's food collection operations.
• Armée du Salut (Salvation Army)coreOthersCharitable partner receiving redistributed food donations from Biocycle's collection operations.
• Emmaüs SolidaritécoreOthersCharitable partner in Biocycle's redistribution network for food aid.
• La Mie de PaincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost location for Biocycle in the 13th arrondissement of Paris since January 2020, providing physical space for operations.
• BiocoopcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganic supermarket chain partnership where Biocycle collects and redistributes unsold produce from stores. €9,800 fiscal savings generated, 5,666 meals redistributed, 600km traveled by cargo bikes.
• Ivry-sur-SeinemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partnership for market waste collection. Convention signed November 2019. Created 1 social insertion job, serves 3 associations weekly with 500kg weekly food valorized.
• ErmontmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal consulting project for food waste territory assessment. Audited 50+ donors and created 1 job at town hall for collection operations.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Secours Populaire Français: France-wide nonprofit addressing poverty including food insecurity. Listed as a beneficiary partner of Biocycle, illustrative of the broader ecosystem of French food-aid organizations that Biocycle serves rather than competes with.
• Restos du Coeur: Major French food-aid nonprofit distributing meals and food to people in precarious situations. Tangentially comparable as a downstream recipient of Biocycle's redistributed food and a parallel operator in addressing food insecurity in France.
• Emmaüs: Federation of French social-inclusion organizations (including Emmaüs Solidarité, a Biocycle partner). Adjacent to Biocycle in the social-insertion and food-aid space, but broader in scope (housing, employment, second-hand goods).

Direct peers

• Phénix: Founded in France and one of the largest food-waste anti-waste operators, Phénix collects unsold food from retailers and redistributes to charities via a digital platform. Directly comparable to Biocycle in the food-rescue and food-waste collection mission, with broader national scale and tech-enabled matching.
• Optimiam: French anti-waste digital platform selling surplus food from retailers at reduced prices to consumers. Overlaps with Biocycle in the food-surplus recovery mission in France, but with a commercial consumer-discount model rather than charity redistribution.
• Too Good To Go: Danish-origin surplus-meal marketplace operating in France, connecting consumers directly to unsold food from restaurants and retailers. Comparable to Biocycle in addressing food waste, but uses a B2C app model rather than cargo-bike logistics and charity redistribution.

Regional players

• Olio: UK-based food-sharing app enabling neighbors and businesses to share surplus food. Comparable to Biocycle in tackling food waste through community participation, but consumer-to-consumer rather than professional-to-charity.
• FoodCloud: Irish-founded charity using a digital platform to connect retailers' surplus food to local charities. Highly comparable to Biocycle's mission and operating model, though geographically focused on Ireland and the UK rather than France.

Broad incumbents

• Les Banques Alimentaires: National French food-bank network aggregating surplus food from manufacturers and retailers for redistribution to charitable associations. Operates at significantly larger scale than Biocycle across many regions, and is a key institutional counterpart (and potential substitute) in the food-rescue value chain.

Emerging players

• Linkee: French nonprofit that recovers unsold food from caterers and redistributes to students in precarious situations. Directly comparable to Biocycle in the food-rescue-to-vulnerable-populations mission, with a focus on the student segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/biocycle-association-

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 Biocycle