What Cédille does

Cédille is a non-profit network federation based in Alixan, in the Drôme department of France, that unites and represents third-places (tiers-lieux) — coworking spaces, fablabs, makerspaces, cultural venues, and community hubs — across the department. The organization is described as 'porté par et pour eux' (carried by and for the third places themselves), reflecting a member-driven, collective ownership model typical of the French Économie Sociale et Solidaire (ESS) sector. Its 14-person team coordinates a portfolio of three core offerings: the Cédille network itself (collective representation, expert connections, and shared services), the annual Cédille Tour (a multi-stop discovery event now in its 6th year), and Cédille Formation, a separate mutualized training organization whose courses are eligible for public funding subsidies.

The underlying 'technology' is organizational rather than digital: Cédille provides no proprietary software platform, APIs, or applications. Its digital footprint consists of a website, a MailerLite-powered newsletter covering actualités, events, job postings, and veille, and active Facebook and LinkedIn presences. Distribution is primarily community-led and event-driven, with the Cédille Tour serving as the flagship mid-funnel engagement channel and direct contact (email/phone) handling bottom-of-funnel project support inquiries.

Name

Cédille

Legal name

Cédille

Website

https://cedille.pro

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cédille is a 14-person non-profit network federation based in Alixan, France, that unites and represents third-places (coworking spaces, fablabs, cultural hubs) across the Drôme department, delivering collective services including an annual Tour event and a mutualized training organization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Alixan

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Cédille Formation: Cédille operates a shared training organization (Cédille Formation) that provides professional development for third-place operators and coworkers. Training programs are eligible for public funding subsidies, suggesting a hybrid public-private funding model for training services.
2. Institutional Partnerships and Public Funding: Cédille receives support from institutional partners including the Conseil Départemental de la Drôme and participates in government programs (ANACT experiments on coworking employees). This suggests institutional funding and grant-based revenue streams.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cédille is the federated network of third-places (tiers-lieux) in the Drôme department of France, bringing together coworking spaces, fablabs, makerspaces, cultural venues, micro-folies, shared workshops, and community hubs. It delivers collective services to member third-places and the wider public, including the annual Cédille Tour (collective guided visits for discovery), Cédille Formation (a shared training organization eligible for public funding), and animator staffing support to launch and consolidate new third-place projects. The organization also represents members in institutional discussions and connects them with expert resources on topics such as ESS structure creation and real estate.

Product overview

Cédille operates as a unified network platform for third places in Drôme, France. The core offering consists of the Cédille network itself, which federates and represents the diversity of tiers-lieux including coworking spaces, maker spaces, cultural venues, and community hubs. The portfolio includes two complementary services: Cédille Tour for collective discovery visits and Cédille Formation for shared training programs. All offerings are coordinated to strengthen the collective impact of third places across the region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cédille Network (federation of third-places in Drôme) Member-driven federated network of third-places (tiers-lieux) across the Drôme department in France, including coworking spaces, fablabs, makerspaces, cultural venues, micro-folies, shared workshops, and community hubs. Provides collective representation, mutual aid, expert connections, animator staffing support, and institutional advocacy to member third-places.
• Cédille Tour Annual collective guided tour of member third-places across a Drôme bassin de vie, including open days and trial days, designed to help the public discover coworking, fablab, cultural, and community spaces and to strengthen ties within the network.
• Cédille Formation Shared training organization for third-place operators and coworkers, offering professional development courses eligible for public funding subsidies. Delivered regionally across Drôme.
• Animator Staffing Support Pooling and facilitation of animator hiring for member third-places, supported by Cédille's partners, to help launch and consolidate third-places by ensuring spaces remain lively and attractive.

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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Conseil Départemental de la DrômecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Departmental Council of Drôme is a key institutional partner supporting Cédille's network operations. This partnership provides institutional legitimacy and likely includes financial or operational support for the federation's activities.
• ANCT (Agence Nationale de la Cohésion des Territoires)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwarded Cédille the 'Fabrique de Territoire' label in 2024, recognizing it as a territory-based innovation project. ANCT is the National Agency for Territorial Cohesion, a key national government body.
• France Tiers-LieuxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCédille is an adherent member of France Tiers-Lieux, the national federation for third-places in France. This membership provides access to national network resources, best practices, and collective advocacy.
• ANACT (Agence Nationale pour l'Amélioration des Conditions de Travail)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCédille participates in national experiments with ANACT on the topic of coworking employees (salariés en coworking), exploring legislative and practical frameworks for remote work arrangements.
• Conseil National des Tiers-LieuxmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCédille holds membership in the national council for third-places, providing representation at the national level and access to policy discussions affecting the sector.
• RELIEF (Réseau Régional des Tiers-Lieux)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCédille is co-founder of the regional third-places network RELIEF, extending its influence and collaboration beyond Drôme to the broader regional ecosystem.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• RELIEF (Réseau Régional des Tiers-Lieux): Regional network of third-places that Cédille co-founded. Operates at a broader regional (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) scope, making it both a parent coordination layer and the most directly comparable peer in federation model, membership structure, and service offering.
• La Cordée: French coworking and third-place network operating shared workspaces across multiple cities. Comparable as a multi-site third-place operator in France, though more commercially oriented and centralized than Cédille's federated associative model.

Broad incumbents

• France Tiers-Lieux: National federation for French third-places that Cédille is a member of. Operates as the umbrella body across all departments, providing the policy advocacy, training coordination, and national experimentation programs that regional networks like Cédille plug into.
• Deskeo: Premium French coworking and flexible office operator serving enterprises in Paris and major cities. Comparable as a workspace provider addressing remote worker and SMB needs, though operating with a commercial rather than associative model.
• IWG (parent of Regus, Spaces): Global leader in flexible workspace provision. Operates a vastly larger and more commercial version of the workspace federation model Cédille represents, though targeting enterprise and SMB tenants rather than community-driven third places.
• Wojo (formerly Multiburo): Major French coworking and flexible workspace brand. Operates a broader portfolio of corporate-grade coworking spaces across France, overlapping with Cédille's mission of providing collaborative workspaces but targeting larger enterprise tenants.

Others

• Conseil Départemental de la Drôme: Key institutional partner and likely funder of Cédille. As the departmental government body, it shapes the policy and funding landscape in which third-place federations like Cédille operate — comparable as the primary institutional sponsor counterpart.
• ANCT (Agence Nationale de la Cohésion des Territoires): The national agency that awarded Cédille its Fabrique de Territoire label. As a funder, regulator, and convener of territorial innovation projects, ANCT is an ecosystem participant whose policy direction materially shapes Cédille's operating environment.
• Conseil National des Tiers-Lieux: National policy council on third-places where Cédille holds membership. Provides policy direction, sector representation, and convening — making it an ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor, but operating in the same associative, federation-style space.

Regional players

• Le Moulin Digital: Hosts Cédille Tour archives and operates as a third-place/media entity in Drôme. Comparable as a regional third-place operator in the same geographic catchment, representing the type of member organization Cédille federates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cedille.pro
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cedille-drome

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 Cédille