Chaire Légitimité Entrepreneuriale (CLE)

What Chaire Légitimité Entrepreneuriale (CLE) does

Chaire Légitimité Entrepreneuriale (CLE) is an academic research chair established in 2020 within CERGAM (Centre d'Etudes et de Recherche en Gestion d'Aix-Marseille), a university research unit (UR 4225) affiliated with Aix-Marseille Université and Université de Toulon. CLE operates under the E2I (Entrepreneuriat Information Internationalisation) research axis and is one of three chairs within CERGAM, alongside Chaire Attractivité et Nouveau Marketing Territorial (ANMT) and Chaire Organisations & Territoires des Arts, de la Culture et de la Création (OTACC). The chair's research focus is on entrepreneurial legitimacy — specifically, how new ventures establish legitimacy, how legitimacy affects organizational performance, and how support structures help entrepreneurs build it. Its operational director, Amandine Maus (PhD in Entrepreneurship), received the 2020 Best Dissertation Award in Entrepreneurship from the Academy of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and in 2025 was awarded an ANR JCJC grant for an international project on inclusive entrepreneurship performance and legitimacy.

CLE's core 'product' is research output — academic publications, doctoral research support, and knowledge transfer activities — rather than a commercial product or technology platform. The chair organizes the annual Summer School on Entrepreneurial Legitimacy as its principal practitioner-engagement initiative, and CERGAM as a whole has trained over 400 PhD graduates, with nearly 90 doctoral students currently in the pipeline and more than 200 members overall. Office operations are based at the MEGA building on the Pauliane eco-campus in Aix-en-Provence.

CLE's business model is non-commercial: as a publicly funded university research chair, it does not generate commercial revenue. Funding flows from institutional university allocations and competitive public research grants such as ANR funding. Distribution and outreach occur through academic channels — research publications, conference presentations, and the Summer School event — targeting academic researchers and field practitioners interested in entrepreneurial legitimacy. The entity has no app, no API, no proprietary technology stack, and no commercial customers; its 'go-to-market' is community-led academic engagement rather than commercial sales.

Name

Chaire Légitimité Entrepreneuriale (CLE)

Legal name

Centre d'Etudes et de Recherche en Gestion d'Aix-Marseille (CERGAM)

Website

https://cergam.univ-amu.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Chaire Légitimité Entrepreneuriale (CLE) is an academic research chair within CERGAM at Aix-Marseille University, focused on entrepreneurial legitimacy research. It supports doctoral research and bridges academia with practitioners through the annual Summer School on Entrepreneurial Legitimacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Marseille

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Research funding and partnerships: The chair operates as part of the CERGAM research laboratory at Aix-Marseille University, funded through university research budgets and partnerships with industry stakeholders interested in entrepreneurial legitimacy topics.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

CLE is an academic research chair within the CERGAM research unit (UR 4225) of Aix-Marseille University, operating under the E2I (Entrepreneuriat Information Internationalisation) research axis. It conducts and supervises research on entrepreneurial legitimacy, supports doctoral research, and organises knowledge-transfer initiatives such as the annual Summer School on Entrepreneurial Legitimacy that brings together researchers and field practitioners.

Product overview

Chaire Légitimité Entrepreneuriale (CLE) is an academic research chair within CERGAM (Centre d'Etudes et de Recherche en Gestion d'Aix-Marseille), specifically part of the E2I (Entrepreneuriat Information Internationalisation) research axis. It focuses on research into entrepreneurial legitimacy and serves as a bridge between academic research and field practitioners. The chair organizes academic programs including the Summer School on Entrepreneurial Legitimacy. CLE is one of three chairs within CERGAM that connect academic research with professional practice, alongside the Chaire Attractivité et Nouveau Marketing Territorial (ANMT) and the Chaire Organisations & Territoires des Arts, de la Culture et de la Création (OTACC).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Chaire Légitimité Entrepreneuriale (CLE): Research chair on entrepreneurial legitimacy, led by the E2I (Entrepreneurship Information Internationalisation) research axis, organizing the Summer School on Entrepreneurial Legitimacy
• Chaire ANMT (Attractivité et Nouveau Marketing Territorial)
• Chaire OTACC (Organisations & Territoires des Arts, de la Culture et de la Création)

Ideal customer profiles2 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Summer School on Entrepreneurial LegitimacycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual academic event organized by the Entrepreneurial Legitimacy Chair (E2I axis of CERGAM) bringing together researchers and practitioners to discuss entrepreneurial legitimacy topics
• CERGAM (Centre d'Etudes et de Recherche en Gestion d'Aix-Marseille)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCLE is hosted within CERGAM (UR 4225), a research unit affiliated with Aix-Marseille University and University of Toulon, created in 2008 with over 200 members including nearly 90 doctoral students

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat2 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/entrepreneurial-legitimacy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Chaire Légitimité Entrepreneuriale (CLE)