Chèques-entreprises

What Chèques-entreprises does

Chèques-entreprises is a government-administered subsidy program operated by Service Public de Wallonie (SPW), the regional public service of Wallonia, Belgium. The program distributes "cheques" (vouchers) that cover 50% to 90% of the cost of consulting, training, and coaching services purchased by eligible Walloon businesses from a network of 600+ certified, labeled providers. It serves three primary beneficiary segments — project holders ("porteur de projets"), established SMEs, and startups ("starter," defined as companies registered with the Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises for less than five years) — with eligibility restricted to entities whose principal operating seat is in Wallonia and that meet the EU SME thresholds (fewer than 250 employees, turnover below €50M, or balance sheet below €43M).

The underlying technology is a digital self-service platform (app.cheques-entreprises.be) that handles subsidy applications, beneficiary-provider matching, and administrative processing, supported by a telephone and ticketing helpdesk. The platform was migrated to SPW Digital in December 2023 with new features for users. The product surface spans roughly a dozen thematic cheque categories, including Energie audits (Audit Partiel, Audit global, ASA, ASP), Etude de faisabilité, Assistance à maîtrise d'ouvrage, Consultance and Booster Export (in partnership with AWEX), Economie circulaire, Cybersécurité, Innovation (with Sirris), Formation, and Transmission (business succession). Cheque caps range from €5,000 to €50,000 HTVA depending on type.

The revenue model is not commercial: the program is publicly funded through Walloon regional government budgets and operates as a single-window ("guichet unique") integrated portfolio of business support. No revenue is generated, no equity or external investors exist, and the entity is classified as a government state entity. Strategic direction is set by public policy priorities — recent moves include the 2019 system reform, the 2022 launch of Innovation cheques, the 2023 permanent thematization of Circular Economy cheques, and the December 2023 platform migration to SPW Digital.

Name

Chèques-entreprises

Legal name

Service Public de Wallonie

Website

https://cheques-entreprises.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chèques-entreprises is a Walloon government subsidy program that provides vouchers covering 50–90% of consulting, training, and coaching costs for Walloon SMEs, startups, and project holders via a digital platform matching them with 600+ certified providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Namur

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Subsidy Administration: Public service program administered by Service Public de Wallonie that distributes government-funded subsidies to eligible Walloon businesses in the form of 'cheques' (vouchers) covering partial costs of consulting, training, and coaching services from certified providers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Chèques-entreprises is a Walloon government program that distributes subsidized vouchers ("chèques") covering between 50% and 90% of the cost of consulting, training, and coaching services. The program is aimed at Walloon SMEs, startups, and project holders who wish to engage expert support across strategy, digitalization, export, cybersecurity, circular economy, and other business development areas. Services are delivered through a centralized online platform that connects beneficiaries with a network of 600+ certified service providers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Audit Partiel (AP) A government-subsidized partial audit voucher that covers 50% of audit service costs for Walloon SMEs, with a maximum amount and minimum beneficiary co-pay defined per program rules.
• Audit Global (AG) Subsidized comprehensive audit voucher for Walloon SMEs covering 50% of audit service costs (subject to program-defined maximum), enabling a full business assessment.
• Audit de Suivi Annuel (ASA) Annual follow-up audit voucher that subsidizes 50% of audit costs (subject to program maximums) to enable continuous monitoring after an initial audit.
• Audit de Suivi Performanciel (ASP) Performance-focused follow-up audit voucher subsidizing 50% of audit costs (subject to maximums), supporting performance-oriented review engagements.
• Étude de Faisabilité (EF) Subsidized feasibility study voucher for Walloon SMEs and project holders covering 50% (or higher for starters) of feasibility analysis costs, subject to program maximums.
• Assistance à Maîtrise d'Ouvrage (AMO) Subsidized project owner assistance voucher covering 50% of project management and oversight services (subject to maximums) for Walloon companies undertaking complex projects.
• Coaching Commercial (CC) Subsidized commercial coaching voucher covering 50% of coaching costs (subject to maximums) for Walloon SMEs seeking sales performance improvement.
• Coaching Stratégique (CS) Subsidized strategic coaching voucher covering 50% of strategic coaching costs (subject to maximums) for Walloon SMEs to support strategy definition and execution.
• Coaching Managerial (CM) Subsidized managerial coaching voucher covering 50% of coaching costs (subject to maximums) for Walloon SMEs to develop leadership capabilities.
• Formation (F) Subsidized training voucher covering 50% of training costs (subject to maximums) for Walloon SMEs to upskill employees through certified providers.
• Conseil en Cybersécurité (CCY) Subsidized cybersecurity consulting voucher covering 50% of advisory costs (subject to maximums) for Walloon SMEs seeking cybersecurity expertise.
• Conseil en Économie Circulaire (CEC) Subsidized circular economy consulting voucher covering 50% of advisory costs (subject to maximums) to support Walloon SMEs in circular transition.
• Conseil en Marketing Digital (CMD) Subsidized digital marketing consulting voucher covering 50% of advisory costs (subject to maximums) for Walloon SMEs seeking online marketing expertise.
• Maturité Numérique (MN) Suspended digital maturity assessment voucher that originally subsidized 50% of digital readiness advisory costs for Walloon SMEs (no longer available).
• Booster Export PME Subsidized export coaching voucher covering 50% of export advisory costs (subject to maximums) for established Walloon SMEs.
• Booster Export Starter Subsidized export coaching voucher with higher coverage rates (up to 75%) for Walloon starters and project holders preparing for international markets.
• Consultance Export PME Subsidized export consulting voucher covering 50% of export advisory costs (subject to maximums) for established Walloon SMEs.
• Coaching de l'Économie Circulaire (CECO) Subsidized circular economy coaching voucher covering 50% of coaching costs (subject to maximums) for Walloon SMEs.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Sirris - Centre collectif de l'industrie technologiquecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSirris is the collective center for technological industry and serves as a certified provider for Innovation cheques (Chèque Propriété intellectuelle and Chèque Technologique). With 150 multidisciplinary experts across 8 sites in Belgium, they help approximately 1,300 companies annually to leverage technological innovation.
• AWEX (Agence Wallonne à l'Exportation et aux Investissements Etrangers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWEX collaborates with Chèques-entreprises on export development programs, with eligible businesses able to access AWEX international support through the Booster Export cheque.
• 600+ Labeled Service Providers (Prestataires Labellisés)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of over 600 certified consulting firms, training providers, and experts across Wallonia offering services under the Chèques-entreprises program. Providers are categorized by specialization: Croissance (332+), Création (145+), Transmission (121), Energie (69), Numérique (54), Internationalisation (23), Innovation (19), Economie Circulaire (19).

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• hub.brussels: Brussels-Capital Region's agency supporting business creation, growth, and internationalization of Brussels-based SMEs. Comparable as a Belgian regional public program offering integrated consulting/training support, but serving a different geography.
• Invest Northern Ireland: Northern Ireland's regional economic development agency offering grants, advisory, and growth support to local SMEs. Comparable as a UK regional public program providing integrated SME support with subsidy coverage, but in a different geography.
• 1819.brussels (Centre d'entreprises bruxellois): Brussels enterprise center providing free advice, training, and connections to experts for Brussels-based entrepreneurs and SMEs. Comparable as a Belgian regional public program offering subsidized consulting and coaching services to SMEs, but in Brussels rather than Wallonia.

Broad incumbents

• SBA (U.S. Small Business Administration): U.S. federal agency providing grants, counseling, and contracting support to American SMEs through SBDC and SCORE networks. Comparable as a public agency delivering subsidized consulting/training to SMEs via certified provider networks, though operating at national scale.
• Enterprise Ireland: Irish government agency providing grants, advisory, and export support to Irish SMEs and startups. Comparable as a public agency distributing development vouchers and grants to SMEs across multiple themes (export, innovation, training).
• KfW Bankengruppe: German state-owned development bank offering subsidized financing and advisory programs for SMEs, including through regional partners. Comparable as a public institution channeling subsidy programs to SMEs, but with much broader financial mandate.
• Bpifrance: French public investment bank providing subsidies, loans, guarantees, and innovation support to French SMEs via programs like the 'Diag' and 'Conseil' vouchers. Comparable as a much larger French regional/national counterpart distributing voucher-based consulting subsidies.
• VLAIO (Flemish Agency for Innovation & Entrepreneurship): Flanders' regional innovation and entrepreneurship agency, providing subsidies, vouchers, and advisory services to Flemish SMEs and startups. Directly comparable as a Belgian regional public counterpart offering integrated SME support via kmo-portefeuille and similar voucher schemes.
• Innovate UK: UK national innovation agency funding business-led innovation via grants and vouchers. Comparable as a public agency distributing innovation/consulting support to SMEs, but operating at national scale with broader R&D focus.

Direct peers

• Wallonie Entreprendre (formerly SRIW): Walloon public investment company providing financing, loans, and equity support to Walloon businesses. Operates within the same regional ecosystem and beneficiary base as Chèques-entreprises, complementing voucher-based consulting subsidies with direct financial instruments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ch%C3%A8ques-entreprises

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 Chèques-entreprises