What Coorace does

Coorace is a French non-profit federation headquartered in Bagneux (Île-de-France) that operates as the national head network for Insertion through Economic Activity (IAE) enterprises and a key player in the Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS) sector. Founded in 1985 with approximately 34 employees, the federation represents more than 600 member enterprises through 12 regional delegations covering all metropolitan French regions plus DOM-TOM territories (Guadeloupe, Guyane, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion). Its core technology and product offering centers on the proprietary CEDRE quality certification framework — initiated in 1996 and now in Version 3 — which integrates ISO 9001 standards and is specifically adapted for inclusion-through-work structures. The certification covers five key processes (reception, integration, commercial development, observatory, and continuous improvement) and is augmented by the CEDRE ISO 9001 version, the RSE (Corporate Social Responsibility) label, and an 18-month CEDRE Formation-Action training program. Supporting services include the COORACE Ambition Progrès (CAP) continuous improvement approach, COORACE Formation training catalog (delivered via Dendreo platform), FG2I guarantee fund for ETTI members (in partnership with Crédit Coopératif), legal support (Service Juridique), strategic monitoring (Veille Stratégique with economic barometers), and the Eureka member intranet.

The federation's business model is multi-stream and member-centric. Primary revenue derives from recurring annual membership fees from 600+ member enterprises, supplemented by training and professional services revenue (COORACE Formation), financial guarantee service fees (FG2I), and project-based public funding — notably FSE+ (European Social Fund Plus, €6.6 billion allocation for France 2024-2028) and government partnership funding via DGEFP. Strategic tier partnerships with Crédit Coopératif, France Active, Harmonie Mutuelle, Fondation AG2R LA MONDIALE, L'Avise, and Réseau Entreprendre extend service breadth to members across financing, social protection, knowledge transfer, and entrepreneurship domains. The federation is governed by a 39-member Conseil d'Administration with Laurent Pinet serving as President (as of June 2024) and Xavier Roy as Délégué Général. As a private non-profit operating in a regulated ESS framework, Coorace has no external equity ownership, no funding rounds, and no disclosed revenue figure in the source data.

Name

Coorace

Legal name

COORACE

Website

https://coorace.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Coorace is a French non-profit federation and national head network for 600+ Insertion through Economic Activity (IAE) and Social and Solidarity Economy enterprises, delivering CEDRE quality certification, training, legal support, and financial guarantee services across 12 regional delegations throughout France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bagneux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: COORACE operates as a federation funded primarily through membership fees from its 600+ member enterprises, as well as public funding support (FSE+, government partnerships).
2. Formation et prestations: Training services and professional development offerings for members and ESS enterprises through COORACE Formation.
3. Public funding (FSE+, DGEFP): European Social Fund Plus (FSE+) support for national network projects and government partnerships for IAE sector development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Coorace is a French non-profit federation founded in 1985 that represents and supports 600+ enterprises in the social and solidarity economy (ESS), particularly insertion-by-economic-activity (IAE/ACI) organizations. It delivers quality certification (CEDRE and CEDRE ISO 9001), professional training, legal and economic development support, and represents members with public authorities. It operates 12 regional delegations and provides a collaborative online platform (Eureka) to its member network.

Product overview

COORACE is a national federation of the social and solidarity economy (ESS) that acts as a network organization for Insertion through Economic Activity (IAE). Rather than a single software product, COORACE operates as a service platform offering multiple interconnected programs: quality certification systems (CEDRE and CEDRE ISO 9001), training services via the COORACE Formation platform, financial guarantee services (FG2I), legal support, strategic monitoring, and regional delegation services. The core CEDRE quality system includes referential documents, pedagogical guides, and certification for member organizations, while the training arm provides professional development through the Dendreo-based catalog. Regional delegations deliver localized versions of these services across France, supported by the Eureka member intranet portal. The offering also includes business development tools like the Activity Creation Kit and participation in EU funding programs (FSE+).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CEDRE: Quality certification specifically adapted to structures working for inclusion through employment, initiated in 1996
• CEDRE ISO
• COORACE Formation
• COORACE Ambition Progrès (CAP)
• FG2I

Products and services

• CEDRE Certification
• CEDRE ISO 9001 Certification
• Professional Training Programs (Formation)
• Legal Support (Appui Juridique)
• Economic Development Support (FG2I / Développement Économique)
• Eureka Member Platform
• Collective Representation and Advocacy

Quantifiable outcome

• 118 enterprises certified (76 CEDRE + 42 CEDRE ISO), approximately 25% of member enterprises
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Crédit CoopératifcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReference bank for social and solidarity economy enterprises. Partnership renewed annually covers three main areas: member enterprise development support, FG2I guarantee fund management (for ETTI), and microcredit development. Regularly involved in federation events.
• France ActivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProximity network helping people in difficulty create enterprises by facilitating access to bank credit. With 416 employees, 1000+ volunteers, and 40 territorial funds across France. COORACE participates in France Active's work on social enterprise economic models and self-diagnosis tools.
• Harmonie MutuellecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst health mutual in France, member of Groupe VYV. Offers complementary social protection solutions for ESS employers and employees. ESS division protects 800,000+ people (1 in 3 ESS sector employees) and 24,000+ structures. Shared values based on collaboration and collective strength.
• ANCV (Agence Nationale pour les Chèques-Vacances)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublic institution managing Holiday Vouchers system. Implements 'Aide aux Projets Vacances' program in which COORACE participates, aiming for inclusion of fragile populations through vacation support with specific accompaniment and financial aid.
• MacifsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-specialty insurer with mutualist values, serving 5.6 million members. Enterprise with engaged citizenship history of 60+ years building durable trust relationships with members and policyholders.
• UpCoopsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst Société Coopération à mission (January 2023), designing payment solutions and services with social and local utility. Group mission: 'Coopération durablement pour un pouvoir d'achat à utilité sociale et locale' (Lasting cooperation for purchasing power with social and local utility).
• L'AvisecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResource center facilitating, supporting, and promoting socially useful initiatives. Through national convention with COORACE, members can access 'Transfert de Savoir Faire' (TSF) in various domains: management, legal, specific activities. TSF mobilizable for creation, development, consolidation, transmission or liquidation projects.
• Réseau EntreprendresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation making new entrepreneurs emerge and succeed through business methods. Through 'Entreprendre Autrement' program, accompanies social project carriers nationwide. Partnership with COORACE involves joint promotion of social entrepreneurship with reciprocal project referral and operational collaboration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• France Bénévolat: France Bénévolat is a national federation promoting and developing volunteer engagement across associations in France. While not a direct competitor, it operates a similar federation model around member associations and is part of the broader French non-profit ecosystem in which Coorace operates.
• Réseau Entreprendre: Réseau Entreprendre is a French association of entrepreneur-support networks (including the 'Entreprendre Autrement' program for social project carriers). It is adjacent to Coorace rather than directly competitive, since it focuses on entrepreneurship accompaniment, and the two organizations maintain a reciprocal referral partnership.

Broad incumbents

• France Active: France Active is a national proximity financing network (416 employees, 1,000+ volunteers, 40 territorial funds) supporting social enterprise creation and access to credit. It is comparable in scale and footprint to Coorace, with overlapping member support and EU funding dynamics, though focused on financing rather than certification/training.
• Croix-Rouge française: Croix-Rouge française operates substantial insertion through economic activity programs alongside its humanitarian mandate. As a much larger established player, it represents a broader incumbent with overlapping IAE activities and significant influence over French social policy.
• Emmaüs France: Emmaüs France is a major French social economy federation encompassing insertion through economic activity, second-hand retail, and social services. While larger and more diversified than Coorace, it competes for similar IAE partnerships, public funding allocations, and insertion-policy influence.

Emerging players

• Avise: Avise is a French resource center facilitating, supporting, and promoting socially useful initiatives through knowledge transfer, advisory, and program management. It is comparable to Coorace as a capacity-building intermediary for social economy actors, though Avise focuses on advisory rather than quality certification.

Direct peers

• UDES (Union des employeurs de l'économie sociale et solidaire): UDES is the multi-sector employer federation for the social and solidarity economy in France, representing employers across cooperatives, mutuals, associations, and foundations. It directly parallels Coorace's role as a federation but with a broader employer mandate, making it a key comparator for member services and policy influence.
• FAS (Fédération des Acteurs de la Solidarité): FAS is a French federation of solidarity-focused associations working on social inclusion, accommodation, and insertion — overlapping materially with Coorace's IAE/insertion mandate. It represents comparable non-profit member organizations pursuing workforce and social integration outcomes.
• Le Mouvement Associatif: Le Mouvement Associatif is the national coordination body for French associative life, representing member associations across sectors. It is comparable to Coorace as a federation of member-driven organizations, with shared challenges around advocacy, member services, and funding diversification.
• ESS France: ESS France is the national umbrella organization for the French social and solidarity economy, coordinating and representing ESS actors across sectors. It is the closest functional peer to Coorace in terms of federation-style advocacy and member representation for the broader ESS ecosystem Coorace's members operate within.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/COORACE
• Facebookfacebook.com/coorace
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coorace

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Coorace