Cybèle
Cybèle is a Lyon-based French cultural mediation company, founded in 2012, that creates unusual theatrical guided tours and delivers professional training and consulting for tourism guides, mediators, and Lyon institutions using performing-arts and storytelling methodologies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersLyon, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Cybèle does
Cybèle (legal entity SARL Cybèle) is a French private limited company founded in 2012 and headquartered at 31 rue Vaubecour, 69002 Lyon. The company designs and delivers unusual, theatrical, and narrated guided tours of Lyon and provides professional training and consulting for tourism guides, cultural mediators, and institutions. Its underlying methodology is rooted in living arts, cinema, and storytelling traditions, adapted into codified formats for designing visit experiences that range across audiences from children aged three to seniors, as well as corporate and school groups.
The company's offerings span three interconnected service lines: (1) direct-to-consumer guided tours operated in Lyon, welcoming tens of thousands of visitors annually; (2) a catalogue of professional training programs covering theatrical techniques, body and voice mastery, and storytelling for guided visits, with more than 200 trainees trained cumulatively; and (3) end-to-end project accompaniment, consulting clients from initial concept through on-site staging of unusual visits. Over time, Cybèle has tested and refined more than 30 distinct tour routes, establishing itself as the Lyonnais reference for unusual cultural visits. The business is operated by three co-founders — Lucille Payen (musician, actress, tour guide), Clémence Pornon (guide, musician, storyteller), and Olivier — with no disclosed additional employees.
Cybèle's go-to-market is hybrid: a direct-to-consumer front for individual and group visitors in the Lyon region, paired with a direct B2B sales motion selling training and consulting services to large Lyon-based institutions. Distribution relies on content marketing via blog, YouTube, LinkedIn, Bluesky, an email newsletter (Émotion Médiation), and consumer reviews on Tripadvisor. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is handled via direct contact. The company has not raised external funding, has no subsidiaries, no M&A activity, no patents or trademarks filed, and no certifications or formal awards recorded in the available data.
Cybèle firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cybèle
- Legal name
- SARL Cybèle
- Website
- https://creation.cybele-arts.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cybèle is a Lyon-based French cultural mediation company, founded in 2012, that creates unusual theatrical guided tours and delivers professional training and consulting for tourism guides, mediators, and Lyon institutions using performing-arts and storytelling methodologies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cybèle industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cultural Mediation & Tour Services
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (561520), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Neighborhood & Local Life Tours (Communities & Hidden Gems) (THAJAAAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Private Cultural Immersion & Heritage Experiences (Local Hosts, Traditions) (THAJALAJ), Political, Social History & Civic Tours (THAJAAAK)
Keywords
Where Cybèle is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lyon
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cybèle business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Training Programs: Cybèle offers professional training courses for guides and mediators, teaching them to create and conduct unusual, theatrical, and narrated visits. These are offered as catalogue-based training programs.
- Guided Tours and Visits: The company conducts unusual, theatrical, and narrated tours directly for visitors in Lyon, welcoming tens of thousands of visitors annually.
- Project Accompaniment: End-to-end consulting and accompaniment services guiding clients from initial concept through final stage implementation of unusual visit projects.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Cybèle product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cybèle offers cultural mediation training programs for tour guides and mediators, end-to-end accompaniment for designing unusual tour experiences, and direct theatrical and storytelling-guided tours of Lyon. Founded in 2012, the company adapts methodologies from living arts, cinema, and storytelling to transform standard guided visits into unusual, theatrical, and playful experiences for audiences ranging from children to seniors and corporate groups.
Product overview
Cybèle operates as a unified service offering centered on cultural mediation training and tour creation. The company provides three interconnected offerings: a catalogue of training programs teaching theatrical techniques, body/voice mastery, and storytelling methods for guides and mediators; an end-to-end accompaniment service for designing and staging unusual tour experiences; and their signature unusual tours of Lyon. Founded in 2012, the company combines theatrical arts, cinema, storytelling, and live performance methodologies to create memorable visitor experiences.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Formations en médiation culturelle Cultural mediation training programs teaching theatrical techniques, voice and body control, and storytelling for tour guides and mediators. Delivered through a structured catalogue and aimed at tourism professionals and cultural mediators.
- Création de parcours de médiation Design and creation of unusual, theatrical, and storytelling-based guided tour experiences for various audiences including children, seniors, corporate groups, and schools.
- Accompagnement à la conception de visites insolites End-to-end consulting and accompaniment for designing and staging unusual tour experiences, from initial concept to final on-site implementation. Combines theory and practice through a formation-action approach.
- Visites insolites de Lyon Unusual and theatrical guided tours of Lyon, including theatricalized tours, storytelling tours, and playful experiences offered directly to tourists, families, school groups, corporate groups, and seniors.
Companies that use Cybèle
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cybèle technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Cybèle partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Cybèle competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Viator: Viator (a Tripadvisor company) operates one of the largest tour and experience booking platforms worldwide, listing Lyon cultural and themed tours. It is a broad incumbent competing for the same end customer through scale rather than thematic specialization.
- Airbnb Experiences: Airbnb Experiences offers online-bookable local experiences hosted by individuals, including themed cultural tours and storytelling activities in Lyon. As a broad incumbent platform, it competes for Cybèle's tourist and corporate clients without specializing in theatrical mediation.
- GetYourGuide: GetYourGuide is a large global marketplace for tours, attractions, and experiences, including themed and local cultural tours in Lyon. As a broad incumbent it competes for the same customer demand but does not specialize in theatrical/unusual tours.
Direct peers
- GuruWalk: GuruWalk is a free-walking-tour marketplace connecting local guides with travelers across many cities, including Lyon. It directly competes for Cybèle's walking-tour customers and serves as a comparable platform-led tour operator model.
- Atlas Obscura: Atlas Obscura curates unusual, off-the-beaten-path experiences and tours worldwide, built around hidden-gem and unconventional local storytelling. Cybèle's 'visites insolites' positioning aligns directly with Atlas Obscura's brand promise of unusual local experiences.
- Context Travel: Context Travel operates small-group, expert-led cultural and historical tours in major cities globally with a focus on scholarly, narrative-driven experiences. Like Cybèle, it differentiates through depth of storytelling and guides with subject-matter expertise, making it the closest direct comparable in thematic cultural tours.
- Tours by Locals: Tours by Locals is a marketplace for private, guide-led tours with local experts across many cities, including France. Its model of expert private guides delivering customized experiences closely parallels Cybèle's corporate and custom tour offerings.
- Walks: Walks (formerly Walks of Italy/France) offers themed, small-group cultural walking tours led by expert guides in European cities. Its focus on narrative depth and guide-led expertise parallels Cybèle's theatrical, storytelling tour approach.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cybèle social profiles
Digital presenceCybèle financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cybèle leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Cybèle funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cybèle M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cybèle
What does Cybèle do?
Cybèle offers cultural mediation training programs for tour guides and mediators, end-to-end accompaniment for designing unusual tour experiences, and direct theatrical and storytelling-guided tours of Lyon. Founded in 2012, the company adapts methodologies from living arts, cinema, and storytelling to transform standard guided visits into unusual, theatrical, and playful experiences for audiences ranging from children to seniors and corporate groups.
Is Cybèle a public or private company?
Cybèle is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cybèle founded?
Cybèle was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Cybèle based?
Cybèle is headquartered in Lyon, France, in the Europe region.
How does Cybèle make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Training Programs are the primary driver. The others are guided Tours and Visits and project Accompaniment.
Who are Cybèle's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Viator, Airbnb Experiences and GetYourGuide. Direct peers are GuruWalk, Atlas Obscura, Context Travel, Tours by Locals and Walks.
Does Cybèle have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cybèle.
What industry is Cybèle in?
Cybèle's product category is Cultural Mediation & Tour Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJAAAJ, Neighborhood & Local Life Tours (Communities & Hidden Gems), with a secondary code of THAJALAJ, Private Cultural Immersion & Heritage Experiences (Local Hosts, Traditions). Its NAICS code is 561520 and its SIC code is 7900.