What ESSCOOP does

ESSCOOP is a French Coopérative d'Activités et d'Emploi (CAE) organized as a Société Coopérative et Participative (SCOP), founded in January 2012 in Viry-Châtillon as the first CAE in the Essonne department. It provides a legal and administrative framework that allows independent professionals — solo entrepreneurs and freelancers — to operate under a permanent employment contract (CDI) while running their own client-facing businesses, gaining access to a SIRET/TVA number, mutualized accounting, legal, and administrative tools, French social protection, and democratic 'one person, one vote' governance. Members progress through a CAPE (Contrat d'Appui au Projet d'Entreprise) incubation phase of typically 3–6 months before transitioning to a CESA (Contrat d'Entrepreneur Salarié Associé) contract, with the option to become cooperative associates within three years.

The cooperative's commercial activity is anchored in two streams. First, it earns recurring contributions or service fees from its roughly 26–30 entrepreneur-salariés in exchange for shared back-office infrastructure. Second, since obtaining Qualiopi certification in 2024, ESSCOOP operates as a certified training organization (Organisme de Formation, registration 11 91 08483 91), running modular paid programs such as the 8-workshop 'Mon projet en action' Business Model Canvas course (€480 TTC) plus management (Acerca Formation) and wellness (YOGAsophro®) certifications, open to both members and external entrepreneurs. The organization is community-led in its go-to-market, relying on monthly videoconference information meetings, regional entrepreneurship forums with Cœur d'Essonne Agglomération and Pôle Emploi, and partner referrals via PôleS NOE, Mission Locale, and local youth services. It operates from offices in Les Ulis and Sainte Geneviève des Bois, serving primarily the Île-de-France region, and reports 87% trainer satisfaction in 2025.

Name

ESSCOOP

Legal name

Esscoop

Website

https://esscoop.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ESSCOOP is a French worker cooperative (SCOP) and Coopérative d'Activités et d'Emploi founded in 2012 that lets independent entrepreneurs operate under salaried CDI contracts with shared administrative infrastructure, while also running a Qualiopi-certified professional training organization for members and external clients in Île-de-France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Employment Cooperative Services

NAICS

Professional Employer Organizations (561330)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional Employer Organization (PEO) / Co-Employment Services (BPACAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Onboarding, Offboarding & Employee Lifecycle Administration (BPACAHAL)

Keywords

• Cooperative services
• Entrepreneur incubation
• Employment cooperative
• Professional training
• CAE membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Sainte Geneviève des Bois

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cooperative membership contributions: Entrepreneur-salaried members generate revenue through their individual economic activities. ESSCOOP collects membership fees or service charges in exchange for providing shared administrative infrastructure, a SIRET number, social protection, and collective management tools. The cooperative's revenue derives from the economic activity of its members.
2. Professional training fees: ESSCOOP operates as a certified training organization (Organisme de Formation Qualiopi), generating revenue by delivering professional training programs to its own entrepreneurs, external entrepreneurs, and their employees. Training fees are charged per module or as a full program package.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ESSCOOP operates as a Coopérative d'Activités et d'Emploi (CAE) under the SCOP legal form, hosting approximately 30 entrepreneur-salariés who run their independent professional activities under the cooperative's legal and administrative umbrella. In parallel, it functions as a Qualiopi-certified training organisation delivering professional development programs to individuals and very small businesses in the Essonne department of Île-de-France.

Product overview

ESSCOOP operates as a Coopérative d'Activités et d'Emploi (CAE) and Société Coopérative et Participative (SCOP), providing a unified cooperative platform where entrepreneurs become salaried workers. The core CAE structure offers legal framework, SIRET/TVA numbers, administrative and accounting tools, and democratic governance. As a complementary offering, the Qualiopi-certified training organization delivers modular professional development programs including the 'Mon projet en action' 8-workshop program, management training (Acerca Formation), and YOGAsophro® wellness certification courses. These training services are open to both cooperative members and external entrepreneurs, with financing available through public and paritary funders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cooperative Membership (CAE hosting for entrepreneur-salariés) Recurring cooperative membership in which individual professionals (entrepreneur-salariés) run their independent activity under ESSCOOP's legal employer status, with mutualised administrative, accounting, and social-protection services. Targeted at individual freelancers and aspiring independent workers who want cooperative legal cover.
• Qualiopi-Certified Professional Training Programs

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PôleS NOEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESSCOOP is partnered with PôleS NOE (Pôle Numérique, Orientations, Entrepreneuriat) located at 30 Rue Courdimanche, Les Ulis. ESSCOOP operates its office from the PôleS NOE premises and collaborates on initiatives such as the Flashcoop program targeting young people aged 18+ for entrepreneurial immersion.
• VITA-LIS Mission Locale Paris SaclayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Flashcoop initiative (June 2022), a 7-day entrepreneurial immersion program for young people aged 18+ organized by ESSCOOP with the service Jeunesse of Longjumeau.
• Service Jeunesse de LongjumeauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Flashcoop initiative targeting youth entrepreneurship awareness, providing venues and promotional support.
• Cœur d'Essonne AgglomérationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESSCOOP partners with Cœur d'Essonne Agglomération for multiple entrepreneurship forums and community events (e.g., Forum de la création d'entreprises, Village pour consommer autrement). The agglomeration provides organizational support and venues.
• Pôle EmploiminorGTM or Marketing PartnerESSCOOP participates in forums organized by Pôle Emploi in partnership with Cœur d'Essonne Agglomération, providing information about the cooperative model to job seekers and aspiring entrepreneurs.
• Couveuse-Lab (BGE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerESSCOCO collaborates with the Couveuse-Lab (BGE) to host joint workshops on the transition from 'couveuse' (business incubator) to CAE status, with joint presentations and testimonials from entrepreneurs.
• OVHminorOthersOVH provides web hosting services for esscoop.fr.
• MÉDIATION CONSOMMATION DÉVELOPPEMENT / MÉD CONSO DÉvminorOthersConsumer dispute mediation body designated by ESSCOOP in accordance with French consumer law (L.616-1 and R.616-1 of the Code de la consommation), available for dispute resolution if direct resolution fails.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Réseau Entreprendre: National network of business leaders mentoring entrepreneurs, with focus on business creation and SMB growth. Comparable in serving the same entrepreneur/SMB customer base and partnering with regional public bodies across France.
• Manpower France: Large staffing and HR services firm operating broadly across France. While not a co-employment/CAE specialist, it competes for the same independent-professional/HR-administration wallet with technology-enabled EOR/PEO-style offerings and represents the broader commercial incumbent ESSCOOP's niche model is positioned against.
• France Active: National network financing and supporting entrepreneurship and social economy organizations, with similar member-base of entrepreneurs and SMBs in France. Comparable as an ecosystem support organization, though its primary focus is financing rather than co-employment administration.
• Initiative France: Federation of local associations providing financing, mentoring, and support to entrepreneurs creating businesses. Comparable target audience (aspiring and established entrepreneurs) and overlap in regional partner ecosystem with ESSCOOP.

Direct peers

• BGE (Boutique de Gestion pour l'Entreprise): Largest French network supporting entrepreneurship, operating couveuses (business incubators) and CAE/co-employment structures similar to ESSCOOP. Already a partner via Couveuse-Lab (BGE), serving aspiring and existing entrepreneurs with shared administrative services and incubation support nationwide.
• Oxalis: SCOP CAE operating in the Lyon/Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, offering the same co-employment value proposition (CDI + shared services + democratic governance) to entrepreneurs. Highly comparable to ESSCOOP in structure and target customer, though geographically distinct.
• Coopaname: Major Paris-based CAE cooperative using the same co-employment model as ESSCOOP, providing shared legal, administrative, and accounting infrastructure to entrepreneur-salariés. Directly comparable in service offering and member-co-employment approach, though at significantly larger scale in Paris.
• Smart France: Cooperative structure enabling independent workers (porteurs de projets, freelancers) to obtain salaried status and shared services, mirroring ESSCOOP's CAE/co-employment model at national scale across France. Provides HR, accounting, and administrative mutualization for entrepreneur-salariés.

Others

• Couveuse d'entreprises (BGE couveuses): Business incubator ('couveuse') arm of BGE where aspiring entrepreneurs test their activity under a host-company framework before legal creation. Directly comparable as the upstream funnel that feeds ESSCOOP's CAE pipeline, and already a partner via Couveuse-Lab (BGE).

Regional players

• ADIE (Association pour le Droit à l'Initiative Économique): French association providing microcredit and support to entrepreneurs excluded from traditional banking, particularly in underserved areas. Comparable in supporting solo entrepreneurship and partnering with local institutional networks (Missions Locales, Pôle Emploi) similar to ESSCOOP's referral channels.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EsscoopGh
• Facebookfacebook.com/EssCoop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esscoop-officiel

Compliance1 record

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 ESSCOOP