France Active Lorraine

Name

France Active Lorraine

Legal name

France Active Lorraine

Website

https://franceactive-grandest.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social and Solidarity Economy Financing

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (813410), All Other Support Services (561990)

SIC

Loan Brokers (6163), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Donor Coordination & Aid Effectiveness (BPADAOAA)

Keywords

• Bank guarantee services
• Solidarity loans
• Entrepreneur financing
• Business incubation
• Social solidarity economy

Headquarters

HQ city

Nancy, Grand Est

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Financing guarantees and accompaniment services: France Active Lorraine provides bank guarantees, solidarity loans, and entrepreneurial accompaniment services. Revenue is generated through guarantee fees (typically 2.5% of guaranteed amount), interest on participative loans (2.5-4%), and program funding from public and private partners. The organization is co-financed by the European Union, Grand Est Region, Departement de Meurthe-et-Moselle, Metz Metropolis, Ville de Nancy, AG2R La Mondiale, and Credit Agricole de Lorraine.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

France Active Lorraine is a nonprofit financing and accompaniment organization that provides bank guarantees (covering 65–80% of loans up to €50,000), solidarity loans (€1,000 to €1.5M at 0–4% interest), and the Okoté participatory crowdfunding platform to entrepreneurs who lack access to traditional bank financing. The organization complements financing with structured accompaniment programs including the La Serre à Projets impact incubator, CréaLab territorial accelerator, DLA social-economy support, and Accès+ support for fragile entrepreneurs. Services are delivered across three offices (Nancy, Metz, Epinal) in the Lorraine region.

Product overview

France Active Lorraine operates as a financing and business support organization — not a unified software product — offering a coordinated portfolio of financial tools and accompaniment programs. Its financial products include bank guarantees (Garanties Bancaires) covering 65–80% of loans, solidarity loans (Prêts Solidaires) ranging from 1,000€ to 1.5M€, and the Okoté participatory crowdfunding platform with triple matching. Its support programs span the full entrepreneur lifecycle: La Serre à Projets (impact incubator), CréaLab (territorial accelerator), the DLA (ESS accompaniment device), Accès + (fragile entrepreneur support), Fabriques à Projets (collective project creation), CitésLab (priority neighborhood entrepreneurship), Entrepreneuriat Féminin (women's entrepreneurship), Place de l'Émergence (social project financing access), Ateliers d'Idéation (collective ideation workshops), and Tour de Table Financier (funding round-table facilitation). Complementary programs include Ateliers de Sensibilisation (financial management workshops), the Triathlon de l'Engagement (collective intelligence events), and the Les Entrepreneurs Engagés podcast series. The portfolio collectively serves entrepreneurs from idea stage through development and turnaround, with specific focus on fragile populations, women, rural areas, and the social and solidarity economy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• La Serre à Projets: Incubator for impact-driven projects in Meurthe-et-Moselle, supporting social, environmental, and territorial innovation.
• Okoté
• Les Entrepreneurs Engagés
• Accès +
• CréaLab

Products and services

• Garanties Bancaires (Bank Guarantees) Bank guarantee products that secure entrepreneur loans by covering up to 65–80% of bank lending (Garantie EMPLOI up to 65% / Garantie EGALITE Femmes up to 80%), enabling access to financing for creators, job seekers, women entrepreneurs, and those in fragile situations. Cost is 2.5% of guaranteed amount.
• Prêts Solidaires (Solidarity Loans) Collective term for solidarity loans including Prêt d'honneur solidaire BPI (€1,000–€8,000 at 0% interest, 1–5 year duration), Fonds d'amorçage associatif (€5,000–€10,000), Prêt participatif amorçage (€20,000–€100,000 at 4%), Contrat d'apport associatif (€5,000–€30,000), and Prêt participatif long terme (€20,000–€1.5M at 2.5–3%, 4–7 year duration with up to 2 years deferral).
• Okoté (Crowdfunding Platform) Participatory crowdfunding platform based on the principle of matchfunding: each euro donated by citizens is matched by public and private partners, multiplying the impact of donations for engaged projects. Successful campaigns include Tim & Bastien (€15,825 raised) and La Petite Boutique de Louis (€12,180 raised).
• La Serre à Projets Project incubator that accompanies social, environmental, or territorial impact projects over several months through training, collective workshops, individual meetings, and networking with the local ecosystem. Targeted at impact-driven project holders in Meurthe-et-Moselle.
• CréaLab Territorialized 9-month acceleration program (8 workshops) for entrepreneurs who created or took over a business less than 3 years ago, focused on ecological, digital, and societal transition. Active in the Lunéville area.
• Dispositif Local d'Accompagnement (DLA) First accompaniment device for the social and solidarity economy (ESS) in France, providing tailored support for social utility structures (associations, IAE structures, ESUS enterprises) in developing their employment and projects.
• Accès + Program reinforcing accompaniment for the most fragile entrepreneurs and those furthest from funding sources, offering new training, personalized support, and a €1,000 Prime Accès+ grant for 18–30 year-olds.
• CitésLab Emergence device for business creation projects in priority urban policy neighborhoods (QPV), providing individualized coaching for project holders located in fragile territories.
• Tour de Table Financier Financial round-table initiative that brings together financial partners, including banks, to facilitate optimal financing arrangements for entrepreneurs seeking to combine multiple funding sources.
• Place de l'Émergence National device enabling social utility projects in the emergence phase to access private financing by pitching to engaged entrepreneurs, partners, and mentors on a monthly basis.
• Fabriques à Projets Project factories that identify key territorial or thematic challenges and accompany groups of actors in creating viable economic solutions to address them.
• Entrepreneuriat Féminin (Women Entrepreneurship Programs) Programs promoting women's entrepreneurship through awareness, skills development, networking, and improved visibility, including the Toutes Talentueuses program (85% report strengthened skills).
• Triathlon de l'Engagement Annual collective intelligence event where engaged entrepreneurs are challenged and supported by 40+ partners to accelerate their commitment and develop strategic projects for ecological, digital, and societal transitions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5.27 million EUR in guaranteed loans mobilized
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• La Serre à ProjetscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIncubator program for impact projects in Meurthe-et-Moselle, co-porté by France Active Lorraine. Combines training, collective workshops, individual meetings, and networking to support social, environmental, or territorial impact projects from idea to launch. Supported by European Union, Region Grand Est, Departement 54, Metz Metropolis, Ville de Nancy, AG2R La Mondiale, Credit Agricole Lorraine.
• Triathlon de l'engagement partners networkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 40 partners including ACORIS Mutuelles, Banque Populaire Alsace Lorraine Champagne, BGE Alsace Lorraine, BLIIIDA, Caisse d'Epargne Grand Est Europe, Chambre d'agriculture Grand Est, Chambre de Métiers et de l'Artisanat Grand Est, Conseil départementale de Meurthe et Moselle, Crédit agricole Lorraine, Crédit Mutuel, Femaléas, Grabuge, Grand Nancy Innovation, Le Village by CA Lorraine, Lorraine Mouvement Associatif, Macif, Maison de l'Emploi du Grand Nancy, Métropole du Grand Nancy, RCoaching, Scalen, SYNERCOOP, Terres de Lorraine, Tim & Bastien, ULIS. These partners collaborate on collective intelligence initiatives for entrepreneurial support.
• Crédit Agricole Alsace-VosgescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKey banking partner referring entrepreneurs to France Active guarantees. Banker confirmed that guarantee from France Active provides confidence in evaluating loan dossiers. Multiple successful cases including Chocolaterie Patisserie Lucas.
• Okoté platformcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipatory funding platform (matchfunding) developed by France Active network. Each citizen euro is matched by public and private partners. Tim & Bastien raised 15,825 EUR, La Petite Boutique de Louis raised 12,180 EUR. Financed with European Social Fund+ support.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Réseau Entreprendre: National French network pairing SME founders with entrepreneur mentors and offering honor loans; overlaps with France Active's accompaniment-and-financing model for job-creating entrepreneurs.
• ADIE: Association pour le Droit à l'Initiative Économique — French microcredit provider supporting entrepreneurs excluded from traditional banking with small loans and accompaniment, serving a near-identical vulnerable-population segment.
• Initiative France: National French network of associations providing interest-free honor loans (prêts d'honneur) and bank guarantees to entrepreneurs, closely mirroring France Active's guarantee + accompaniment model across French regions.
• France Active Champagne Ardenne: Third regional association in the same Grand Est federation, delivering identical product mix in Champagne Ardenne; benchmarks France Active Lorraine's effectiveness on equivalent territory economics.
• France Active Alsace: Sister territorial association within the same France Active Grand Est federation, running the same guarantee, loan, incubator and acceleration product set in Alsace — direct structural peer.

Broad incumbents

• Bpifrance: French public investment bank offering solidarity loans (Prêt d'honneur), guarantees, and innovation financing; operates at much larger scale and is also a direct partner and competitor of France Active on shared products.
• Banque des Territoires (Caisse des Dépôts): Public development finance arm of Caisse des Dépôts providing co-financing and concessionary capital to local development actors, including France Active structures; comparable institutional development-finance role.
• France Active (national federation): National coordinating body of the France Active network, sharing the brand, tools and mandate with France Active Lorraine; broader portfolio coverage but less local operational depth.
• European Investment Fund (EIF): EU-level DFI deploying guarantee and counter-guarantee instruments to support SME and social entrepreneurship financing across Europe; structurally analogous as a guarantor-of-guarantors for the same client base.

Emerging players

• BGE (Boutiques de Gestion) Alsace Lorraine: Regional BGE network providing business creation accompaniment (including Citéslab-style services) in the same territory and listed as a France Active partner; strong functional overlap on accompaniment, less on credit products.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FranceActiveLorraine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/france-active-lorraine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 France Active Lorraine