What France-IOI does

Association France-ioi is a French non-profit association founded in 2004 that develops and distributes free educational tools and content for programming, algorithmics, and digital sciences. It operates an online platform (france-ioi.org) that supports seven programming languages — Python, C, C++, Java, JavaScool, Pascal, and OCaml — through an in-browser code editor with syntax highlighting and an automatic exercise validation engine that runs user submissions against server-side test cases. The platform also offers a teacher dashboard for classroom group management, a community help forum, and progressive curriculum content spanning more than 90 exercises in foundational levels and hundreds of additional problems at advanced levels.

The organization serves primarily French students from primary school (CP, approximately age 7) through high school (terminale), as well as the teachers who integrate the platform into classroom instruction. It organizes and runs multiple national competitions annually: Castor Informatique (reaching 700,000 students from CM1 to terminale), Algoréa (230,000 participants), the Concours Alkindi cryptography competition, the Olympiades Françaises d'Informatique (OFI), the Olympiades Françaises d'Intelligence Artificielle (OFIA), and supports French participation in the International Olympiads in Informatics (IOI, 90 countries) and AI (IOAI, 60+ countries). Through these programs and self-directed learning on the platform, the association reaches approximately 1 million young people per year.

France-ioi generates no revenue from users: all content, exercises, competitions, and platform tools are provided free of charge. The association is funded through donations, sponsorships, and partner contributions from technology companies (Amazon Future Engineer, Mistral AI, Jane Street), research institutions (Inria, CNRS), engineering schools (EPITA, ESIEA), and associations promoting digital and mathematics education (Femmes@Numerique, Fondation Blaise Pascal, Animath, Talents du Numérique). Its legal headquarters are domiciled at 12 rue Montbrun, 75014 Paris, with data hosted by Aqua Ray SARL in Ivry-sur-Seine, France and on AWS Europe infrastructure.

Name

France-IOI

Legal name

Association France-ioi

Website

https://france-ioi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Association France-ioi is a French non-profit founded in 2004 that provides free programming and algorithmic education to approximately 1 million young people annually via an online platform and national competitions including Castor Informatique and Algoréa, funded by donations and sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Programming Education

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

AI-Powered Tutoring & Study Assistant Platforms (EDANAGAD)

Keywords

• Programming education
• Algorithmic training
• Coding competitions
• Computer science olympiads
• AI literacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: As a non-profit association founded in 2004, France-ioi operates on donations, sponsorships, and partner support. All educational content and platform access is provided free of charge to users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Association France-ioi operates a free online programming education platform featuring an in-browser code editor, automatic exercise validation, and a progressive curriculum from beginner to international olympiad level across seven programming languages. The association organizes national competitions (Castor Informatique, Algoréa, Alkindi) and runs France's teams for international Olympiads in Informatics (IOI) and Artificial Intelligence (IOAI). All content, tools, and competitions are provided free of charge to students and teachers from primary school through higher education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Algoréa: A programming competition for students from CM1 to terminale, with 230,000 participants annually.
• Castor Informatique
• Concours Alkindi
• Olympiades Françaises d'Informatique (OFI)
• Olympiades Françaises d'Intelligence Artificielle (OFIA)
• Algoréa Boost

Products and services

• Castor Informatique Annual national computer science competition for students from CM1 (age ~9) to terminale (high school senior) with no prerequisites required. Runs every November and introduces students to digital sciences through 12-15 interactive logic and computer science puzzles.
• Algoréa Programming competition for students from CM1 to terminale featuring three qualification rounds and a national final. Covers programming basics through advanced algorithmic challenges in a visual and interactive environment, attracting 230,000 participants annually.
• Concours Alkindi Cryptanalysis competition open to students in 4e, 3e, and 2de (middle and early high school). Teaches mathematical, computer science, and logical foundations of cryptanalysis and information security through gamified challenges. No prior cryptography knowledge required.
• Olympiades d'Informatique (OFI, IOI) French national and international informatics olympiads. France-ioi organizes the French Informatics Olympiads (OFI) and trains French national teams for the International Olympiads in Informatics (IOI) covering 90 countries, plus female (EGOI) and junior (EJOI) European Olympiads.
• Olympiades d'Intelligence Artificielle (OFIA, IOAI) National and International Olympiads in Artificial Intelligence organized by France-ioi, with 60+ countries participating in IOAI. Focused on AI fundamentals, machine learning, and applied AI problem solving.
• Algoréa Boost Support program accompanying middle school girls (collégiennes) in their programming progression. Provides small-group (4-8 participants) weekly online sessions led by women mentors using 1,000 challenges in Blockly, Python, and C++, designed to address gender imbalance in computer science.
• Lycée & Avancé Training Platform Online training platform with thousands of auto-corrected exercises covering programming and algorithmic progression from zero to advanced level. Supports Python, C, C++, Java, JavaScool, Pascal, and OCaml with an in-browser editor and automatic evaluation against test files. Includes a teacher dashboard for group creation and progress monitoring.
• SNT Thematic Learning Paths Interactive learning paths aligned with the French SNT (Sciences Numériques et Technologiques) program for seconde (year 10) students. Covers four themes: connected objects programming, digital photography, cartography and geolocation, and structured data.
• AI Literacy Course Educational program teaching how different types of AI work, including generative AI usage and societal impacts. Features interactive activities, screen-based and screen-free games, reports, and programming activities on natural language processing, data handling, structured data, and machine learning fundamentals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 million young people reached annually through various programs and competitions
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Mistral AIminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Mistral AI is listed as a partner of France-ioi. Nature of partnership appears to be promotional or content-related support for educational initiatives in AI.
• MBZUAI (Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMBZUAI is listed as a partner of France-ioi, supporting educational initiatives in artificial intelligence.
• ESIEAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerESIEA is listed as a partner of France-ioi, a French engineering school with programs in computer science.
• Femmes@NumeriquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFemmes@Numerique is a key partner supporting the Algoréa Boost initiative dedicated to supporting middle school girls in programming. Also sponsors Algoréa Boost.
• Inria (Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInria is France's national research institute for digital science, and several Inria researchers serve on France-ioi's board (Arthur Charguéraud as Vice-President, Aurel Page as member). Deep institutional partnership.
• EPITAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPITA, a French engineering school specializing in IT, is a partner of France-ioi. Co-founder Joël Courtois was former Director General of EPITA.
• AnimathminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnimath is a French association for mathematical promotion that collaborates with France-ioi on educational outreach and competition organization.
• Talents du NumériqueminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTalents du Numérique is a French initiative promoting digital careers, listed as a partner of France-ioi.
• Université de LilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversité de Lille provided support for the development of thematic learning paths on France-ioi.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• LeetCode: Competitive programming and technical interview platform with auto-validated algorithm exercises; directly comparable to France-ioi's algorithmic exercise engine and competitive programming community.
• Codeforces: Competitive programming platform hosting Olympiad-style contests with auto-judge and global rankings; directly comparable competition infrastructure to France-ioi's OFI/IOI programs.

Direct peers

• Khan Academy: Non-profit free educational platform covering programming and CS topics; directly comparable in free-access model, broad subject coverage, and self-serve teacher/student tooling.
• Code.org: US-based non-profit focused on K-12 computer science education with a similar free, donor-supported model and large-scale classroom/competition reach — the closest direct functional analogue to France-ioi.
• freeCodeCamp: Non-profit free programming education with self-paced curriculum, project-based learning, and large community — comparable in free-access model and self-directed progression structure.
• Codecademy: Interactive online programming education platform with in-browser code execution and auto-validation — directly comparable core technology and learning UX, though commercial rather than non-profit.
• Brilliant: STEM and programming education platform focused on problem-solving and interactive exercises; comparable in progressive exercise design, instant feedback, and competition-style learning.
• Animath: French non-profit association promoting mathematics among young people; direct partner of France-ioi on competition organization, sharing similar non-profit, sponsor-funded, school-network-driven GTM.

Regional players

• OpenClassrooms: France-based online education platform with strong school/employer partnerships and credentialed programs; comparable regional presence and target demographic, though more vocationally oriented and paid.

Others

• EPITA: French IT engineering school that is a partner of France-ioi and whose former CEO co-founded the association; comparable ecosystem role in French CS education pipeline rather than direct competition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/france-ioi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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-IOI