ISEMA : Business School Agri-Agro

What ISEMA : Business School Agri-Agro does

ISEMA is a French private higher education business school founded in 1993 in Avignon, specializing in training commercial and managerial professionals for the agri-food and 'Naturalité' sectors (agri-agro, environment, phyto-health, cosmetics). It operates as a non-profit association under French law (loi 1901) and is recognized by the French State, holding membership in the Conférence des Grandes Écoles and delivering an RNCP Level 7 certified title (RNCP39096, 'Responsable d'Affaires Agroalimentaires', valid until May 2027). ISEMA's core academic portfolio consists of a one-year Bac+3 Bachelor in Agricultural Valorization and Management and a Bac+5 MBA with two specialization tracks (Marketing and Logistics); over 50% of students opt for the apprenticeship (alternance) format. The institution also operates a continuing education division eligible for CPF financing, providing certified modules (Bloc 3 Supply Chain Management, Bloc 5 Commercial Prospection), a VAE/VAP recognition-of-prior-learning pathway, customized enterprise training, and an annual Grand Jury Nouveaux Produits innovation competition.

The school is governed jointly within the Union ISARA-ISEMA, a strategic partnership formed in 2006 with ISARA engineering school, both represented since 2024 by the AGRIVIA umbrella alongside two centers of excellence: CLAS (Centre Agroécologie) for agroecology research and Le Hub des Audacieux for entrepreneurship. ISEMA's distribution is exclusively domestic (France, with offices in Avignon and Lyon for the ISARA-ISEMA group), delivered through direct campus enrollment and apprenticeship placement with industry partners including Réseau Provence Dauphiné, SEMAE, CTIFL, Agis, Auchan, Brake France, L'Arbre Vert, and Ferrero. Its go-to-market is event-driven: prospective students are recruited through Journées Portes Ouvertes, Studyrama grandes écoles salons, and campus events; industry partners participate in career conferences and after-work events to access talent and training contracts.

Student outcomes are the primary value proposition: 91-100% global insertion rate at six months post-graduation, with the 2014 cohort achieving 96% employment and 61% in permanent contracts (CDI). Revenue is not publicly disclosed; tuition and apprenticeship-related financing are the core monetization streams, with no external venture or private equity investment evident in the materials.

Name

ISEMA : Business School Agri-Agro

Legal name

Groupe ISARA-ISEMA (Ecole ISEMA)

Website

https://isema.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ISEMA is a French state-recognized business school in Avignon training commerce and management professionals for the agri-food and natural-product sectors via Bachelor, MBA, apprenticeship, and continuing-education programs delivered with partner ISARA under the AGRIVIA umbrella.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Avignon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: Revenue from student tuition for Bachelor (Bac+3) and MBA (Bac+5) programs, with options for initial status or apprenticeship (alternance)

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ISEMA is a French business school delivering state-recognized higher-education programs (Bac+3 Bachelor in Agro Valorisation et Management and Bac+5 MBA "Responsable d'Affaires Agroalimentaires," RNCP level 7) that train professionals combining commercial and technical expertise for the agri-food and "Naturalité" sectors. The school also provides continuing professional training (CPF-eligible certified modules and customized corporate programs), VAE experience validation, and an annual Grand Jury Nouveaux Produits innovation competition. Delivery combines immersive on-campus pedagogy in Avignon with work-study apprenticeship placements at industry partner companies.

Product overview

ISEMA is a business school within the Union ISARA-ISEMA (AGRIVIA group) offering a portfolio of educational programs focused on the agri-food sector and 'Naturalité' (living systems and natural products). The core offerings consist of a Bac+3 Bachelor program in Agricultural Valorization and Management, a Bac+5 MBA in Agribusiness (RNCP39096 level 7 certified), and continuing professional education including certified modules (Bloc 3 Supply Chain, Bloc 5 Commercial Development). Supporting programs include VAE for professional experience recognition and the annual Grand Jury Nouveaux Produits innovation competition. The institution also offers professional training courses and customized programs for enterprises. Programs combine commercial skills with technical expertise in agri-food sectors through immersive pedagogy based on real-world projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor Agro Valorisation et Management (Bac+3) Bac+3 undergraduate program providing dual competence in commerce and technical agricultural knowledge, focusing on entrepreneurship, agricultural management, and value creation in agri-food sectors. For prospective students seeking a state-recognized undergraduate credential in agri-food business.
• MBA Responsable d'Affaires Agroalimentaires (Bac+5) Bac+5 graduate program (RNCP39096 level 7) training business professionals for the agri-food sector, covering commercial development, supply chain management, and entrepreneurial skills with two specialization tracks (Marketing and Logistics). For prospective graduate students seeking a specialized state-recognized MBA credential.
• Formation Professionnelle Continue

Quantifiable outcome

• 91-100% employment rate at 6 months for graduates
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ISARAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Partnership initiated in 2006 with ISARA, concretized through a union between the two schools. Combines the 'engineer' approach from ISARA with the 'business' approach from ISEMA, bringing unprecedented added value to the sector and students.
• AGRIVIAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAGRIVIA represents both ISARA and ISEMA schools as well as two centers of excellence for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship with CLAS and HUB DES AUDACIEUX.
• CLAS (Centre Agroécologie)coreTechnology or IntegrationOne of two centers of excellence for research, innovation, and entrepreneurship under the AGRIVIA umbrella.
• INTERGROScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISEMA is a labeled INTERGROS partner to support companies in wholesale/food trade and international commerce in their training projects. Selected for 'filière alimentaire' for all catalog training offerings.
• CCI Formation St LominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school for Grand Jury Nouveaux Produits innovation competition.
• CCI Formation Corsica BastiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school for Grand Jury Nouveaux Produits innovation competition.
• Réseau Provence DauphinéminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor distributor of fresh products (fruits, vegetables, marée) in South-East France; conducts career conferences and recruitment activities on campus.
• SEMAEminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInterprofession of the seeds sector; conducts career conferences for students to discover the sector and its challenges.
• CTIFLminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCentre Technique Interprofessionnel des Fruits et Légumes; engineer trainer conducts career conference for students.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AgroParisTech: Elite French grande école of life sciences, agronomy, and food processing. Comparable as a state-recognized institution producing graduates for French agri-food employers, though significantly larger and more research-oriented than ISEMA.
• Audencia: Nantes-based French business school (Conférence des Grandes Écoles member) offering specialized tracks in food and agri-business management. Comparable as a degree-granting grande école competing for the same student demographic interested in commerce careers in the food sector.
• INSEEC U. Large private French business and management school group (BBA, MSc, MBA programs) with multi-site presence across France. Comparable as a competing private business school offering management/commerce degrees, though far larger and broader in scope.
• IONIS Education Group: Major French private higher-education group encompassing multiple business schools (including EPITA, EPITECH, ISG, Sup'Biotech). Comparable as a competing private-education platform operating in the French market with scale advantages over ISEMA's standalone model.

Direct peers

• UniLaSalle: Private French engineering school with campuses in Beauvais and Rouen offering programs across agriculture, food science, environment, and energy. Comparable as a multi-disciplinary private institution training professionals for the natural/agri sectors.
• ISARA: Lyon-based agricultural and food engineering school that has been in formal union with ISEMA since 2006 under the AGRIVIA umbrella. The closest peer given shared campus, shared students on joint engineering/commerce tracks, and identical sector focus on agri-agro.
• Bordeaux Sciences Agro: Public French engineering school specializing in agronomy, food science, viticulture and environmental sciences. Comparable state-recognized grande école producing graduates for the same French agri-food employer ecosystem.
• Groupe ESA (École Supérieure d'Agriculture d'Angers): Angers-based agricultural higher education group offering a wide range of programs from BTS to engineering degrees focused on agriculture, food, environment, and rural development. Directly comparable niche institution serving the same sector employer base.
• Institut Agro (Montpellier & Dijon): Leading French public agricultural institute formed from the merger of Montpellier SupAgro and AgroSup Dijon. Directly comparable as a higher-education institution training professionals for the agri-food sector, with overlapping employer pipelines and degree-granting authority.

Others

• CNAM (Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers): France's largest continuing professional education institution, offering degree-bearing programs including in management and food industries. Comparable specifically for the CPF-eligible continuing education and VAE pathways that overlap with ISEMA's Formation Professionnelle Continue offering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/isema-avignon

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 ISEMA : Business School Agri-Agro