What Lab'ess does

Lab'ess (Laboratoire de l'Economie Sociale et Solidaire) is a Tunisian non-profit association founded in 2012 by Groupe SOS, one year after the Tunisian Revolution, with the mission of structuring and sustaining the Tunisian associative movement and supporting social and environmental entrepreneurs across the MENA region. The organization operates as a multi-program incubator and accelerator for the Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS), offering a portfolio of cohort-based programs including Incubation Tunis (5 months, up to 35,000 TND financing), Accélération (3 months, up to 100,000 TND in mixed grants and honor loans), SIBC Afrique du Nord (regional across 5 North African countries), Essentielles (women entrepreneurs in Sfax), and Ta'ziz (civil society organization strengthening). Programs are delivered through both in-person accompaniment at the Tunis headquarters and a hybrid model combining digital coaching with regional bootcamps in Tunis and Marseille.

The organization is a subsidiary of PULSE, itself part of the French Groupe SOS, and operates within an 18-country network across Africa and Europe. Lab'ess serves social entrepreneurs, civil society organizations (CSOs), and under-represented groups including women and youth, with quantified outcomes including a 91% enterprise survival rate post-incubation, 89% market entry, and 86% financing access. Its business model is grant-funded rather than revenue-generating: capital is sourced from institutional donors including the European Union, French Development Agency (AFD), Expertise France, Fondation de France, FAST, and CDC Tunisia, and deployed as grants, honor loans, and subsidies to selected participants. Programs are provided free of charge to participants, with financing structured as a mix of grants (1/3) and honor loans (2/3) in the Accélération program. The cumulative capital deployed through the Accélération program alone exceeds 1,560,000 EUR across 5 cohorts.

Name

Lab'ess

Legal name

Lab'ess

Website

https://labess.tn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lab'ess is a Tunisian non-profit association founded in 2012 that incubates and accelerates social entrepreneurs and civil society organizations across the MENA region through cohort-based programs, providing training, mentorship, and grant/honor loan financing funded by European institutional donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social and Solidarity Economy Support

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

akta.pro primary industry

ESG, Sustainability & Impact Research (BPAHALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

ESG Strategy & Materiality Assessment (EUAHAJAA)

Keywords

• Social entrepreneurship incubation
• Impact business acceleration
• Civil society strengthening
• Solidarity economy financing
• Social innovation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Tunis

HQ country

Tunisia

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding and Grants: Lab'ess operates primarily through institutional funding from European Union, French Development Agency (AFD), Expertise France, and other development partners. Funding supports regional programs like Safir (MENA), MEET Africa (diaspora entrepreneurship), and Samim (civil society strengthening).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lab'ess is an incubation and acceleration center for social and solidarity economy (ESS) actors in Tunisia and the MENA region. It provides structured incubation and acceleration programs for social and environmental impact entrepreneurs, accompanied by training, individual coaching, and financing through grants and honor loans. The organization also runs accompaniment programs for civil society organizations (associations) and other accompaniment structures, with regional reach across 9 MENA countries.

Product overview

Lab'ess is an incubation and acceleration center for social and solidarity economy (ESS) actors in Tunisia and the MENA region. It operates as a multi-program portfolio organization rather than a single product company. The core offering includes acceleration programs (Accélération, SIBC Afrique du Nord), incubation programs (Incubation Tunis, Essentielles), and accompaniment programs for civil society organizations (Ta'ziz, Samim, Safir, MED-InA, NESS EL HOUMA). Programs focus on social and environmental impact across sectors including sustainable cities, responsible consumption, circular economy, and youth inclusion. Financing is provided through a combination of grants, honor loans, and subsidies. The organization also operates a collaborative workspace facility in Tunis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MEET Africa: Mobilisation Européenne pour l'Entrepreneuriat en Afrique - a project supporting diaspora African entrepreneurship across 5 countries.
• MED-InA
• SalaM
• NESS EL HOUMA
• SAMIM
• SAFIR
• Ta'ziz
• SIBC
• Essentielles
• Incubation Tunis
• Accélération

Products and services

• Incubation Tunis A 5-month incubation program dedicated to entrepreneurs with social and environmental impact based in Greater Tunis. Offers collective training, individual coaching, solidarity financing up to 35,000 TND, and impact measurement support.
• Accélération A 3-month acceleration program supporting social and environmental impact entrepreneurs in Tunisia with financing up to 100,000 TND (1/3 grant, 2/3 honor loan), collective training, individual coaching, and networking events. The program has completed 5 cohorts with 75 entrepreneurs accompanied and 52 financed.
• SIBC Afrique du Nord Regional acceleration program spanning 5 North African countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt) targeting impact entrepreneurs seeking to scale. Features hybrid digital accompaniment, 2 bootcamps (Tunis and Marseille), and connection to investors. Since 2017, SIBC has accompanied nearly 350 impact entrepreneurs across the African continent.
• Essentielles 100% female incubation program in the Sfax region supporting women entrepreneurs with social impact. Offers 4-6 months of accompaniment, collective training, individual sessions, mobility scholarships, childcare support, service packs, and honor loans.
• Ta'ziz A tailored accompaniment program for Tunisian civil society organizations (CSOs) focusing on long-term strategy development, structural capacity building, and economically viable activities. Offers subsidies up to 12,000 EUR, honor loans up to 14,000 EUR, and expert tickets up to 2,000 EUR.
• Samim Regional program (2022-2025) strengthening civil society structures in sustainable urban development across 4 countries: Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, and Jordan. Supports CSOs to address inclusion, employment, and entrepreneurship challenges.
• Safir EU-supported regional program promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and youth economic inclusion across 9 MENA countries. Creates an enabling environment for youth civic engagement and supports social, cultural, and environmental impact projects.
• MED-InA Circular economy project developing and implementing a participatory zero-waste public policy approach. Supports 4 innovative project holders committed to waste reduction, reuse, and recycling in partnership with La Marsa municipality.
• NESS EL HOUMA Urban nursery project creating innovative social impact projects to improve quality of life in marginalized neighborhoods in Grand Tunis, Gabès, and Béja. Uses participatory urban intervention methodology.
• MEET Africa European mobilization project for African diaspora entrepreneurship connecting Europe and Africa. Supports African diaspora entrepreneurs through coaching, training, and accompaniment across 5 countries: Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia.
• SalaM Mediterranean dialogue program supporting youth civil society actors from both shores to accelerate joint projects and emerge proposals for sustainable human, economic, and development in the Mediterranean region.
• Collaborative Workspace A collaborative workspace located in Tunis offering office space for entrepreneurs, with free parking and bike accessibility. The space serves as a center for program activities and networking.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of incubated enterprises remain active after program completion
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PULSEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPULSE is the parent organization of Lab'ess, created in 2006, supporting and promoting entrepreneurship as a lever for inclusive and sustainable development in Africa and Europe. PULSE operates 18 countries and multiple incubation spaces including Lab'ess (Tunisia), Oribi (South Africa), Jógjëf (Senegal), and PULSE Montreuil (France).
• Groupe SOScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroupe SOS is an association created in France that leads international actions. PULSE is one of the associations of Groupe SOS, making Lab'ess part of this larger social enterprise ecosystem.
• BloomcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBloom partnered with Lab'ess to create and animate the Safir incubator network across the MENA region, strengthening organizational and youth accompaniment competencies through co-construction workshops.
• Pulse GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPulse Group collaborates on regional projects including Safir and MEET Africa, contributing to ecosystem development across Africa and MENA.
• Bidaya (Morocco)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBidaya is a Green Tech social incubator in Casablanca since 2015, accompanying startups with high social or environmental impact as part of the Samim network.
• Ecodev (Mauritania)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEco-développement (Ecodev) is an NGO created in 1999, committed to Mauritania's development and involved in Samim project for sustainable cities.
• French Institute (Institut Français)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner in Safir program supporting youth engagement and cultural exchange activities.
• Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerUniversity network partner in Safir program supporting youth entrepreneurship and education initiatives.
• Handicap International (Humanity & Inclusion)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplements Ness El Houma urban nursery project in Tunisia, developing innovative urban intervention for marginalized neighborhoods in Grand Tunis, Gabès, and Béja.
• Centre ElKawakiby for Democratic TransitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Ta'ziz program supporting Tunisian civil society organizations.
• Oxfam TunisiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Ta'ziz program supporting civil society strengthening in Tunisia.
• American University of Beirut (AUB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in MED-InA project implementing zero-waste public policy approach in La Marsa, Tunisia.
• Municipality of La MarsacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner for MED-InA project implementing participatory zero-waste public policy in La Marsa.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Ashoka: World's largest network of social entrepreneurs with fellows in 90+ countries. Comparable in mission (supporting system-changing social entrepreneurs) and structure (fellowship + ecosystem support), though Ashoka operates more as a fellowship than an incubator.
• Endeavor: Global organization supporting high-impact entrepreneurs through mentorship, networking, and access to capital. Comparable in mission (entrepreneur support for scaled impact) and multi-country footprint across emerging markets.
• Impact Hub: Global network of impact-focused co-working spaces, incubators, and accelerators operating in 100+ locations. Directly comparable to Lab'ess as a social enterprise incubation platform with multi-country programs and funding accompaniment for impact entrepreneurs.
• Village Capital: Impact-focused peer-selected accelerator supporting entrepreneurs solving global problems across multiple regions. Comparable in methodology (peer-driven cohort support) and target segment (impact-driven ventures seeking to scale).
• Acumen: Global impact investor and social enterprise support organization with presence in East Africa, West Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. Comparable in combining patient capital with entrepreneurial support for impact ventures in emerging markets.
• Yunus Social Business: Global organization founded by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus supporting social businesses through incubation and financing. Comparable in mission (social business support) and structure (incubation + financing accompaniment for impact ventures).
• Flat6Labs: Leading MENA early-stage venture capital firm and seed accelerator operating across Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, and other regional markets. Comparable as a regional accelerator with seed funding and multi-country Tunisia footprint.
• Berytech: Lebanon-based innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem supporting startups and SMEs. Comparable as a regional MENA incubator/accelerator with similar program methodology, target beneficiary profile, and donor-funded structure.
• Echoing Green: Global social enterprise fellowship providing seed funding and leadership development to emerging social entrepreneurs. Comparable as a social enterprise support organization with a similar funding accompaniment model and focus on system-change leaders.

Others

• PULSE: Parent organization of Lab'ess, operating 18 countries across Africa and Europe with 600+ projects supported annually. Relevant as the umbrella network that scopes and replicates Lab'ess's methodology across geographies and sister incubators (Oribi, Jógjëf, PULSE Montreuil).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/laboratoire-de-l'economie-sociale-et-solidaire

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Lab'ess