What La Mêlée Ouverte does

La Mêlée Ouverte (LMO) is a French non-profit association (association déclarée, SIREN 901133280) founded in 2008 in Toulouse, operating as a business club for company leaders and decision-makers in the Occitanie region. The association organizes nine monthly evening events at partner-hosted venues, bringing together members across more than 18 sectors including finance, automotive, technology, healthcare, real estate, and communication. It explicitly positions itself as a non-commercial networking environment built on values of Respect, Cooperation, and Conviviality, with membership acquired through mécénat contributions starting at €1,700 per year, which are tax-deductible at 60% for corporate donors and 66% for individuals following its 2023 recognition as an association d'intérêt général.

The association's portfolio includes the core business club, the LEVEL by LMO sub-brand launched in September 2023 to integrate apprentices and training centers into the network, content formats such as Micro Ouvert (open mic) and Papot'Pro (leader exchanges), and a quarterly journal. There is no proprietary technology platform; the website is maintained by member Unaniime, and the organization relies heavily on partner-hosted venues (BMW Motorrad Toulouse, Optique Pérignon) and in-kind service providers (O'Bonheur Laitier, AAEvent, Café 3000, Maison Sicard). Michel Roudière serves as President, and the organization operates with a small core team supported extensively by interns and apprentices.

The revenue model is essentially a recurring mécénat subscription model underwritten by individual member leaders and complementing one-off donations. Geographic scope is regional (Toulouse and Gers), with no disclosed international operations. The entity is independent, member-governed, and has no external investors, parent company, or venture capital backing.

Name

La Mêlée Ouverte

Legal name

La Mêlée Ouverte

Website

https://lameleeouverte.pro

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

La Mêlée Ouverte is a non-profit business club founded in 2008 in Toulouse, France, connecting business leaders and decision-makers across 18+ sectors through monthly evening events, funded by tax-deductible mécénat contributions, with a sub-brand LEVEL by LMO dedicated to apprentice integration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toulouse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Mécénat/Membership contributions: Revenue is generated through membership contributions (mécénat) from business leaders and companies. These contributions provide access to the association's 9 monthly evening events. The association is recognized as 'd'intérêt général' (public interest), allowing donors to benefit from tax deductions of 60% for companies and 66% for individuals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

La Mêlée Ouverte operates a membership-based business club in Toulouse that organizes 9 monthly evening networking events per year for member business leaders, alongside the LEVEL by LMO sub-program (launched September 2023) that connects apprentices and training centers with member companies. Membership is acquired through mécénat contributions starting at €1,700 annually, qualifying donors for a 60%/66% tax deduction under its association d'intérêt général status. Complementing the events, the association runs recurring formats (Micro Ouvert open-mic discussions, Papot'Pro leader exchanges) and publishes a quarterly journal to document member and network activities.

Product overview

La Mêlée Ouverte operates as a unified business networking association rather than a technology platform. Its core offering is a business club bringing together business leaders and decision-makers for monthly networking evenings. The organization has expanded its portfolio through LEVEL by LMO, a dedicated apprentice program created in September 2023, which connects young professionals with member companies. Additional offerings include Micro Ouvert (open mic discussions), Papot'Pro (leader exchange format), and a quarterly journal—all designed to foster professional networking, skills development, and community engagement within the Toulouse business ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LEVEL by LMO: La Mêlée Ouverte des apprentis - a sub-brand dedicated to apprentices and training centers, meeting monthly on Wednesdays from 12h to 14h in different locations, bringing together companies, apprentices and training centers.

Products and services

• La Mêlée Ouverte Business Club Membership Annual membership offering for dirigeants and chefs d'entreprises in the Toulouse/Occitanie region, granting access to 9 monthly evening networking events per year, partner-hosted gatherings at member-company venues, and a multi-sector community across 18+ sectors. Membership is acquired through mécénat contributions starting at €1,700 annually and benefits from 60%/66% tax deductibility under the association's d'intérêt général status.
• LEVEL by LMO (La Mêlée Ouverte des apprentis) A dedicated program under the La Mêlée Ouverte association, meeting monthly on Wednesdays from 12h to 14h in rotating locations to bring apprentices, training centers (CFA/écoles) and member companies together around professional integration and mentorship. Created as a structured component of the association's youth-inclusion mission, recognized as part of the association d'intérêt général framework.

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BMW Motorrad ToulousecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 February 2026BMW Motorrad Toulouse hosted the second edition of LMO's partner-hosted evening event in their new showroom. Guillaume Rivierre and his team organized the event, demonstrating a strong partnership where the partner provides venue and organization for LMO's networking activities.
• Optique PérignoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOptique Pérignon hosted the Meta Business evening event, providing their venue for LMO's monthly networking evening. Marion Bentata represents the member company.
• AAEventminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAAEvent (represented by Pauline Clemente) provided animation services for events at BMW Motorrad.
• 3000 Distribution (Café 3000)minorGTM or Marketing Partner3000 Distribution (represented by Sébastien Calogero) provided coffee service during events.
• O'Bonheur LaitierminorGTM or Marketing PartnerO'Bonheur Laitier (represented by Stéphane Labadie) provided aperitif service during events.
• Maison SicardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMaison Sicard provided burger catering during BMW Motorrad event.
• UnaniimecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUnaniime SAS (directed by Katia-Maëva Vilaplana) developed and maintains the association's website. Website developer partner providing ongoing digital infrastructure support. Also a member of LMO.
• ABCD Blagnacaise (Club Canin)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerABCD Blagnacaise du Chien D'utilité partnered with LMO for 'Le flair des décideurs' event, bringing therapy/emotional support dogs to a networking event to highlight the importance of human connection in business.
• LEVEL by LMOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLEVEL by LMO is a sub-program launched in September 2023 focused specifically on apprentices and training centers. It represents the association's youth integration mission, creating a structured program for connecting apprentices with business leaders.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• BNI France: World's largest paid business networking organization, operating chapter-based clubs where business leaders meet weekly to exchange referrals. Directly comparable membership-based model targeting dirigeants, with similar €1,000+ annual fees, but at much greater national scale and with a commercial-development orientation that LMO explicitly rejects.
• APM (Association Progrès du Management): French association of business leaders organized in local clubs for monthly confidential exchanges on management practice. Highly comparable to LMO: paid membership, regional club structure, monthly evenings, and a non-transactional ethos. APM is the most direct national analog and a credible competitor if it expanded deeper into Occitanie.
• CJD (Centre des Jeunes Dirigeants d'entreprise): French association of young business leaders (under 45) organized in local sections with monthly meetings, peer exchange, and training. Closely comparable in structure (membership fees, regional clubs, dirigeants audience, monthly cadence) but operating nationally with formalized governance and advocacy role.
• Réseau Entreprendre: National French network pairing successful entrepreneurs with new business creators through'accompagnement and monthly club meetings. Comparable membership-of-dirigeants model with peer mentoring, but anchored on entrepreneur support rather than general business networking.

Others

• MEDEF Haute-Garonne: Regional branch of France's principal employer organization, representing business leaders in collective bargaining and policy. Shares the dirigeants constituency and Toulouse territory but operates as a lobbying/advocacy body rather than a networking club.
• Initiative France (Haute-Garonne): National network of associations financing and supporting entrepreneurs via local platforms. Comparable in mission (helping business creators) and in operating local chapters, with a recognized general-interest status akin to LMO's, but focused on financial accompaniment rather than networking.
• CCI Toulouse Haute-Garonne: Chamber of Commerce for the Toulouse region providing business support, training, and networking events for local companies. Comparable mission of serving the local business community, but as a public institution rather than a private membership association.

Regional players

• La Mêlée (Toulouse): Toulouse-based digital and tech business network with events, conferences, and community programs. Shares the Toulouse geography and the 'Mêlée' brand name heritage but focuses on the tech/digital ecosystem rather than cross-sector dirigeants networking; serves as a regional adjacency rather than a direct overlap.
• Club des Entrepreneurs du Gers: Business club for entrepreneurs in the Gers department — explicitly named in LMO's own geographic reach as a complementary territory. Closely comparable model (paid membership, monthly meetings, dirigeants audience) at a smaller scale and different (rural) territory.

Emerging players

• Les Premières Occitanie: Network supporting women entrepreneurs through incubators and business leader mentors. Shares the Toulouse region, the values-based/mission-driven positioning, and a target audience overlapping with LMO's dirigeants; differs in its gender focus and incubation orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lameleeouverte
• Facebookfacebook.com/LaMeleeOuverte
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-m-l-e-ouverte
• Instagraminstagram.com/lameleeouverte

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 La Mêlée Ouverte