La MYNE
La MYNE is a French non-profit citizen laboratory and open-source third place in Villeurbanne (Lyon) that supports citizens, makers, and project leaders experimenting with transitions in habitat, food, and energy through community-driven open-source projects, workshops, and documentation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersVilleurbanne, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What La MYNE does
La MYNE (Manufacture des Idées et Nouvelles Expérimentations) is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2015 and operating as an open-source citizen laboratory and "tiers-lieu" (collaborative third place) at 2 rue Jean-Baptiste Clément, Villeurbanne, in the Lyon metropolitan area. Its stated mission is to support citizens experimenting with transitions in habitat, food, and energy through hands-on, commons-based approaches spanning technical, artistic, and scientific disciplines. The organization serves a horizontal community of makers, project leaders, young publics (ages 6-16), researchers, artists, and citizen scientists, with a reported membership base of approximately 175 adherents as of 2018 (up from 135 in 2017).
The organization runs a portfolio of open-source research projects rather than commercial products, including DAISEE (decentralized autonomous energy monitoring using blockchain/smart contracts for peer-to-peer micro-grid transactions), Hackuaponie (citizen-science aquaponics), Inspiruline (low-tech spirulina cultivation), the DIY "Voir" microscope (reclaimed-lens 10x magnification tool for malaria detection), Myne-a-Lab (autonomous experimental house), Cyber Garden (plant-human digital interfaces), Power Plante (bacterial energy), and CELLUBY (bacterial cellulose). Its technology stack is built entirely on free/open-source infrastructure: HedgeDoc for collaborative documentation, Nextcloud for file sharing, Matrix/Element for chat, and PeerTube for video, all hosted on its own domains (chat.lamyne.org, cloud.lamyne.org, pad.lamyne.org). The organization maintains open repositories on GitHub and contributes to the Movilab wiki ecosystem.
La MYNE's revenue model is hybrid and small-scale, combining membership subscriptions (€2 basic, €20 active, €48 project leader annually), French Tech Ticket program prestations (approximately €24k of the ~€28k in 2017 prestations revenue), civic service indemnities for hosting ~5 volunteers (€14k), and event-based income (e.g., the 2017 Biennale de Design generated ~€15k in entries against ~€14k in expenses). Governance is exercised through a Collegial Council (Conseil Collégial), and the emerging OxaMYNE cooperative is positioned to handle economic development partnerships. The organization has reported consistent positive cash flow with treasury balances between +€5k and +€35k over three consecutive years, with 12 formal employees and a much larger volunteer/member base.
La MYNE firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- La MYNE
- Legal name
- Association La MYNE
- Website
- https://lamyne.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- La MYNE is a French non-profit citizen laboratory and open-source third place in Villeurbanne (Lyon) that supports citizens, makers, and project leaders experimenting with transitions in habitat, food, and energy through community-driven open-source projects, workshops, and documentation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where La MYNE is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Villeurbanne
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
La MYNE business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Annual membership fees form a basic revenue stream: 2€ per year for basic membership, 20€ for active member, 48€ for project leader.
- Services Civiques (Civic Service): The organization hosted 5 civic service participants, which generated indemnities of approximately 14 k€.
- French Tech Programs: Prestations and consulting related to French Tech Ticket programs generated approximately 28 k€ in revenue, with French Tech representing 24 k€ of that.
- Events and Partnerships: Major events like the Biennale de Design generated approximately 15 k€ in entries and 14 k€ in expenses, indicating event-based revenue from partnerships with institutions like La Cité du Design.
- OxaMYNE Cooperative: A cooperative structure (OxaMYNE) handles economic development and partnerships with economic actors, representing a potential revenue mechanism through cooperative models.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Basic membership for general access |
| Subscription | Annual | Active member contribution tier |
| Subscription | Annual | Project leader tier |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
La MYNE product offering
Product offeringCore offering
La MYNE operates a citizen laboratory and open-source tiers-lieu (third place) in Villeurbanne, providing physical and virtual spaces, fabrication tools, workshops, and a community network for individuals experimenting with transition topics (habitat, food, energy, biology). Its core deliverables include tiered annual memberships, recurring workshops (electronics repair, biohacking, digital fabrication, youth programs, Saturday learning sessions), and multi-stakeholder citizen-science projects such as DAISEE, Hackuaponie, Inspiruline, and the Myne-a-Lab autonomous house.
Product overview
La MYNE is a citizen laboratory and open-source third place (tiers-lieu) in Villeurbanne, Lyon, rather than a product company. It functions as a community space supporting citizens who experiment with futures and work on transitions (habitat, food, energy). The organization hosts various projects and provides access to tools and spaces for making, including digital fabrication (3D printing, laser cutting), biohacking, renewable energy experiments, and collaborative documentation. No commercial product portfolio exists; instead, La MYNE facilitates project-based work through a network of spaces, tools, and collaborative platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- La MYNE Membership
- Atelier Soudé
- Ateliers Jeunes Publics (MYNiKids)
- Biohacking — Grow It Together
- Artisan Numérique
- Hackuaponie
- Inspiruline
- Impression 3D
- Imagineo
- Les Samedis du Savoir
- Myne-a-Lab
Quantifiable outcome
- 175 adherent.e.s by 2018, growing from 135 in 2017
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use La MYNE
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
La MYNE technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
La MYNE partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- La Cité du Design (St-Étienne)corePartnership for the Biennale De Design 2017 'Fork The World' exhibition. La MYNE co-curated the exhibition showcasing tiers-lieu processes through resulting projects, with a formal reciprocity framework established.
- French TechcoreFrench Tech Ticket program hosting masterclasses and workshops on civic tech, commons, and citizen innovation. Generated approximately 24 k€ in prestations for La MYNE.
- Fabrique des CommunscoreCo-organized gathering 'Fabrique tes communs' allowing actors to make commons together. A major 2017 project that brought methodology of documentation and created proximity with the Assemblée des Communs (Lille).
- La Paillasse SaônecoreCo-development of the 'Voir' DIY microscope project. La Paillasse Saône is another citizen science lab in Lyon, with La MYNE collaborating on the microscope project presented at Lyon Science 2016.
- lescommuns.orgminorListed as powering the community platform. lescommuns.org is a resource for commons-based initiatives, aligning with La MYNE's mission around shared knowledge and open practices.
- AlternaTVminorAlternative media platform partnered with for video content and documentation efforts.
- Hackuarium (Switzerland)minorSwiss biohacking space participating in MYNEmix events, bringing international perspective to governance and contribution model discussions.
- La Zone Ah! (France)minorAnother tiers-lieu/community participating in MYNEmix governance transition discussions, contributing to collective reflection on commons and community management.
- Hotel Pasteur (Rennes)minorReferenced as inspiration for governance transitions, with La MYNE learning from Hotel Pasteur's governance day experiences.
- Atelier SoudécoreRegular repair workshops held at La MYNE every Monday and Wednesday at 18h, focused on repairing electronic objects and fighting programmed obsolescence.
- ECAN (École de la Création et de l'Artisanat Numérique)minorDigital craftsmanship school partnered for more complete training in numerical craftsmanship, with workshops on 3D design, laser cutting, and digital fabrication.
- FOL (Fédération des OEuvres Laïques)minorPartner for 3D printing and laser cutting access through their maker network.
- AttomminorPartner for laser cutting services and access to digital fabrication equipment.
Scale indicators6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
La MYNE competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- La Casemate: Grenoble-based science center and maker space (FabLab) operating as a tiers-lieu for citizen experimentation and STEM education. Strong overlap with La MYNE's mix of public workshops, maker tooling, and open-source dissemination.
- Le Dôme: Caen-based innovation and citizen-experimentation tiers-lieu attached to the Normandy metropolitan authority. Comparable model of community-led research, digital fabrication, and civic-tech programming.
- La Paillasse: Paris-based citizen laboratory and open community lab running citizen-science projects, open-hardware development, and shared maker facilities. The closest direct analogue to La MYNE's tiers-lieu model and a recognized leader in the French citizen-science community.
- La Paillasse Saône: Lyon-area citizen-science lab co-developing the DIY microscope (Projet Voir) with La MYNE. Operates the same tiers-lieu model in the same geography, making it the most direct local counterpart.
- La Zone Ah!: French community space and tiers-lieu participating in MYNEmix governance discussions. Comparable grassroots commons-oriented community space with peer-developed governance models.
- Le Reset: Paris-based tiers-lieu focused on digital commons, civic tech, and open hardware. Comparable mix of community programming, open-source tools, and citizens-led experimentation in a French urban setting.
- Hackuarium: Swiss biohacking lab in Renens (Lausanne) participating in MYNEmix governance events. Comparable open-community biolab with DIY biology and citizen-science focus.
- Hotel Pasteur: Rennes-based third place (tiers-lieu) referenced by La MYNE as inspiration for governance transitions. Comparable community-led, commons-oriented operating model.
Regional players
- Cap Sciences: Bordeaux-based science center offering hands-on citizen-science workshops and maker activities. Comparable outreach and educational mission but with a more institutional, publicly-funded structure.
Broad incumbents
- Les Petits Débrouillards: Established French association focused on popular science and citizen science education for youth and the general public. Shares participatory-science DNA but operates at much larger national scale with a more structured educational mission.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
La MYNE social profiles
Digital presenceLa MYNE financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
La MYNE leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
La MYNE funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
La MYNE M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about La MYNE
What does La MYNE do?
La MYNE operates a citizen laboratory and open-source tiers-lieu (third place) in Villeurbanne, providing physical and virtual spaces, fabrication tools, workshops, and a community network for individuals experimenting with transition topics (habitat, food, energy, biology). Its core deliverables include tiered annual memberships, recurring workshops (electronics repair, biohacking, digital fabrication, youth programs, Saturday learning sessions), and multi-stakeholder citizen-science projects such as DAISEE, Hackuaponie, Inspiruline, and the Myne-a-Lab autonomous house.
Is La MYNE a public or private company?
La MYNE is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was La MYNE founded?
La MYNE was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is La MYNE based?
La MYNE is headquartered in Villeurbanne, France, in the Europe region.
How does La MYNE make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are services Civiques (Civic Service), french Tech Programs, events and Partnerships and oxaMYNE Cooperative.
Who are La MYNE's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are La Casemate, Le Dôme, La Paillasse, La Paillasse Saône, La Zone Ah!, Le Reset, Hackuarium and Hotel Pasteur. Cap Sciences is listed as a regional player. Les Petits Débrouillards is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does La MYNE have an API?
No public API is recorded for La MYNE.