Cercle des Dirigeants d'Entreprises

What Cercle des Dirigeants d'Entreprises does

Cercle des Dirigeants d'Entreprises (CDE) is a private, non-profit business club founded on May 10, 1994 by 130 business leaders and headquartered at Boulevard des Tranchées 44, 1206 Geneva, Switzerland. The organization connects entrepreneurs, executives, managers, and business professionals through a portfolio of in-person and hybrid events — including petit-déjeuners, déjeuners, afterworks, soirées, tours-de-table, themed conference series (Société et culture, Politique, Monde international, Formation, Exclusif, Economie), and member pitch sessions — delivered across 11+ regional antennas in Switzerland, France, and Italy (including Geneva, Lausanne-Vaud, Fribourg, Neuchâtel, Sion-Valais, Nyon/Terre Sainte, Porrentruy-Jura, Lyon, Chambéry-Annecy, Pays de Gex, and Aosta).

The product surface consists of a membership network, a phygital experience enabling remote attendance from any antenna, a QR-coded member card functioning as identification and business card, on-demand event replays ('Nos Replays'), and the regional antenna system itself. There is no proprietary technology platform disclosed; infrastructure is limited to the public website (lecde.club) and standard member-card tooling.

CDE monetizes through annual membership subscriptions and paid event registrations (e.g., CHF 10 for members and CHF 40 for non-members at apéritif-contacts), supplemented by affiliate-style partner discounts delivered through institutional partners such as Migros Pro, Enova, and Club Suisse de la Presse, plus a network of restaurants and retail partners. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: members join through a formal membership process anchored at their local antenna, and acquisition is supported by an ambassador network and event-based marketing. The organization employs 13 people and is led by President Enza Testa Haegi.

Name

Cercle des Dirigeants d'Entreprises

Legal name

Cercle des Dirigeants d'Entreprises

Website

https://lecde.club

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cercle des Dirigeants d'Entreprises is a private, non-profit business club founded in 1994 that connects entrepreneurs, executives, and managers across 11+ regional antennas in Switzerland, France, and Italy via subscription-based membership, themed conferences, networking events, and a hybrid phygital experience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Networking Club

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Business networking club
• Executive membership association
• Professional networking events
• Private business club
• Cross-border business network

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees for access to the private business club network, including all antenna locations
2. Event Registration Fees: Paid events including conferences and networking meals with pricing tiers for members and non-members
3. Member Discounts and Partner Offers: Through partner relationships, members receive discounts and benefits that drive member value and retention

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cercle des Dirigeants d'Entreprises (CDE) is a private business club that sells annual memberships giving entrepreneurs, executives, managers, and company owners access to a network of 8+ regional antenna chapters across Switzerland, France, and Italy. Members participate in regular themed conferences, networking breakfasts, lunches, afterworks, and pitch sessions, with the option to attend in person at any antenna or remotely via the club's "phygital" hybrid model.

Product overview

Cercle des Dirigeants d'Entreprises (CDE) operates as a unified private business networking club offering membership-based access to its core platform of in-person and digital business events. The portfolio consists of the CDE Membership Network providing access to 8+ regional antennas across Switzerland and France, regular conferences and networking events (petit déjeuner, déjeuner, afterworks, soirées) organized under themed series (Société et culture, Politique, Monde international, Formation, Exclusif, Economie), the Phygital Experience enabling hybrid participation, a Member Card with QR code functionality, pitch sessions for business presentations, and replays of past events. The organization functions as a service-based association rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CDE Membership Network
• CDE Events & Conferences

Quantifiable outcome

• Regular weekly networking events (tours-de-table, déj-business) to foster member interactions

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Migros ProcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership providing 8% discount to CDE members through Migros Pro card, leveraging collective member purchasing volume. Monthly invoice payment available to member companies.
• Club Suisse de la PresseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPress club partnership providing CDE members with access to Club Suisse de la Presse events and conferences.
• Various Restaurant and Retail PartnersminorOthersMultiple local businesses (Aeschbach, La Baguette d'Or, La Bonbonnière, Don Capa, Switch ON, UP TOWN Comédie, Orchestre des Nations, My Loft Sport Club, MyBeauty-clinic, restaurants) offer discounts to CDE members presenting their membership card.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• YPO (Young Presidents' Organization): Global peer network for chief executives operating through chapters worldwide with forums, events and digital member tools—a comparable platform peer for CDE's executive business club positioning.
• Vistage Worldwide: CEO peer advisory and executive coaching organization running local chair-led groups with monthly meetings—a direct functional peer for the CDE business leader peer-group model.
• EO (Entrepreneurs' Organization): Peer-to-peer network of entrepreneurs organized in local chapters with regular forums, retreats and learning events—closely aligned with CDE's format of themed conferences and executive peer exchange.
• Tiger 21: Peer asset group for high-net-worth individuals and CEOs with monthly meetings, expert speakers and member investment portfolios—comparable on the executive peer-group delivery model.
• BNI (Business Network International): Global referral-based business networking organization with structured chapters, weekly meetings and a membership model—directly comparable to CDE's antenna-based networking model and subscription pricing.
• Renaissance Executive Forums: Peer group facilitator for CEOs running moderated monthly forums with curated speakers—a closer-format peer to CDE's themed-conference and tours-de-table approach.

Regional players

• Réseau Entreprendre: French non-profit entrepreneur network with regional chapters, mentorship and events—comparable in its association structure and French-market focus to CDE's French antenna footprint.

Broad incumbents

• CCI France Suisse (French-Swiss Chamber of Commerce): Cross-border Franco-Swiss business chamber serving the same Swiss-French corridor CDE targets, providing events and member services for cross-border executives—directly comparable market.
• Rotary International (Swiss/French districts): Global service and professional fellowship organization with local chapters, regular meetings and membership dues—serves as a structural benchmark for the nonprofit membership association model CDE uses.
• AmCham Switzerland (American Chamber of Commerce): Established Swiss business association connecting executives through events, committees and networking—a larger incumbent analog for CDE's association-model positioning in Switzerland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cercle-des-dirigeants-d-entreprises-gen%C3%A8ve

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 Cercle des Dirigeants d'Entreprises