GRENADE - Groupement d'entreprises alternatives en développement

What GRENADE - Groupement d'entreprises alternatives en développement does

GRENADE (Groupement d'entreprises alternatives en développement) is a French SCIC (Société Coopérative d'Intérêt Collectif) founded in 2016 and converted into cooperative form in 2018, headquartered in Villeurbanne/Lyon. It operates as a support platform for self-managed collective enterprises in the Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS), serving approximately 78 associates across 7 member enterprises (SCOPs) and roughly 60 associated employees, concentrated in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and predominantly within the food and beverage sector (bars, restaurants, auberges).

The cooperative's offering comprises four integrated service lines: (1) project creation accompaniment for entrepreneurs forming collective enterprises, anchored by a CPF-eligible 4-day certifying training ('Conduire un projet de création d'entreprise') priced at €1,100–€1,600 per participant on a tiered basis; (2) ongoing member development support covering economic piloting, democratic governance, and organizational development; (3) a training catalog including conflict management, HR self-management, economic monitoring, facilitation, and democracy/governance; (4) administrative services (payroll, accounting, financial monitoring) for small engaged enterprises, plus skills assessments (bilan de compétences). Underlying technology is minimal — the organization runs a standard WordPress website and has no proprietary software, APIs, or AI capabilities, consistent with its positioning as a human facilitation cooperative rather than a technology company.

GRENADE's business model is professional services revenue (training fees, consulting, administrative outsourcing) supplemented by participatory capital raised from community subscribers (over €100,000 from 47 subscribers in March 2020). GTM is community-led and event-driven, relying on regional ESS festivals (Festival LYVE, MIAM), monthly visio-découverte discovery sessions, a blog and social media presence, and direct referrals within the cooperative ecosystem. Distribution is regional, delivered in-person across Lyon, Drôme, Loire, and Ardèche. Governance is democratic with biennial co-manager elections; ownership is held collectively by associates under 'one person = one vote' principles, with no dominant shareholder.

Name

GRENADE - Groupement d'entreprises alternatives en développement

Legal name

SCIC Grenade – Groupement d'entreprises alternatives en développement

Website

https://le-grenade.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GRENADE is a French SCIC cooperative (founded 2016, Lyon) that supports the creation and development of self-managed collective enterprises in the Social and Solidarity Economy, serving 7 member SCOPs and ~78 associates primarily in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes food and beverage sector through training, consulting, and administrative services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Villeurbanne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training and Formation Services: GRENADE provides certified training programs for entrepreneurs, including CPF-eligible courses on project creation, democratic governance, conflict management, and economic management. Training is delivered in group formats with tiered pricing.
2. Administrative Services: Provides payroll management, accounting support, and economic/financial piloting assistance to member companies and external clients. Services include pay slip establishment, social declarations, HR tools implementation, and financial dashboard creation.
3. Consulting and Advisory Services: Offers consulting services for collective entrepreneurship, including DLA (Dispositif Local d'Accompagnement) accompaniment, governance support, and organizational development for self-managed enterprises.
4. Participatory Titles (Titres Participatifs): GRENADE raised over 100,000 euros through a participatory title subscription campaign in 2020, with 47 subscribers, to finance development and new cooperative project creation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GRENADE is a cooperative (SCIC) that supports the creation and development of self-managed collective enterprises in France. It sells professional training (much of it CPF-eligible), consulting/accompaniment for enterprise creation and activity development, and administrative services (prestations administratives) to cooperatives, collectives, and entrepreneurs operating in the Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS).

Product overview

GRENADE is a SCIC (Société Coopérative d'Intérêt Collectif) that operates as a support platform for self-managed collective enterprises. The organization offers a comprehensive suite of services including: (1) Project creation accompaniment for entrepreneurs forming SCOPs and collective enterprises, featuring the certifying 'Conduire un projet de création d'entreprise' training; (2) Ongoing member support through economic piloting and governance assistance; (3) A diverse training catalog covering self-management, democracy, conflict resolution, HR management, economic management, and facilitation; (4) Skills assessments (bilan de compétences); and (5) Administrative services including accounting, payroll management, and financial monitoring. The cooperative supports enterprises primarily in the food service, restaurant, and artisan sectors across the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Formation - Conduire un projet de création d'entreprise CPF-eligible training program that equips participants with the skills to lead a collective enterprise creation project. Designed for aspiring cooperative founders and project leaders in the ESS sector.
• Formation - Autogestion des conflits Training program focused on self-managing conflict within cooperatives and self-managed collectives. Targets members, coordinators, and governance referents of ESS organizations.
• Formation - Démocratie et gouvernance en autogestion
• Formation - Autogestion des ressources humaines Training program on self-managing human resources within self-managed enterprises. Designed for HR referents, coordinators, and members of cooperatives.
• Formation - Gestion économique et pilotage Training program on economic management and operational steering for cooperatives and collectives. Targeted at treasurers, managers, and coordinators in ESS organizations.
• Formation - Facilitation Training program that develops facilitation skills for use in collective decision-making and governance settings. Aimed at members and facilitators of cooperatives and collectives.
• Bilan de compétences Skills assessment service that helps individuals evaluate their competencies and plan a career path, particularly toward roles in the cooperative or ESS sectors.
• Accompagnement à la création d'entreprise collective Consulting and accompaniment service supporting groups in creating a collective enterprise, from initial concept through legal formation and launch. Targeted at aspiring cooperative founders and small collectives in the ESS sector.
• Accompagnement au développement d'activité Consulting and accompaniment service helping existing cooperatives and collectives develop and scale their activities. Targeted at established self-managed enterprises seeking growth or operational improvement.
• Prestations administratives Administrative outsourcing services (payroll, accounting, and other back-office tasks) provided to cooperatives, collectives, and ESS organizations that lack internal administrative capacity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000€ raised through participatory title subscription in 2020 with 47 subscribers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Villages VivantscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVillages Vivants is a real estate company that became the property owner of the Auberge de Boffres building in 2019, investing in renovation works. They support the development of rural enterprises in former train station buildings and have been a key partner in GRENADE's ecosystem.
• Union régionale des SCOP et SCIC Auvergne-Rhône-AlpescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional union of SCOPs and SCICs in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Co-accompanied projects with GRENADE, including the Central Vapeur project. Provides network support and resources for cooperative development in the region.
• ANACT (Agence Nationale pour l'Amélioration des Conditions de Travail)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerANACT supports organizations in improving working conditions. GRENADE is supported by ANACT for its mission related to democratic governance and work quality in cooperatives.
• GRAPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRAP is a cooperative group in the food sector that shares values of solidarity and ecology with GRENADE. The two cooperatives have mobilized together for political causes (Nouveau Front Populaire) and share mutual support.
• Locaux MotivminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocaux Motiv is a cooperative coworking space and event venue in Lyon. GRENADE maintains a partnership with Locaux Motiv as part of its ecosystem of engaged enterprises.
• Label(le) BrûlerieminorOthersLocal coffee roastery cooperative that is part of the GRENADE ecosystem of partner suppliers for member enterprises.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• France Active: National network financing and supporting social and solidarity economy enterprises. Operates at much greater scale than GRENADE across all of France, providing financing and accompaniment that overlaps with parts of GRENADE's DLA-style service.
• ADIE (Association pour le Droit à l'Initiative Économique): National French microcredit and entrepreneur support association. Overlaps with GRENADE in serving under-resourced entrepreneurs but focuses on microfinance rather than cooperative creation specifically.
• URSCOP Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: Regional union of SCOPs and SCICs in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Already a core partner of GRENADE, the union provides network support and resources that parallel and complement GRENADE's accompaniment services.

Direct peers

• BGE (Boutiques de Gestion): National French network supporting the creation and development of small businesses, including cooperatives. BGE offers training, accompaniment, and financing services — directly overlapping with GRENADE's training and consulting offerings for entrepreneurs.
• Oxalis: Rhône-Alpes-based SCOP and CAE providing cooperative hosting, training, and administrative services to entrepreneurs in the same geographic region as GRENADE — making it the closest geographic and product competitor.
• Smart (Société Mutuelle d'Assurance des Travailleurs Indépendants): Belgian-origin cooperative providing legal and administrative hosting for independent workers and freelancers, including shared services. Comparable in providing cooperative enterprise infrastructure, though at significantly larger scale.
• Coopaname: Paris-based Coopérative d'Activité et d'Emploi (CAE) providing a legal and administrative framework for entrepreneurs and freelancers, including shared services. Directly comparable to GRENADE in offering cooperative hosting and back-office support.
• Tilt (CAE): French Coopérative d'Activité et d'Emploi offering legal hosting and entrepreneurial support services. Directly comparable service offering to GRENADE's accompaniment and administrative services.

Others

• La Nef: Cooperative bank financing social and environmental projects. Functions as a financial partner to GRENADE rather than a direct competitor, but operates in the same ESS ecosystem and serves overlapping beneficiary profiles.
• Cigales (Fédération française des Cigales): National network of informal investment clubs supporting local and solidarity-based entrepreneurship. Operates in the same ESS support ecosystem as GRENADE and serves similar entrepreneurs, though focused on collective financing rather than enterprise creation services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/grenade.groupement
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grenade-ess
• Instagraminstagram.com/scic_le_grenade

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 GRENADE - Groupement d'entreprises alternatives en développement