OpenCampusInnov

What OpenCampusInnov does

OpenCampusInnov is a publicly funded Pôle Universitaire d'Innovation (PUI) operated by La Rochelle Université and headquartered in La Rochelle, France. Founded in 2018 with approximately eight staff, it functions as a regional innovation pole that funds, incubates, and accelerates deep-tech projects originating from the university's students, PhD candidates, and research laboratories. Its core programs include the Challenge PhD+ doctoral entrepreneurship track with the Starthèse label, the AAPIC bursary scheme, Pépite Studio, and the Mature your PhD initiative, all aimed at moving early-stage research toward market-ready ventures. The entity is co-governed with Adera, CNRS, and SATT Aquitaine Science Transfert, and operates within the broader Pépite ECA student-entrepreneurship network that links the La Rochelle, Pau, and Bordeaux campuses.

The business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Operating capital comes from La Rochelle Université, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Agglomération de La Rochelle, and the national France 2030 innovation program, with no disclosed pricing, ARR, or paying-customer base. Services are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries, and the value capture is institutional and regional-economic (technology transfer, startup creation, talent retention) rather than revenue-based. Outputs include labeled startups, PhD-derived ventures, and bursary recipients rather than billable products or licensed IP royalties, distinguishing OpenCampusInnov from a typical venture-backed startup or revenue-generating incubator.

Name

OpenCampusInnov

Legal name

La Rochelle Université

Website

https://opencampusinnov.fr

Company type

Public

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OpenCampusInnov is a publicly funded Pôle Universitaire d'Innovation at La Rochelle Université that incubates and funds deep-tech projects from students, PhD candidates, and researchers across the La Rochelle, Pau, and Bordeaux campuses via the Pépite ECA network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Innovation Hub

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• University innovation pole
• Student entrepreneurship programs
• Research valorization services
• Doctoral entrepreneurship support
• Startup incubation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

La Rochelle

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public funding and institutional support: OpenCampusInnov is a publicly funded university innovation pole. It does not generate commercial revenue. Operations are funded through La Rochelle Université, regional government (Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine), Agglomération de La Rochelle, and national programs (France 2030, Pépite ECA). Financial support to student projects is provided through the AAPIC bursary (up to €5,000 per project) and Mature your PhD salary financing (3 months).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

OpenCampusInnov is the University Innovation Pole (P\u00f4le Universitaire d'Innovation) for the La Rochelle territory, operating as a publicly funded hub that supports student entrepreneurs and doctoral researchers. It delivers structured programs including the SNEE student-entrepreneur status, D2E diploma, P\u00e9pite Studio acceleration, PhD+ research valorization tracks, and co-finances innovative student projects via the AAPIC bursary (up to \u20ac5,000). It also organizes flagship events such as Startup Weekend La Rochelle, Challenge Doctorants-Entreprises, and the annual J'peux pas, J'entreprends showcase.

Product overview

OpenCampusInnov is a university innovation and entrepreneurship hub (Pôle Universitaire d'Innovation) operated by La Rochelle Université, offering a multi-tiered support ecosystem for student entrepreneurs and doctoral researchers. The portfolio centers on three core programs within the SNEE framework: Pépite Impulse (discovery stage), Pépite Starter (project maturation with D2E diploma), and Pépite Studio (innovative project acceleration). Supporting programs include Sprints Émergence workshops, AAPIC funding calls, and PhD+ programs. The platform organizes signature events including Startup Weekend La Rochelle, Challenge Doctorants-Entreprises, and the annual J'peux pas, J'entreprends showcase. Educational resources span Business Model Canvas, pedagogical materials, and Serious Games. All programs connect students to La Rochelle University's innovation ecosystem, including Fab Labs, coworking spaces, and partnerships with SATT Aquitaine Science Transfert for research valorization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SNEE (Statut National \u00c9tudiant-Entrepreneur)

Quantifiable outcome

• 90 people attended the 6th edition of the flagship J'peux pas, J'entreprends event (2026)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• La Rochelle UniversitécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Rochelle Université is the primary founding institution and pilot of OpenCampusInnov. As an Établissement public à caractère scientifique, culturel et professionnel, it provides the institutional backbone, campus facilities (Technoforum, Fab Labs, Comm'onLab), student population, and academic credibility. OpenCampusInnov is a project of the Service CampusInnov of La Rochelle Université.
• AderacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdera is a co-founder of the OpenCampusInnov University Innovation Pole. As a research and technology transfer entity, Adera contributes expertise in accompanying innovation projects and connecting academic research with business applications.
• CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNRS is a co-founder of OpenCampusInnov, bringing its national research network, scientific expertise, and credibility in research valorization to the innovation ecosystem.
• SATT Aquitaine Science Transfert (AST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSATT Aquitaine Science Transfert is a co-founder of OpenCampusInnov and provides technology transfer services including intellectual property management, maturation financing, and industry connections. It delivers the Mature your PhD accompaniment (3-month salary financing) and provides access to Chrysalink incubator.
• Pépite ECA (Entrepreneuriat Campus Aquitaine)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPépite ECA is the regional entrepreneurship network bringing together La Rochelle, Pau, and Bordeaux campuses. It administers the national SNEE (Statut National Étudiant-Entrepreneur) on the territory and coordinates multi-campus programs including the Challenge Doctorants-entreprises which runs simultaneously across all three sites.
• CesiminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCesi is a partner engineering school that directs its students to OpenCampusInnov programs and provides access to its Fab Lab for student prototyping through the Pépite Impulse program.
• EIGSIminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEIGSI is a partner engineering school that participates in OpenCampusInnov events and directs students to entrepreneurship programs.
• ExceliaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExcelia is a partner business school that co-participates in OpenCampusInnov events including J'peux pas, J'entreprends and provides student entrepreneurs to the ecosystem.
• Village by CAminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVillage by CA is part of the Crédit Agricole accelerator network, providing a connection point between OpenCampusInnov student projects and the broader startup ecosystem.
• Technopole La RochelleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe La Rochelle Technopole supports OpenCampusInnov as part of the local innovation ecosystem, connecting student projects with the broader technology business community.
• Rotary Club La RochelleminorOthersThe Rotary Club of La Rochelle supports the J'peux pas, J'entreprends event as a community partner.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pépite ECA Bordeaux: Direct sister campus of OpenCampusInnov within the Pépite ECA network, administering the same SNEE/D2E programs and co-running the Challenge Doctorants-entreprises across Bordeaux, La Rochelle, and Pau.
• Pépite ECA Pau: Third campus in the Pépite ECA tri-territory network; delivers parallel student-entrepreneurship programs and shares regional challenge events with OpenCampusInnov.

Others

• Village by CA: Crédit Agricole accelerator network partnering with OpenCampusInnov as a downstream ecosystem connector for student-launched ventures transitioning out of the Pépite programs.
• Cesi: Partner engineering school channeling student entrepreneurs into OpenCampusInnov programs and providing Fab Lab access — a close upstream feeder institution in the same territory.
• Bpifrance Le Hub: Bpifrance's flagship startup/PE community space; a national-scale enabler that backs the same Mature-your-PhD / i-PhD laureates that OpenCampusInnov funnels through the Pépite ECA network.

Regional players

• Paris&Co: Paris-based public innovation and incubator agency connecting universities, corporates, and startups; comparable French public-institution model applied at city scale.
• EMLYON Entrepreneurship Hub: Business-school-hosted entrepreneurship programs and incubators; another regional French player addressing the same student-entrepreneur target via an academic institution.

Broad incumbents

• HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute: French grande école ecosystem offering student entrepreneurship programs (D2E-equivalent), incubators, and AAPIC-style funding — broader and more established than OpenCampusInnov.
• Station F: Largest startup campus in Europe, also targeting early-stage French entrepreneurs; broader scope than OpenCampusInnov but shares the early-stage university-to-startup pipeline mission.
• Université Paris-Saclay Innovation Hub: A larger French academic-innovation ecosystem with deep-tech research valorization capabilities that parallels OpenCampusInnov's CNRS/SATT-backed research-to-venture pipeline.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/opencampusinnov
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/openci
• Instagraminstagram.com/opencampusinnov

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 OpenCampusInnov