OpenFacto
OpenFacto is a French non-profit association (Loi 1901) that delivers OSINT training to journalists, NGOs, civil society researchers, and institutions across the francophone world. It offers introductory courses, bespoke organizational workshops, and specialized masterclasses, funded entirely by membership fees, donations, and training revenue.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What OpenFacto does
OpenFacto is a French non-profit association (Loi 1901), declared on 31 January 2019 at the Préfecture de Paris under SIREN 848 588 430. Its stated purpose is to federate open-source intelligence researchers and promote the francophone OSINT community. The organization delivers structured training programs covering workstation preparation, image verification, geolocation, aircraft and vessel tracking (including DIY ADSB antenna setups using Raspberry Pi), financial investigation ("Follow the Money"), social media analysis, and disinformation detection using the AMITT framework with tools such as Hoaxy and Bot Sentinel. Training is delivered in three tiers: Formation Initiale (introductory, 14–16 seats at €220–€280), Formation Professionnelle (bespoke organizational workshops for NGOs, media, and institutions), and Masterclasses OSINT (advanced two-day intensives on specialized topics, capped at 30 participants at €50–€350). The association is 100% self-funded through annual membership fees, small individual donations, and training revenues, with no institutional grants or bursaries accessed. Membership enrollment and training payments are processed via the HelloAsso platform.
The organization serves a hybrid customer base: individual journalists, NGO investigators, civil society researchers, advanced practitioners seeking specialized skills, and institutional clients (NGOs such as Trial International and Civitas Maxima, broadcasters such as Radio Télévision Suisse, and academic institutions including Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas). International reach extends to Geneva, Heidelberg, and exiled Syrian/Lebanese journalists across Europe. Distribution is primarily direct and in-person in Paris, supplemented by on-site delivery for organizational clients and a content marketing footprint (blog, newsletter, social media) that drives community engagement and event-based lead generation. Governance is led by President Liselotte Mas and Vice-President Sébastien Bourdon, with a 12-person board of directors; trainers are seasoned practitioners serving as volunteers or paid instructors.
OpenFacto does not develop or sell software products — it is a methodology and education association. Its competitive positioning rests on community ecosystem, practitioner talent, brand recognition as the self-described leader of francophone OSINT, and codified proprietary training curricula. No AI/ML capabilities, patents, technology integrations, or software products are disclosed.
OpenFacto firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OpenFacto
- Legal name
- Association Loi 1901 OpenFacto
- Website
- https://openfacto.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- OpenFacto is a French non-profit association (Loi 1901) that delivers OSINT training to journalists, NGOs, civil society researchers, and institutions across the francophone world. It offers introductory courses, bespoke organizational workshops, and specialized masterclasses, funded entirely by membership fees, donations, and training revenue.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OpenFacto industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Investigative Training Services (OSINT Training)
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Open Courseware & Course Modules (OCW) (EDAGAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Open Educational Resources (OER) & Open Access Academic Publishing (MPAJABAG), Open Multimedia OER (video, audio, podcasts, animations) (EDAGAJAF)
Keywords
Where OpenFacto is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
OpenFacto business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees (Cotisations annuelles): Annual membership fees from association members constitute a primary revenue stream for the 100% self-funded association.
- Training Fees: Revenue from initial training sessions, professional/organizational training, and masterclasses. Pricing tiers exist for regular participants, members, and students/job seekers.
- Individual Donations: Small donations from individuals supplement the association's funding alongside membership fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | One-time payment | Initial Training - Standard Rate |
| One time/ perpetual license | One-time payment | Initial Training - Member Rate |
| One time/ perpetual license | One-time payment | Masterclass - Regular Rate |
| One time/ perpetual license | One-time payment | Masterclass - Member Rate |
| One time/ perpetual license | One-time payment | Masterclass - Student/Unemployed Rate |
| Hybrid | Multi-year contract | Professional/Organizational Training |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
OpenFacto product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OpenFacto is a French non-profit association (Loi 1901) that delivers in-person OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) training programs in Paris. Its core offerings are the Formation Initiale (2-day beginner workshop), Formation Professionnelle (customized on-site training for NGOs, media, and institutions), and Masterclasses OSINT (2-day advanced sessions on specialized topics). The association is 100% self-funded through annual memberships, individual donations, and training fees.
Product overview
OpenFacto is an association (loi 1901) offering a portfolio of OSINT training programs including Formation Initiale for beginners, Formation Professionnelle with customized workshops for organizations, and Masterclasses OSINT as advanced two-day intensives on specialized topics (geolocation, financial investigations, armed conflicts, China research, vessel tracking, aircraft tracking, automation). The organization also provides membership (Adhésion) with priority access and preferential rates. All training is conducted in-person in Paris, with some programs also available in other locations through international partnerships.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Formation Initiale (Initial Training) Introductory OSINT training providing theoretical foundations of open-source research and first practical exercises for beginners. Delivered as a 2-day in-person workshop in Paris with 14–16 participants, priced at 280€ per participant (220€ for members). Targeted at individuals with no prior OSINT experience.
- Formation Professionnelle (Professional Training) Customized OSINT training workshops designed for organizations including NGOs, media outlets, and institutions, tailored to specific operational needs and challenges. Delivered on-site at the client's location with custom pricing. Targeted at institutions, enterprises, and organizations.
- Masterclasses OSINT Advanced two-day intensive training sessions on specific OSINT topics such as geolocation, financial investigations, armed conflicts, China research, vessel tracking, aircraft tracking, and automation. Limited to 30 participants with 1–3 specialist instructors per session. Priced at 350€ (250€ for members, 50€ for students/unemployed). Targeted at advanced OSINT practitioners.
- Adhésion (Annual Membership) Annual membership program providing priority notifications for masterclass sessions, discounted training rates, and access to community events. Enrolled through the HelloAsso platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- 76% of trainees reported being completely satisfied with the initial training (16 respondents from two prior sessions)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use OpenFacto
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
OpenFacto technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
OpenFacto partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- LeHACK ConferenceminorOpenFacto participated in and delivered content at the LeHACK conference in 2025.
- Trial InternationalcoreOpenFacto delivered financial OSINT investigation training to Trial International in Geneva (October 2023) to support the NGO's work in tracing companies potentially involved in war crimes.
- Civitas MaximacoreOpenFacto delivered financial OSINT training alongside Trial International in Geneva (October 2023) to assist Civitas Maxima's investigations into war crimes and international justice.
- BlackHoodie / Troopers ConferenceminorOpenFacto conducted an OSINT/CTI workshop at the BlackHoodie track of the Troopers security conference in Heidelberg, Germany, in 2023 and again in 2025, focusing on the intersection of OSINT and malware analysis.
- Clinique de Droit International d'Assas (CDIA)coreOpenFacto delivered OSINT training to M2 International Criminal Justice students at Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas as part of the International Law Clinic's program (third edition in December 2021).
- SIRAJ (Syrian Investigative Journalism Network)coreOpenFacto and SIRAJ have conducted collaborative OSINT training workshops for Syrian journalists in exile since 2019. The partnership has included two major editions (October 2019 and April/May 2023) covering geolocation, social media research, image verification, and aircraft/vessel tracking. SIRAJ is a network of Syrian investigative journalists in exile producing investigative content on Syria.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
OpenFacto competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bellingcat: Global open-source investigations organization that combines investigative journalism with training and methodology resources. Bellingcat is OpenFacto's most direct comparable: both federate OSINT practitioners, publish investigations, and run training programs, and Bellingcat is explicitly named in OpenFacto's data as a collaborator.
- Disclose: French investigative journalism NGO that uses OSINT extensively to investigate conflict, defense, and security topics. Closely comparable to OpenFacto in geography (France), methodology (OSINT-first), and target audience (journalists, NGOs, civil society), making it a like-for-like francophone peer.
- Trace Labs: Non-profit OSINT community best known for organizing OSINT CTF events and training for law enforcement and missing-persons investigations. Directly comparable to OpenFacto's training and community-led OSINT model, with an overlapping practitioner audience.
Emerging players
- Forbidden Stories: International consortium of journalists that continues the work of murdered or threatened reporters, relying heavily on OSINT. Comparable to OpenFacto in serving investigative journalists and using open-source methodologies, though with a different primary mission (continuation of suppressed investigations).
- EU DisinfoLab: European research initiative focused on tackling sophisticated disinformation, with OSINT methodologies at the core. OpenFacto is described as a participant in EU Disinfolab events, and the overlap on disinformation detection (e.g., AMITT framework) is direct.
- OCCRP: Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project — a transnational investigative journalism network using OSINT for financial crime investigations. Overlaps with OpenFacto's 'Follow the Money' financial investigation masterclass and its Trial International/Civitas Maxima war-crimes finance training.
- Centre for Information Resilience: Independent OSINT organization that conducts open-source investigations in conflict-affected regions and produces training resources. Highly comparable to OpenFacto's investigative and capacity-building work in the human-rights and conflict-investigation niche.
Regional players
- Premières Lignes: French investigative documentary production company behind award-winning investigations. Comparable to OpenFacto as a French investigative-media peer and as a partner ecosystem for documentary outputs (parallel to OpenFacto's RTS documentary collaboration).
- Les Décodeurs (Le Monde): Fact-checking and open-data journalism team within Le Monde. Comparable in applying open-source verification methodologies to journalism in the francophone market, though embedded within a major newsroom rather than operating as an independent association.
Broad incumbents
- SANS Institute: Large, established cybersecurity training provider whose curriculum includes OSINT-focused courses (SEC497, SEC587). Comparable as a training competitor but at far greater scale and with much broader cyber-security scope; represents the type of well-capitalized incumbent that could pressure OpenFacto's OSINT training position.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
OpenFacto social profiles
Digital presenceOpenFacto financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OpenFacto leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
OpenFacto funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OpenFacto 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 OpenFacto
What does OpenFacto do?
OpenFacto is a French non-profit association (Loi 1901) that delivers in-person OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) training programs in Paris. Its core offerings are the Formation Initiale (2-day beginner workshop), Formation Professionnelle (customized on-site training for NGOs, media, and institutions), and Masterclasses OSINT (2-day advanced sessions on specialized topics). The association is 100% self-funded through annual memberships, individual donations, and training fees.
Is OpenFacto a public or private company?
OpenFacto is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was OpenFacto founded?
OpenFacto was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is OpenFacto based?
OpenFacto is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does OpenFacto make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees (Cotisations annuelles) is the primary driver. The others are training Fees and individual Donations.
Who are OpenFacto's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bellingcat, Disclose and Trace Labs. Emerging players are Forbidden Stories, EU DisinfoLab, OCCRP and Centre for Information Resilience. Regional players are Premières Lignes and Les Décodeurs (Le Monde). SANS Institute is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does OpenFacto have an API?
No public API is recorded for OpenFacto.
What industry is OpenFacto in?
OpenFacto's product category is Investigative Training Services (OSINT Training). Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGAJAB, Open Courseware & Course Modules (OCW), with a secondary code of MPAJABAG, Open Educational Resources (OER) & Open Access Academic Publishing. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 8200.