Pépite Champagne-Ardenne

What Pépite Champagne-Ardenne does

Pépite Champagne-Ardenne is a regionally-licensed student entrepreneurship support organization headquartered in Reims, France, founded in 2014 and operating as part of the national Pépite France network of 33 Pépites labeled by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research. It serves higher-education students, recent graduates (up to two years post-diploma), and doctoral candidates across the Champagne-Ardenne territory — specifically Reims, Troyes, Charleville-Mézières, and Châlons-en-Champagne — through a network of 31 partner educational institutions including URCA, NEOMA Business School, Sciences Po, AgroParisTech, CentraleSupelec, ESTP, CESI, CNAM, and IFAG.

Its core product suite centers on two government-recognized credentials: the SNEE (Statut National Étudiant Entrepreneur), a designation for students and young graduates with a formalized project idea that provides access to accompaniment, resources, competitions, and networking; and the D2E (Diplôme d'Étudiant Entrepreneur), a one-year diploma allowing graduates to finalize their project in lieu of an internship. These are complemented by a portfolio of awareness sessions, monthly Peps'it afterworks, the Ponycorn Show team challenge, Koh'ésion cohesion events, thematic professional workshops, the ID'All competition, the national Prix Pépite, the Défi Étudiants Entrepreneurs, and a double-mentorship program (socio-economic + academic, minimum five mentor meetings per year for D2E students). A specialized Pépite PhD network extends the offering to doctoral students with connections to SATTs and public research incubators. The underlying technology layer is the Pepitizy digital collaboration portal providing collaborative spaces, mentor connections, and shared resources.

The business model is entirely publicly funded with no commercial revenue. The 2024-2026 program is co-financed by the European Union (FEDER, €250,000) and the Région Grand Est (€147,540), totaling €397,540, with additional support from the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, Bpifrance, and operational partners Rimbaud'Tech and the Young Entrepreneur Center (YEC). All services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. The organization operates three physical offices (Reims HQ, Technopole de l'Aube in Troyes, Rimbaud'Tech in Charleville-Mézières) and is staffed by approximately eight team members, some of whom are shared with partner incubators.

Name

Pépite Champagne-Ardenne

Legal name

Pépite Champagne-Ardenne

Website

https://pepite-champagne-ardenne.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pépite Champagne-Ardenne is a publicly-funded student entrepreneurship support organization, part of France's national 33-Pépite network, serving higher-education students, graduates, and doctoral candidates across 31 partner institutions in the Champagne-Ardenne region through free SNEE/D2E credentials, mentorship, workshops, and competitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Entrepreneurship Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK)

Keywords

• Student entrepreneurship support
• Entrepreneurship mentorship programs
• Student business incubation
• Entrepreneurship education services
• Youth startup programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Reims

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public funding: Pépite Champagne-Ardenne operates as a publicly-funded entrepreneurship support organization. The 2024-2026 program is co-financed by the European Union (FEDER) at €250,000 and by the Région Grand Est at €147,540. Additional funding comes from the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, BPI France, and operational partners including Rimbaud'Tech and YEC. No commercial revenue model - services are provided free of charge to students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pépite Champagne-Ardenne provides free entrepreneurship support services to higher-education students, young graduates and doctoral candidates in the Champagne-Ardenne region. Its core offerings are the SNEE (Statut National Étudiant Entrepreneur) status and the D2E (Diplôme d'Étudiant Entrepreneur) diploma, complemented by sensitization sessions, afterwork networking events, professional workshops, team challenges, a double-mentorship system, and several competitions. All services are funded by public grants (EU FEDER, Région Grand Est, MESR) and delivered at no cost to beneficiaries.

Product overview

Pépite Champagne-Ardenne is a regional entrepreneurship support organization (part of the national Pépite France network) that offers a portfolio of services for student entrepreneurs, including the SNEE (Statut National Étudiant Entrepreneur) status and D2E (Diplôme d'Étudiant Entrepreneur) diploma as its core programs. The organization provides complementary programs including awareness sessions, professional workshops, team challenges (Ponycorn Show), networking events (Afterworks/Peps'it), team cohesion activities (Koh'ésion), mentorship (Mentorat), and competitions (ID'All, Prix Pépite, Défi Étudiants Entrepreneurs). It also offers specialized support for doctoral students through the Pépite PhD network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SNEE (Statut National Étudiant Entrepreneur): Status for students and young graduates with a formalized project idea, providing access to support, resources, competitions, and networking.
• D2E (Diplôme d'Étudiant Entrepreneur)
• Pépite PhD

Products and services

• SNEE (Statut National Étudiant Entrepreneur) Official national status granted to higher-education students and recent graduates with a formalized project idea, providing access to accompaniment, resources, competitions, networking and credibility. Available free of charge to students enrolled in one of the 31 partner institutions in the Champagne-Ardenne region.
• D2E (Diplôme d'Étudiant Entrepreneur) One-year diploma for former SNEE holders who have completed their studies, providing action-based learning and customized formation to finalize their entrepreneurial project in lieu of a traditional internship or end-of-study project. D2E students receive a minimum of 5 mentor meetings per year with both a socio-economic and an academic mentor.
• Sensibilisation (Awareness Programs) Awareness interventions delivered in partner higher-education institutions, ranging from 15-30 minute presentations of Pépites CA to 1-2 hour sessions covering business creation steps and pitch training for students.
• Peps'it Afterworks Monthly networking events held on the last Thursday of each month, featuring visits to emblematic local structures so participants can discover entrepreneurship in action.
• Ponycorn Show Team-based challenge competition focused on business models, communication and pitch skills, judged by a jury panel of professionals.
• Koh'ésion Team cohesion event combining theoretical and practical activities to unite the student entrepreneur community across the Champagne-Ardenne territory.
• Ateliers Professionnels (Professional Workshops) Thematic workshops covering communication, finance, strategy and other topics, with theoretical and practical components that evolve according to the project holder's stage of advancement.
• ID'All Competition Competition open to all Champagne-Ardenne students, featuring the 'Muscle ton projet' preparation program (3 half-days) leading to a Grand Oral jury presentation, with prize ceremonies and financial rewards.
• Mentorat (Mentorship Program) Double-mentorship program pairing student entrepreneurs with both socio-economic mentors (professionals, entrepreneurs) and academic mentors from partner institutions. D2E students receive a guaranteed minimum of 5 mentor meetings per year.
• Prix Pépite National competition supporting innovative and creative business and association creation projects by students and young SNEE holders, with prize ceremonies and financial rewards.
• Défi Étudiants Entrepreneurs Competition organized by Pépites CA with partner support, open to all Champagne-Ardenne students in either emergence or creation categories, with prize ceremonies and financial rewards.
• Pépite PhD Network Specialized program for doctoral students and young researchers, offering access to the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem, connections to SATT, doctoral colleges, public research incubators, the Starthèse program, and Bpifrance.

Quantifiable outcome

• All SNEE holders receive a designated entrepreneurship referent from their institution and potentially a mentor during creation phase
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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, major and minor.

• Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024URCA is the primary host institution of Pépite Champagne-Ardenne. The organization's headquarters are located at URCA premises, and the university is a key partner in providing access to student entrepreneurs and academic mentorship resources.
• Pépite FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network coordinating 33 Pépites across France. Co-organizes national competitions including Prix Pépite and Prix Pépite des Pépite, shares partner networks for international mobility, and ensures quality standards through the Charte d'Engagement.
• Rimbaud'TechmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerExcellence incubator in Charleville-Mézières co-organizes ID'All competition and co-finances Défi Étudiants Entrepreneurs with YEC. Shares staff (Carla Sinet and Sedra Rasoanaivo) with Pépite CA. Provides incubation infrastructure and network.
• Young Entrepreneur Center (YEC)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerYEC co-finances Défi Étudiants Entrepreneurs competition with Rimbaud'Tech. Connected through Technopole de l'Aube, supporting entrepreneurship development in the Aube territory.
• Entreprendre Pour Apprendre Grand EstminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional branch of the national Entreprendre Pour Apprendre network, supporting entrepreneurship education through practical programs for students.
• Technopole de l'AubemajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTechnology park in Troyes hosting the YEC (Young Entrepreneur Center) and providing office space for Émilie Lamotte, who animates YEC while sharing resources with Pépite CA.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bpifrance: France's public investment bank providing funding, guarantees, and innovation support. Comparable as a public-sector actor within the same French entrepreneurship ecosystem and listed as a financial partner of Pépite Champagne-Ardenne; serves a much broader mandate.
• Station F: Paris-based flagship startup campus housing hundreds of incubators and programs. Comparable as a large-scale French entrepreneurship support platform, though oriented toward post-student founders rather than students directly.
• La French Tech: French government-backed ecosystem initiative supporting startups nationwide. Comparable as part of the broader French public-sector entrepreneurship support architecture, though it operates at a national rather than regional/student level.

Direct peers

• NEOMA BS Incubator: Business school with its own entrepreneurship center and incubator program in the Champagne-Ardenne region. Comparable as a higher-education institution providing structured entrepreneurship support to its students, and listed as a partner establishment of Pépite CA.
• Pépite France (Réseau National Pépites): The national coordinating network for all 33 Pépites across France, of which Pépite Champagne-Ardenne is a member. Directly comparable as the umbrella organization running the same SNEE/D2E credentialing framework, Prix Pépite competition, and Charte d'Engagement.
• Entreprendre Pour Apprendre: National French NGO running practical entrepreneurship education programs for students (mini-enterprises, junior achievements). Directly comparable in mission — fostering entrepreneurial mindset among young people — and listed as an operational partner of Pépite Champagne-Ardenne.
• Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (URCA) — Service Entrepreneuriat: Host institution of Pépite Champagne-Ardenne. Comparable as a French university providing entrepreneurship services to its student body; Pépite CA is physically housed within URCA and integrates entrepreneurship into its curriculum.

Regional players

• Rimbaud'Tech: Excellence incubator in Charleville-Mézières (Champagne-Ardenne) co-organizing the ID'All competition and sharing staff with Pépite Champagne-Ardenne. Operates in the same regional entrepreneurship ecosystem with an overlapping target audience of early-stage founders.
• Technopole de l'Aube / YEC (Young Entrepreneur Center): Technology park and young entrepreneur center in Troyes co-financing the Défi Étudiants Entrepreneurs and hosting a shared YEC animator. Comparable as a regional hub supporting student/early-stage entrepreneurship in the Champagne-Ardenne territory.

Emerging players

• 100 000 Entrepreneurs: French nonprofit organizing volunteer entrepreneur interventions in schools and universities to promote entrepreneurship among young people. Comparable in the entrepreneurship-awareness mission and the educational outreach format used by Pépite CA's sensibilisation program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pepite-champagne-ardenne

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Pépite Champagne-Ardenne