Pépite Pays de la Loire

What Pépite Pays de la Loire does

Pépite Pays de la Loire is a publicly funded regional student entrepreneurship support structure operating within the national Pépite France network, headquartered at 7 rue de Bias in Nantes and operating across five cities (Nantes, Angers, Le Mans, Saint-Nazaire, La Roche-sur-Yon). It serves university students, doctoral candidates, and recent graduates up to 29 years old across 62 partner educational institutions in the Pays de la Loire region, providing them with the SNEE (Statut National d'Étudiant-Entrepreneur) status — a national credential issued under the authority of the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research that allows students to pursue entrepreneurial projects alongside their studies.

The core product is the SNEE status itself, which unlocks access to three structured accompaniment programs — Découverte (project discovery), Emergence (early-stage development), and Starter (4-month intensive collective cohort in Nantes) — supplemented by a Mentoring Program that matches students with experienced entrepreneurs, gamified activation via the 1h30 Entrepreneurship Escape Game, and free coworking access across the regional partner network. Major annual events include Pépite Day (a project showcase and pitch competition awarding €2,000 prizes) and Doctoriales (a 4-day immersive seminar for doctoral students validating 30 hours of training). In 2025-26, the organization accompanied 430+ active student entrepreneurs, sensitized 18,000+ students to entrepreneurship, and delivered 277 workshops across the region.

Pépite's business model is non-commercial: it is financed by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, Région Pays de la Loire, Bpifrance Création, and partner universities (Nantes Université, Université d'Angers, Le Mans Université), with metropolitan authorities (Nantes Métropole, Angers Loire Métropole) and coworking operators (WeForge, Le Palace/IciLundi, Halle 6 Ouest, SPI Numérique, La Loco Numérique, Le Mans Innovation) as ecosystem partners. All core services are free to students; the optional D2E (Diplôme Étudiant-Entrepreneur) enrollment is capped at €500 per academic year. The organization operates with ~56 staff and is led by Director Pierre-Yves Blévin, with no private equity, venture capital, or public listing involved.

Name

Pépite Pays de la Loire

Legal name

Pépite Pays de la Loire

Website

https://pepite-pdl.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Pépite Pays de la Loire is a publicly funded regional structure within France's national Pépite network that supports student entrepreneurship across 62 partner institutions in 5 cities, issuing SNEE status and delivering accompaniment programs, events, and coworking access to 430+ active student entrepreneurs annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Entrepreneurship Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Community Education (EDAAAFAK), Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

Keywords

• Student entrepreneurship support
• Entrepreneurship incubation programs
• Public innovation network
• Startup coworking access
• Young entrepreneur mentoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Nantes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: Pépite is a publicly funded organization supported by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, Région Pays de la Loire, and institutional partners including Nantes Université, Université d'Angers, and Le Mans Université. Services are free for students; the D2E (Diplôme Etudiant-Entrepreneur) has a fee capped at 500€ per academic year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pépite Pays de la Loire delivers free support services to student entrepreneurs across the Pays de la Loire region, centered on the official SNEE national student-entrepreneur status. It runs three staged accompaniment programs (Découverte, Emergence, Starter), a 4-month mentorship matching program, free coworking space access in five cities, the Escape Game entrepreneurship workshop, the annual Pépite Day showcase, and the Doctoriales seminar for PhD students. All core services are free for students, funded by public grants, with only the optional D2E diploma carrying a capped fee of €500 per academic year.

Product overview

Pépite Pays de la Loire is a student entrepreneurship support ecosystem offering a comprehensive portfolio of programs and services. The core offering centers on the SNEE (Statut National d'Étudiant-Entrepreneur) status, which unlocks access to three accompaniment programs: Starter (4-month intensive collective program), Emergence (for emerging projects), and Découverte (for project discovery). Supporting services include a gamified Escape Game for entrepreneurship initiation, free coworking space access across 5 cities, and the Mentoring Program matching students with experienced professionals. The organization hosts major annual events including Pépite Day (project exhibition with prize awards) and Doctoriales (4-day PhD student entrepreneurship seminar). Networking is facilitated through Apépitif Afterwork events. The ecosystem also includes Kokolab, a partner-finding platform developed by Pépite alumni. In 2025-26, the organization supported 430 student entrepreneurs across 62 partner establishments, sensitized 18,000 students to entrepreneurship, and animated 277 workshops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SNEE (Statut National d'Étudiant-Entrepreneur): The national student-entrepreneur status delivered by Pépite structures, enabling students to dedicate time to their entrepreneurial project while continuing their studies.
• Pépite Day
• Doctoriales
• Apépitif (Afterwork)
• Escape Game Entrepreneuriat

Products and services

• SNEE — Statut National d'Étudiant-Entrepreneur Official national status granted to students and recent graduates (under 29) enabling them to dedicate time to their entrepreneurial project while continuing their studies. Free of charge; provides access to accompaniment programs, coworking spaces, mentorship, networking events, and first financing opportunities (grants, prizes, loans).
• Starter Program 4-month intensive collective accompaniment program held in Nantes to help student entrepreneurs structure and develop their business project, with regular workshops, milestones, and collective coaching.
• Emergence Program Accompaniment program for student entrepreneurs at the emergence stage, supporting the validation and structuring of the business idea before launch.
• Découverte Program Discovery program for students exploring entrepreneurship, enabling them to test and clarify a project idea before deeper commitment.
• Mentoring Program 4-month mentorship program that matches student entrepreneurs (SNEE holders) with experienced entrepreneurs, managers, and domain experts for guidance, knowledge sharing, and feedback on their project.
• Coworking Spaces Access Free access to a network of partner coworking spaces across Nantes (Le Palace/IciLundi), Angers (WeForge, La Halle 6 Ouest, IAE Petit Port), Saint-Nazaire (SPI Numérique), La Roche-sur-Yon (La Loco Numérique), and Le Mans (Le Mans Innovation) for SNEE holders.
• Pépite Day (Annual Event) Annual flagship regional event where student entrepreneurs exhibit their projects to juries and the public, compete in pitch contests, and receive prizes including the Prix Pépite and Prix Région Pays de la Loire.
• Doctoriales (PhD Seminar) 4-day immersive entrepreneurship seminar for PhD students combining ideation workshops, team challenges, expert meetings, and a pitch competition; validates 30 hours of doctoral training (code EE-CDPDL-15) with the Collège Doctoral des Pays de la Loire.
• Escape Game Entrepreneuriat Immersive 1h30 gamified workshop in which student groups of 4-6 discover the 8 steps of business creation by solving puzzles and challenges in a Smart City scenario, delivered on-site at partner institutions.
• Apépitif Afterwork Regular networking afterwork events combining inspiring talks, student entrepreneur testimonials, and informal networking held in various cities across the Pays de la Loire region.
• Workshops and Training Sessions Catalog of entrepreneurship initiation workshops (ideation, creativity, business creation skills) animated on-site in partner higher-education institutions; 277 workshops delivered in the 2025-26 academic year.

Named customers6 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

AI capability10 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

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

• Nantes UniversitécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor institutional partner and host of Pépite headquarters. Provides academic infrastructure, student access, and administrative support. Named in multiple sources as key partner along with Université d'Angers and Le Mans Université.
• Université d'AngerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey institutional partner hosting Pépite office in Angers. Collaborates on student entrepreneurship programs and Maine-et-Loire territory operations.
• Le Mans UniversitécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner for Le Mans territory operations and student entrepreneurship support in the Sarthe department.
• Bpifrance CréationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational public investment bank supporting entrepreneurship. Co-organizes Pépite Day event and provides financing expertise for student entrepreneurs.
• Région Pays de la LoirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional government providing major funding and co-organizing annual Pépite Day. Awards €2,000 prizes across 4 categories to student entrepreneurs.
• Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l'EspacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational ministry providing official mandate for Pépite network and funding for SNEE status. Organizes national Starthèse competition for PhD entrepreneurs.
• Collège Doctoral des Pays de la LoiremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDoctoral college validating 30 hours of training (code EE-CDPDL-15) for Les Doctoriales program, enabling PhD student participation.
• Centrale Audencia Nantes Université (Incubateur)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBusiness incubator providing expert mentorship and pitch training for student entrepreneurs including Doctoriales program.
• WeForge (Angers, La Roche-sur-Yon)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCoworking space partner providing free 24/7 access to SNEE holders in Angers and La Roche-sur-Yon.
• Angers Loire Métropole, Nantes MétropolemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetropolitan authorities supporting local entrepreneurship ecosystem and student entrepreneur initiatives.
• Starthèse (National)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational competition for young researchers organized by Ministry. Pépite regional winners advance to national finals.
• PUI PrédictminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram supporting deeptech projects and doctoral entrepreneurs in the region.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Station F: Paris-based mega-incubator hosting hundreds of early-stage startups. Relevant incumbent comparator because it offers the kind of scale, equity-backed acceleration, and investor introductions that private student founders may prefer over Pépite PDL's free public offering.
• ADIE: National association for microcredit and entrepreneurship support, particularly for those excluded from traditional banking. Comparable public-mission profile and accompaniment model, but targets a different (often low-income) demographic.
• Bpifrance Le Hub / Le Lab: Public investment bank's entrepreneurship-support arm, which co-organizes Pépite Day and provides financing expertise. Operates at national scale across all entrepreneur segments and is one of Pépite PDL's most important partners.

Direct peers

• Réseau Entreprendre: National French network that pairs aspiring entrepreneurs with experienced mentors and grant-style 'prêts d'honneur'. Highly comparable to Pépite PDL in mission (entrepreneur creation support), mentorship-heavy model, and regional chapters, but without the student-only mandate.
• Initiative France: Federation of local associations supporting business creation through mentorship, zero-interest loans and follow-on support. Closely comparable model to Pépite PDL on accompaniment, mentorship, and follow-on capital, though served to all entrepreneurs not only students.
• SEMIA (Strasbourg): Strasbourg-based university technology-transfer and student entrepreneur incubator focused on deeptech and student startups. Comparable regional-mandate, university-anchored model serving student founders.
• 1PAC Incubateur (Centrale Audencia Nantes): University-affiliated business incubator hosted by Centrale Audencia Nantes, operating in the same Nantes geography with overlapping student-entrepreneur target audience. It is an explicit partner of Pépite PDL and competes for the same pool of student founders through pitch training and mentorship.

Regional players

• Euratechnologies: Lille-based regional tech incubator and startup campus with similar university-and-public-partner anchoring, offering programs to early-stage and student founders. Same broad category (regional public-affiliated incubator) but in another French region.

Emerging players

• Les Premières: Network supporting women entrepreneurs through incubation and financing. Comparable accompaniment-driven model and Régional footprint (with activity near Pays de la Loire), though specialised in a sub-segment.
• 60 000 Entrepreneurs: Non-profit focused on raising entrepreneurial awareness among young people through educational interventions and testimonials. Overlaps with Pépite PDL's sensitization mission (18,000+ students reached) and competes for school-based engagement slots.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@pepitepdl?si=mPfC0caJvttuHZ0J
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pepite-des-pays-de-la-loire
• Instagraminstagram.com/pepitepaysloire/?hl=fr

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Pays de la Loire