Place au Vélo Nantes

What Place au Vélo Nantes does

Place au Vélo Nantes is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 1991, operating as the primary independent cycling advocacy organization for the Nantes Métropole (24 communes). It serves individual cyclists and families, businesses, schools, and local government bodies with a portfolio of programs including the Vélo-école (adult and child bicycle learning), Brico-Vélo (participatory repair workshops), bicycle marking via Bicycode, the IMV professional training program, enterprise mobility plans, school mobility programs, and seasonal visibility campaigns such as 'Cyclistes Brillez!'.

Its core technology asset is Vigilo, a collaborative citizen reporting application deployed since October 2019 and originally developed by Vélocité Montpellier. Vigilo allows cyclists, pedestrians, and persons with reduced mobility to geolocate and categorize infrastructure problems (gating vehicles, poor design, maintenance defects, accidents, theft, recurring incivilities), with volunteer moderation and direct data sharing to Nantes Métropole services for maintenance response; the platform accumulated over 20,000 reports by March 2022.

The association operates a hybrid non-profit revenue model combining annual membership fees and donations (1,300+ members, 700 families, processed via Assoconnect), public grants from Nantes Métropole, the Conseil Départemental de Loire-Atlantique, and the Conseil régional des Pays de la Loire, and a fee-based enterprise training catalogue covering Plan de Mobilité Entreprise consulting and employee cycling instruction. Most public-facing services are free at the point of use. It is governed by a board of directors elected in 2023 following a leadership transition, supported by 7 staff and roughly 20+ active volunteers across 7 commissions, and is a member of the national FUB, Heureux Cyclage, and AF3V federations.

Name

Place au Vélo Nantes

Legal name

PLACE AU VELO

Website

https://placeauvelo-nantes.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Place au Vélo Nantes is a French non-profit association founded in 1991 that serves as the primary cycling advocacy body for the Nantes Métropole (24 communes), delivering cycling education, repair workshops, enterprise mobility consulting, and the Vigilo citizen reporting platform to cyclists, families, businesses, and local government.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cycling Advocacy and Urban Mobility Services

SIC

Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Bicycle Programs & Bike Share (Parking, Repair, Rentals) (EDALAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bike Service, Repair & Maintenance Shops (CRAMAHAH), Bike Fit, Performance & Training Retail/Studios (CRAMAHAI)

Keywords

• Cycling advocacy services
• Urban mobility training
• Bike education programs
• Citizen reporting platform
• Community cycling workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Nantes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees and donations: The association is funded primarily through member dues (adhésions) and voluntary donations. An annual membership supports the association's advocacy, educational programs, and operational costs. Donation links are available through the Assoconnect platform.
2. Public grants and subsidies: Field actions are financially supported by Nantes Métropole, the Conseil Départemental de Loire-Atlantique, and the Conseil régional des Pays de la Loire. These public grants fund specific programs such as velo-ecole, Brico-Vélo workshops, and other cycling promotion activities.
3. Enterprise training and services: Place au Vélo offers paid training services to businesses: 'Plan de Mobilité Entreprise' (company mobility plans), cycling in the city formation, initiation to cycling for employees, and coaching to identify the safest routes. A training catalogue for enterprises is published annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Place au Vélo Nantes is a non-profit cycling advocacy association that delivers free community services including a bike school (Vélo-école for adults and children), participatory bike repair workshops (Brico-Vélo), the Vigilo citizen reporting platform for cycling infrastructure issues, Bicycode anti-theft bike marking, and seasonal safety campaigns. It also offers paid enterprise services such as Plan de Mobilité Entreprise consulting, the IMV professional cycling instructor training program, and the Alvéole bike-parking installation scheme, while acting as the official cyclist user-expertise voice in Nantes Métropole infrastructure consultations.

Product overview

Place au Vélo Nantes is a non-profit cycling advocacy association that operates as a single integrated service platform rather than a modular product architecture. The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio of cycling-related programs including the Vélo-école (bike school for adults and children), Brico-Vélo (participatory repair workshops), Vigilo (citizen reporting application), professional training programs (IMV), bicycle marking services, enterprise mobility consulting, and seasonal safety campaigns like 'Cyclistes Brillez!'. These services collectively aim to promote cycling as daily transportation and improve cycling infrastructure across the Nantes Metropolis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vélo-école (Bike School) Bicycle learning programs for adults and children, including Level 1 initiation courses in secure environments and Level 2 city circulation training, delivered in group stages across Nantes Métropole.
• Brico-Vélo (Participatory Bike Repair Workshop) Free participatory bicycle repair and maintenance workshops where cyclists learn to maintain their bikes independently, promoting 'vélo autonomie' (bicycle autonomy).
• Vigilo Citizen Reporting Platform Collaborative citizen application (iOS/Android/web) that allows vulnerable road users (cyclists, pedestrians, persons with reduced mobility) to transparently report and map daily cycling difficulties, infrastructure problems, and dangerous behaviors.
• Bicycode Bike Marking and Anti-Theft Registration Bicycle marking and registration service using the Bicycode system to combat theft and increase the chances of recovering stolen bikes, delivered at the association office and at mobile events.
• Formation Initiatrice·teur Mobilité à Vélo (IMV) Professional five-day training program offered annually in November to certify individuals as cycling mobility initiators capable of running their own cycling instruction.
• Plan de Mobilité Entreprise (PDE) Corporate mobility consulting helping businesses develop employee cycling programs and sustainable transportation strategies, delivered on-site at client companies.
• Bourse aux Vélos (Second-Hand Bike Exchange) Periodic second-hand bicycle sale events that facilitate affordable access to bicycles for the Nantes Métropole community.
• Enterprise Training Catalogue Annual catalogue of customized cycling training programs and services for businesses and organizations, including workplace cycling initiation, formation in cycling in the city, and route-safety coaching.
• Bicycle Technical Inspection Bicycle safety check and diagnostic service helping cyclists confirm their bikes are roadworthy and properly maintained.
• School Mobility Programs (École à Vélo) Educational cycling programs delivered on-site at primary schools and middle schools, teaching children cycling skills and promoting active mobility from a young age.
• Alvéole Bike Parking and Ecomobility Program Program that installs secure bike parking infrastructure and provides ecomobility accompaniment for businesses and organizations across Nantes Métropole.
• Cyclistes Brillez Safety Campaign Annual November-December safety awareness campaign coordinated with the FUB, promoting bicycle visibility and lighting equipment among cyclists, run jointly with NAOLIB and the Police municipale de Nantes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 33% of surveyed cyclists replaced their car with a bike; 28% replaced public transport with cycling (Nantes Métropole study, 763 cyclists)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fédération des Usagers de la Bicyclette (FUB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlace au Vélo is a member of the FUB, the national federation of cycling users. Through this membership, the association participates in national campaigns (Baromètre Vélo, 'Cyclistes brillez'), accesses shared resources, and contributes to nationwide cycling advocacy. The FUB provides the national framework within which Place au Vélo operates on local cycling policy.
• Heureux Cyclage (Réseau national des ateliers bikes)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlace au Vélo is a member of Heureux Cyclage, the national network of bike repair workshops. This membership connects the Brico-Vélo participatory repair workshop to a broader network of similar initiatives across France, facilitating knowledge sharing and best practices in community bike repair.
• AF3V (Association française pour le développement des véloroutes et voies vertes)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlace au Vélo is a member of AF3V, the French association for the development of bike routes and greenways. This connection supports advocacy for intercommunal cycling route planning and greenway development in the Nantes area.
• Nantes MétropolecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNantes Métropole is the primary institutional partner of Place au Vélo. The association participates in formal consultations on cycling infrastructure projects (axes magistraux, 'Grandes Voies Vélo'), provides cyclist expertise to municipal planning, and receives financial support for association activities. Vigilo platform data is shared with Métropole services for maintenance response.
• Conseil Départemental de Loire-AtlantiquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe department provides financial grants to support association activities and consults Place au Vélo on cycling infrastructure projects outside Nantes city centre, including the planned Carquefou–Petit-Mars cycling link. The department aims to connect all Loire-Atlantique communes by cycling routes by 2032.
• Conseil régional des Pays de la LoireminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe regional council provides financial support for cycling promotion activities led by Place au Vélo across the Pays de la Loire region, complementing local and departmental funding.
• NAOLIB (public transport authority, Nantes)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNAOLIB partners with Place au Vélo on the annual 'Cyclistes brillez' visibility campaign, providing operational support and co-branding. NAOLIB also operates the navette fluviale (river shuttle) across the Erdre for cyclists and has participated in joint employer mobility events organized by Place au Vélo.
• Police municipale de NantesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMunicipal police provide support during the 'Cyclistes brillez' campaign events, assisting with cyclist visibility and safety outreach activities.
• Vélocité MontpelliercoreTechnology or IntegrationVélocité Montpellier developed and created the Vigilo citizen reporting application. Place au Vélo deployed Vigilo in Nantes from October 2019, benefiting from Vélocité's open-source platform development. Vélocité Montpellier volunteers provided foundational technical work for the application.
• ÉcopoleminorOthersÉcopole is a network of environmental associations in the territory. Place au Vélo participates in its General Assembly and is represented at its meetings, contributing to cross-association environmental coordination.
• Collectif Vélo Pays de la LoireminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlace au Vélo participates in the Collectif Vélo Pays de la Loire, a regional cycling collective that coordinates advocacy efforts, supports member associations, and engages with regional and departmental authorities on cycling policy.
• MobilitainsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMobilitains is a mobility advocacy organization. Place au Vélo has collaborated with Mobilitains on joint advocacy letters to Nantes Métropole regarding traffic calming and cyclist safety measures.
• Rue de l'AvenirminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRue de l'Avenir is a road safety advocacy organization. Place au Vélo has collaborated on joint advocacy letters to Nantes Métropole regarding speed control measures benefiting cyclists and pedestrians.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Rue de l'Avenir: Road safety and traffic-calming advocacy organization that has partnered with Place au Vélo on joint letters to Nantes Métropole. Comparable as a specialized mobility-safety advocacy peer rather than a broad cycling body.
• Mobilitains: Mobility advocacy organization working on commuting and traffic calming in the Nantes area. Directly comparable as a co-advocacy partner on cyclist-safety issues to Nantes Métropole.

Others

• Écopole: Network of environmental associations in the Nantes territory in which Place au Vélo participates (general assembly representation). Comparable as an adjacent/ecosystem participant for cross-association environmental coordination.

Regional players

• Collectif Vélo Pays de la Loire: Regional cycling collective in Pays de la Loire that coordinates Place au Vélo with other local associations for advocacy at the regional and departmental levels.

Broad incumbents

• FUB — Fédération des Usagers de la Bicyclette: National federation of cycling users in France of which Place au Vélo is a member. Operates broader nationwide programs (Baromètre Vélo, Cyclistes Brillez) and provides institutional framework for local advocacy associations like Place au Vélo.
• Heureux Cyclage: National network of participatory bike repair workshops. Place au Vélo's Brico-Vélo is a member workshop; Heureux Cyclage provides shared resources and best practices across the French participatory bike-repair ecosystem.
• AF3V — Association française pour le développement des véloroutes et voies vertes: National association for veloroutes and greenways. Place au Vélo is a member and collaborates on intercommunal cycling route planning; AF3V operates at national scale on infrastructure advocacy.

Direct peers

• Vélo Montpellier: Cycling advocacy association for the Montpellier metropolitan area, also a FUB member running similar programs (citizen reporting, vélo-école, Brico-Vélo). Direct comparable as they developed and maintain the Vigilo platform that Place au Vélo deploys.
• La Maison du Vélo Lyon: Lyon cycling association (FUB member) combining vélo-école, repair workshop, advocacy, and enterprise services. Closely analogous to Place au Vélo's portfolio and mission in another major French metropolitan area.
• MDB — Mieux se Déplacer à Bicyclette (Paris): Paris/Île-de-France cycling user advocacy association, FUB member. Most comparable in scale and scope: lobby local authorities, run vélo-école, Brico-Vélo workshops, and citizen data campaigns in another major French metro.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/place-au-v%C3%A9lo-nantes

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Place au Vélo Nantes