Grand Réseau néo-Aquitain des Pépinières d'Entreprises (GRAPE)

What Grand Réseau néo-Aquitain des Pépinières d'Entreprises (GRAPE) does

Grand Réseau néo-Aquitain des Pépinières d'Entreprises (GRAPE) is a French non-profit association (loi 1901), founded in 1992/1993 and headquartered in Tulle, Corrèze, that federates the regional network of business incubators and pépinières d'entreprises across the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Its primary mission is to organize, train, and represent member incubators so they can deliver standardized, high-quality accompaniment to entrepreneurs creating new businesses; the network covers all 12 departments of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and, in 2024, comprised 56 member nurseries supporting more than 1,000 entrepreneurs with a reported five-year business survival rate of 82% (versus 52% without accompaniment).

GRAPE's service portfolio falls into three operational pillars: (i) training and practice exchange — approximately 10 training sessions per year covering legal, financial, HR, coaching, and incubator-management topics; (ii) studies, documentation, and shared tooling — including an AFNOR-inspired service reference framework, template libraries (hosting agreements, rate grids, internal regulations), and feasibility/development studies commissioned by member incubators or territorial authorities; and (iii) promotion and collective representation — including regional conferences, open days, an annual competition for supported enterprises, and co-animation of the national network of over 200 business nurseries. Member incubators deliver end-customer services (office hosting, shared services, individualized accompaniment, ecosystem networking) through their own physical facilities, with GRAPE acting as the federation layer rather than the direct service provider.

The business model is a hybrid of recurring membership contributions paid by the 56-61 member incubators and professional-services revenue from consulting and feasibility studies. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; pricing for individual entrepreneurs varies by member nursery (e.g., office space from €140 HT/m²/year at one disclosed member). The organization operates with only 2 salaried coordinators (Aurélie Clerc as named coordinatrice) and relies on a bureau of elected volunteer officers (President Christelle Bourgouin, Vice-President Candie Guerinet, Treasurer Ghislaine Brette, Secretary Enguerran Lavie, and others) drawn from member organizations; an elected board governance structure is in place, and 300+ hours of volunteer working-group effort were logged in 2024 across 16 events and 12 thematic videoconferences.

Name

Grand Réseau néo-Aquitain des Pépinières d'Entreprises (GRAPE)

Legal name

Grand Réseau néoAquitain des Pépinières d'Entreprises

Website

https://reseau-grape.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GRAPE is a French non-profit association founded in 1993 that federates 56-61 business incubators and nurseries across Nouvelle-Aquitaine, providing training, shared tooling, and collective representation to improve accompaniment of over 1,000 early-stage entrepreneurs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tulle

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership contributions: Incubators and business nurseries pay membership fees to belong to the GRAPE network, which provides coordination, training, resources, and collective representation services.
2. Consulting and studies services: GRAPE conducts feasibility and development studies for incubators, business nurseries, and entrepreneurial centers, contributing to regional economic development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GRAPE is a non-profit association (association loi 1901) that networks 61 business incubators and pépinières d'entreprises across the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France. Its core offering is the coordination, training, and collective representation of member incubators, including professional training sessions, shared documentation and reference frameworks (AFNOR-inspired), regional events and conferences, and business directories listing member incubators and hosted enterprises. The network supports over 1,000 entrepreneurs and reports an 82% five-year business survival rate for accompanied enterprises versus 52% without accompaniment.

Product overview

GRAPE (Grand Réseau néo-Aquitain des Pépinières d'Entreprises) operates as a network association that unifies 61 business incubators across the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France. The core offering consists of the physical incubator network providing office hosting, shared services, and business support through member pépinière locations. Supporting services include professional training programs (averaging 10 training sessions per year), studies and documentation tools (including AFNOR-inspired reference frameworks and template libraries), and regional promotion activities including conferences, open days, and the national incubator network coordination. The network also maintains digital platforms including a business directory (300+ companies) and an incubator directory (62 facilities) accessible through the organization's website. The organization has a 30+ year track record and reports an 82% business survival rate for companies it supports at 5 years, compared to 52% for unsupported businesses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Formations - Professional Training

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% business success rate at 5 years for enterprises accompanied by member nurseries, compared to 52% for non-accompanied businesses
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Réseau national des pépinières d'entreprisescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRAPE co-animates the national network of business incubators and nurseries, which brings together over 200 incubators and nurseries across France. This partnership enables knowledge sharing at national level and provides access to broader resources and best practices.
• AFNORminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRAPE's service reference framework is inspired by AFNOR standards, demonstrating adherence to recognized quality standards in business support services.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bpifrance: French public investment bank offering financing, guarantees, and innovation support to entrepreneurs and SMEs. Comparable to GRAPE in supporting business creators in France, but operating nationally with financial instruments rather than a federation of local incubators.
• European Business Angels Network (EBAN): European federation of business angel networks and early-stage investors. Comparable to GRAPE in federating regional member organizations supporting business creation, but with a pan-European scope and investor focus.
• France Active: National network financing and supporting social and solidarity-based entrepreneurship across France. Comparable to GRAPE as a regional-to-national federation of member organizations supporting business creators, with a stronger focus on social enterprises and financing.
• CCI France (Chambres de Commerce et d'Industrie): National network of Chambers of Commerce providing business creation support, incubation, and economic development services to entrepreneurs. Comparable to GRAPE in serving business creators with incubation-style services, but as a much larger public institution with national scope.
• Initiative France: Federation of local Initiative France platforms providing zero-interest loans and mentoring to business creators. Comparable to GRAPE as a federation of local member associations serving entrepreneurs, but with a national footprint and lending component.
• Réseau Entreprendre: National French network of entrepreneur support organizations that pairs business creators with mentors and provides financing. Comparable to GRAPE as a federated, member-based network supporting business creation across France, though operating nationally and with a stronger financing angle.

Direct peers

• France Angels: National federation of business angel networks in France. Comparable to GRAPE as a federating association of regional member networks supporting early-stage business creation, though focused on angel investment rather than physical incubation.
• RETIS: French national association of technology incubators, accelerators, and innovation hubs. Comparable to GRAPE as a membership-based federation supporting business creation infrastructure, with a stronger focus on tech and innovation-oriented incubators.
• Réseau national des pépinières d'entreprises: National network of business incubators that GRAPE itself co-animates. Directly comparable as the umbrella organization of which GRAPE is a regional member, sharing the same scope of activity (federating and supporting business nurseries).

Others

• CPME (Confédération des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises): French confederation representing SMEs with regional member organizations across France. Adjacent to GRAPE as a federated, member-based association supporting business creation and development, though representing existing SMEs rather than incubating new ones.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/uplcde
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grape-reseau

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Grand Réseau néo-Aquitain des Pépinières d'Entreprises (GRAPE)