Second Souffle

What Second Souffle does

Second Souffle (legal name: Association Second Souffle) is a French non-profit association (association loi 1901) founded in July 2010 by Dimitri Pivot and his wife Séverine Pivot following Dimitri's personal experience of business failure. Headquartered in Levroux, Indre (2 rue Hoche, 36110), the association provides free, confidential, time-unlimited peer support to French entrepreneurs experiencing business difficulties, ranging from independent workers and micro-entrepreneurs to TPE/PME owners. Beneficiaries are matched with volunteer peer entrepreneurs who have themselves experienced and rebounded from business failure, with a reported 90% successful accompaniment rate based on satisfaction surveys and 6,200+ entrepreneurs cumulatively supported as of December 31, 2024.

The association operates a distributed national delivery model combining a digital platform (website, bimonthly newsletter, weekly webinars — 150+ since March 2020), 10+ regional antennas and relays across France (Nantes/Vendée, Dordogne, AURA, Occitanie, Sud, Île-de-France, Rouen, Hauts-de-France), the Baromètre [Re]Agir diagnostic tool developed by Sandra Magras (PhD in law), the L'Instant Coach on-demand coaching service, full-day '24h pour REBONDIR' regional events, and the CLÉS POUR ENTREPRENDRE educational platform. The organization employs 59 staff and mobilizes 350+ volunteer mentors nationwide. All services are provided free of charge to end users.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded. The association was privately financed by its founders for the first eight years and obtained recognition as an 'Association reconnue d'intérêt général' from the French Ministry of Finance in July 2016, enabling tax-deductible donations. Current funding comes from public grants (regional governments, institutional partners), private sponsorships, and event-related contributions. Key institutional partners include Bpifrance, AGEFICE, CNAJMJ, Banque de France, URSSAF, CCI, CMA, France Travail, Generali, Fondation Francis Lefebvre, Bibby Factor, and FACTOfric. Second Souffle is a founding member of the Portail du Rebond des Entrepreneurs and co-signatory of the Charte de confiance signed at Bercy in February 2026.

Name

Second Souffle

Legal name

Association Second Souffle

Website

https://secondsouffle.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Second Souffle is a French non-profit association founded in 2010 that provides free, confidential peer-to-peer support from 350+ volunteer mentors to entrepreneurs in difficulty across France, with 6,200+ beneficiaries supported since inception and a 90% accompaniment success rate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Levroux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Private Sponsorship: The association relies primarily on private financing and donations. Second Souffle was self-funded by founders for 8 years. Private partnerships with companies and organizations provide ongoing support.
2. Public Grants and Institutional Support: Recognition as 'Association reconnue d'intérêt général' (general interest organization) by the Ministry of Finance in July 2016 allows for tax-deductible donations. Partnerships with public institutions and regional governments provide financial support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Second Souffle provides free, confidential, time-unlimited peer-to-peer accompaniment to French entrepreneurs in difficulty, matching beneficiaries with volunteer entrepreneurs who have personally experienced business failure and successful rebound. The service is delivered through a national network of 10+ regional antennas and relays, supplemented by weekly educational webinars, on-demand coaching (L'Instant Coach), full-day regional events (24h pour REBONDIR), and a diagnostic self-assessment tool (Baromètre [Re]Agir), all funded by donations, private sponsorship, and public grants.

Product overview

Second Souffle is a non-profit association offering a suite of human-centered support services for entrepreneurs in difficulty. The core offering consists of confidential peer-to-peer coaching and accompaniment, supplemented by weekly webinars (Nos Webinars), on-demand coaching (L'Instant Coach), full-day events (24h pour REBONDIR), and the Baromètre [Re]Agir diagnostic tool. The association also provides educational resources through its CLÉS POUR ENTREPRENDRE platform and maintains engagement through bimonthly newsletters. All services are free, confidential, and delivered by trained volunteer entrepreneurs who have experienced business difficulties themselves.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 24h pour REBONDIR: Annual event day dedicated to entrepreneurs facing difficulties: conferences, round tables, exhibitors, and networking opportunities.
• L'Instant Coach
• Nos Webinars

Products and services

• Confidential Entrepreneur Support (Accompagnement confidentiel) Free, confidential accompaniment service for French entrepreneurs facing business difficulties, delivered by trained volunteer peer entrepreneurs who have personally experienced business failure and successful rebound. Provided without fees and without time limits.
• Nos Webinars Weekly webinar sessions informing and sensitizing entrepreneurs on best practices to prepare their rebound. More than 150 sessions have been delivered since launch.
• L'Instant Coach On-demand coaching service providing immediate support to entrepreneurs in difficulty.
• 24h pour REBONDIR Full-day events dedicated to entrepreneurs featuring conferences, round tables, exhibitors, and networking opportunities. Multiple regional editions have been held across France since 2017.
• Baromètre [Re]Agir Diagnostic self-assessment tool developed by Sandra Magras (PhD in law) that helps entrepreneurs identify their specific situation and challenges for personalized support.
• CLÉS POUR ENTREPRENDRE Educational resource platform providing practical keys and tools for entrepreneurs to inform and guide them through business challenges.
• Bimonthly Newsletters Bimonthly email newsletter providing news, articles, and updates about the association's activities and entrepreneurship topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% successful accompaniment rate based on satisfaction surveys
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.

• Portail du Rebond des EntrepreneurscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2026Founding member of the Portail du Rebond des Entrepreneurs. Signatory of the 'Charte de confiance pour renforcer l'anticipation, l'accompagnement et la prévention des difficultés des entreprises' launched at Bercy.
• CNAJMJ (Conseil National des Administrateurs Judiciaires et Mandataires Judiciaires)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 November 2025Renewed partnership convention signed by Philippe Le Meur (Second Souffle Secretary General) and François-Charles Desprat (CNAJMJ President). Partnership aims to facilitate orientation of entrepreneurs facing difficulties toward Second Souffle.
• AGEFICEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 November 2025AGEFICE (fonds d'assurance formation des dirigeants d'entreprise) has renewed its partnership with Second Souffle. AGEFICE supports continuing education for business leaders and entrepreneurs.
• BpifrancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 June 2025Bpifrance has renewed its confidence in Second Souffle. Bpifrance is the French public investment bank supporting entrepreneurs.
• AIST Béziers - Prévention Santé TravailregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2025Convention signed with AIST Béziers to support and protect the health of entrepreneurs in the region.
• Mon Projet d'EntrepriseregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2025Second Souffle participated in the regional launch of the Mon Projet d'Entreprise device to support entrepreneurs in their projects.
• Région Hauts-de-FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 January 2025New partnership with the Hauts-de-France Region to support entrepreneurs in situations of fragility in the region.
• FACTOfricregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 December 2024FACTOfric provides support to Second Souffle through a convention partnership, helping entrepreneurs with factoring and cash flow solutions.
• Fondation Francis LefebvreregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 December 2024Partnership with the Francis Lefebvre Foundation to support entrepreneurs of PME/TPE in difficulty with tax and legal expertise.
• URSSAF Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 December 2024Partnership with URSSAF AURA to support entrepreneurs in difficulty in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
• Agglomération Estérel Côte d'AzurregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partnership with the Agglomération Estérel Côte d'Azur for economic development across five municipalities. Patrick Fouassier (Second Souffle) and Peggy Herth (volunteer) met with Marcel Faure (Director) and Nathalie Laurent Landi.
• Bibby FactorregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Bibby Factor, a financing solutions provider, to support entrepreneurs in difficulty.
• GeneralicoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGenerali organized the 'Mon Rebond Pro' Business Arena event at Stade de Saint-Denis where Second Souffle participated to raise awareness among insurance broker networks.
• Bpifrance (BIG Paris)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSecond Souffle present at BIG Paris 2025 organized by Bpifrance at Accor Arena, the key entrepreneurship event with focus on women's entrepreneurship, rebound, and support.
• 60 000 RebondscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner association in the entrepreneurship support ecosystem. Both organizations work together at events like the salon RESTART in Marseille alongside ADIE, BGE, CMA, CCI, HEC, Germinal, URSSAF.
• Go Entrepreneurs LyonregionalGTM or Marketing PartnerSecond Souffle participated at Go Entrepreneurs Lyon event at La Sucrière with the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes volunteer team providing support to entrepreneurs.
• Banque de FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the 'Charte de confiance' initiative. Part of the national ecosystem working on early detection and prevention of business difficulties.
• URSSAFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSignatory of the Charte de confiance. Works with Second Souffle on early detection and support for entrepreneurs facing social contribution difficulties.
• CCI (Chambres de Commerce et d'Industrie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of French Chambers of Commerce as partners in the Charte de confiance and at regional events.
• CMA (Chambres des Métiers et de l'Artisanat)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of French Chambers of Trades and Crafts as partners in the Charte de confiance and regional entrepreneurship events.
• Médiation du créditregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerCredit mediation service partner in the Charte de confiance ecosystem for business difficulty prevention.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• R\u00e9seau Entreprendre: Network providing entrepreneur mentoring and financing across France. Comparable model pairing experienced entrepreneurs with founders facing challenges, with strong institutional support.
• Initiative France: Federation of local associations providing zero-interest loans and mentoring to entrepreneurs, including those in difficulty. Comparable peer-support and donation-driven funding model with national scale.
• France Active: Network financing and supporting entrepreneurs in difficulty, particularly social and solidarity economy actors. Share the same target population and funding sources, including public institutions.
• BGE (Boutiques de Gestion): National network supporting business creation and development, particularly for vulnerable entrepreneurs. Cited as a partner at Salon RESTART and shares Second Souffle's focus on early-stage and at-risk entrepreneurs.
• 60 000 Rebonds: France's largest entrepreneur support association, offering peer mentoring and post-failure rebound programs. It is explicitly cited as a partner of Second Souffle and competes for the same donor and institutional funder base.
• ADIE: Association for the Right to Economic Initiative, providing microcredit and support to entrepreneurs excluded from traditional banking. Cited as a partner (Salon RESTART) and serves overlapping entrepreneurs-in-difficulty segments in France.

Broad incumbents

• CCI France (Chambres de Commerce et d'Industrie): National network of Chambers of Commerce providing business support, training, and diagnostics. Partner of Second Souffle through the Charte de confiance and serves a similar audience through commercial channels.
• France Travail (formerly P\u00f4le Emploi): French national employment agency providing support to job seekers, including entrepreneurs who have failed. Cited as a partner and serves part of Second Souffle's RSA-recipient entrepreneur segment.
• Bpifrance: French public investment bank offering financing, guarantees, and support to entrepreneurs. It is a key partner of Second Souffle but operates at much greater scale, with overlapping mission in business recovery and prevention.

Others

• APCE (now part of CCI) - BPI France Cr\u00e9ation: Free online portal and resource platform for business creators run by Bpifrance. It overlaps with Second Souffle's CL\u00c9S POUR ENTREPRENDRE platform in providing educational resources to entrepreneurs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SecondSouffleOrg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/second-souffle-org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Second Souffle