What Team Actual does

Team Actual is a French competitive ocean racing team and wholly-owned subsidiary (filiale) of Actual group, a France-based employment and staffing company with ~4,000 collaborators. Founded in 2001 through a partnership between Actual group and sailor Yves Le Blevec following his 5th-place finish in the Mini Transat, the team has progressed through Mini 6.50, Multi50, and now the elite Ultim class. The team's primary competitive asset is Actual Ultim 4 (ex-Gitana 17), a 32-meter flying trimaran and the most titled vessel in Ultim history, with victories including Brest Atlantiques 2019, Transat Jacques Vabre 2021, Route du Rhum 2022, and Arkea Ultim Challenge 2024. The current campaign is led by skipper Anthony Marchand with co-skipper Julien Villion under team manager Yves Le Blevec.

The technical platform is built around the Actual Ultim 4 hull and a recently developed dynamic mast with hydraulic bending capability, manufactured by Lorima using an unprecedented carbon fibre layup for an Ultim and developed with GSEA Design (structural engineering), North Sails France (sail design), and Pixel sur Mer (fibre optics). The mast integrates four LIDAR sensors adapted from autonomous-vehicle technology for continuous, real-time sail profile monitoring. The team comprises approximately 20 mariners, technicians, and engineers spanning project management, composites, electronics, hydraulics, sail-making, mechanics, computing, and navigation. The operation is based at La Trinité-sur-Mer, Brittany, with Actual group's legal headquarters in Laval (11 rue Emile Brault, 53000 Laval). Samuel Tual serves as President of Actual group and President of the Ultim class.

The business model is not based on external product pricing. Team Actual functions as an internal business unit within Actual group, generating corporate visibility, employer branding, and PR value across the parent's subsidiaries. Revenue mechanics include intra-group sponsorship (the sailing programme is funded entirely by Actual group) and media content value derived from the documentary series "Trimarans Ultim: au-delà des limites," co-produced with Mediawan Brand Studio and distributed across Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios, Groupe TF1+, NOVO19, and YouTube, reaching 500,000+ viewers and winning the Prix Argent Influencia at the 2025 Grand Prix du Brand Content. Customer segments are dominated by Actual group (internal sponsor), with secondary engagement directed at temporary workers via on-water experiences and at the general public via streaming and race events (Route du Rhum, Transat Jacques Vabre, 24H Ultim, Transat Café L'Or, Rolex Fastnet Race). The team also operates a merchandise boutique at boutique-teamactual.com.

Name

Team Actual

Legal name

Actual group

Website

https://team-actual.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Team Actual is a French Ultim-class competitive ocean racing team and subsidiary of French staffing company Actual group. Operating the 32m flying trimaran Actual Ultim 4, the team competes in elite ocean races and functions as the parent's corporate branding and employer engagement vehicle.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Ocean Racing Team

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211)

SIC

Services-Racing, Including Track Operation (7948)

akta.pro primary industry

Sailing & Water Sports Teams/Clubs (Sailing, Rowing, Surfing) (MPAKABAH)

Keywords

• Ocean racing team
• Ultim trimaran sailing
• Sailing documentary series
• Marine engineering
• Employer branding sport

Headquarters

HQ city

Laval

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Sponsorship via Actual Group: Team Actual is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Actual group, a French employment and staffing company. The sailing programme is funded through Actual group as a branding, employer branding, and corporate visibility vehicle. The team serves as a 'Business Unit' within the group, generating brand exposure, employee engagement, andPR across all group subsidiaries.
2. Media Content Licensing and Brand Partnership: The documentary series 'Trimarans Ultim : au-delà des limites' is coproduced with Mediawan Brand Studio and generates viewership and brand content value across Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios, Groupe TF1+, NOVO19, and YouTube. The series exceeded 500,000 viewers across platforms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Team Actual operates a professional Ultim-class ocean racing campaign, competing in major offshore races aboard the Actual Ultim 4 trimaran, a 32-metre foiling multihull. The programme is supported by an in-house technical team of composite, mechanical, hydraulic, electronic and rigging specialists, and is complemented by a co-produced documentary series and an official merchandise store.

Product overview

Team Actual operates a fleet of Ultim-class ocean racing trimarans, the fastest sailing vessels capable of flying above water. The primary competitive boat is Actual Ultim 4 (ex-Gitana 17), complemented by various historical boats (Actual Ultim 3, Actual Leader, Mini 6.50, Multi50) documenting the team's 25-year evolution. The team also produces a documentary series 'Trimarans Ultim: au-delà des limites' documenting their competitive season and maintains an e-commerce merchandise store. The sailing team competes in major ocean races including the Route du Rhum, Transat Jacques Vabre, and 24H Ultim.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Actual Ultim 4 32-metre ocean-racing Ultim trimaran and current flagship of Team Actual — the most-titled trimaran in Ultim history with victories including Brest Atlantiques 2019, Transat Jacques Vabre 2021, Route du Rhum 2022 and Arkea Ultim Challenge 2024. The vessel is fitted with a new dynamic mast (hydraulic bending system and LIDAR sail monitoring) developed in-house with GSEA Design, North Sails France, Lorima and Pixel sur Mer. Used by the team as a competitive racing asset, not sold externally.
• Trimarans Ultim: au-delà des limites (Documentary Series) Multi-episode documentary series co-produced with Mediawan Brand Studio, offering a behind-the-scenes, unfiltered look at Team Actual's competitive season. Distributed on Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios, Groupe TF1+, NOVO19 and YouTube; accessible to the public free of charge on YouTube and via subscription on the streaming platforms.
• Team Actual Merchandise Store

Quantifiable outcome

• 500,000+ viewers for the documentary series 'Trimarans Ultim : au-delà des limites' across streaming platforms (Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios, Groupe TF1+, NOVO19, YouTube).
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Actual Intérim (Temporary Employment)supportingOthers · 1 June 2025Temporary workers from Actual group (Actual Intérim) were invited to sail on Actual Ultim 4 on 1 June 2025, creating a unique employer branding experience linking the world of elite sailing with the group's core staffing business.
• GSEA DesigncoreTechnology or Integration · 22 January 2025GSEA Design collaborated with the Team Actual engineering office to develop the new dynamic mast for Actual Ultim 4, contributing to the architectural design and structural engineering of the mast capable of controlled bending to adjust sail profile.
• North Sails FrancecoreTechnology or Integration · 22 January 2025North Sails France worked with Team Actual on the sail plan and the new dynamic mast project for Actual Ultim 4, providing expertise in sail design and performance.
• LorimacoreTechnology or Integration · 22 January 2025Lorima is the mast builder that manufactured the new dynamic mast for Actual Ultim 4, constructing the mast with unprecedented carbon fibre layup techniques.
• Pixel sur MersupportingTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Pixel sur Mer collaborated on the fibre optics work related to the new mast, supporting the integration of the LIDAR monitoring system and optical sensors within the mast structure.
• Mediawan Brand StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Mediawan Brand Studio co-produced the documentary series 'Trimarans Ultim : au-delà des limites' with Actual group. The series was distributed across Prime Video, Amazon MGM Studios, Groupe TF1+, NOVO19, and YouTube, reaching 500,000+ viewers and winning the Prix Argent Influencia.
• Kaori (Press Agency)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerKaori is the press relations agency for Team Actual. Contacts include Laurence Caraës (+33 6 80 66 30 69) and Lucie Hardy (+33 6 13 97 19 43). The agency manages media enquiries and press kit distribution.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• 11th Hour Racing: Sustainability-focused offshore racing campaign competing in The Ocean Race and IMOCA. Broader-incumbent peer — operates outside the Ultim class but shares the corporate-sponsorship + ocean-racing + content-driven brand exposure model that Team Actual uses for Actual group.

Direct peers

• Charal Sailing Team: Charal / Jeremie Beyou's IMOCA-class campaign. Closely comparable business model — a French corporate sponsor using an elite offshore racing team as a brand and employer-branding vehicle, similar to Actual group's sponsorship of Team Actual.
• Banque Populaire Sailing: Banque Populaire's sailing team currently operating Banque Populaire XI with skipper Armel Le Cléac'h. Direct Ultim competitor to Team Actual across the major ocean racing calendar.
• Paprec Arkéa: Yoann Richomme's IMOCA project backed by Paprec and Arkéa. Comparable French corporate-sponsored offshore racing team using elite sailing for B2B brand visibility, parallel to Actual group's sponsorship model for Team Actual.
• Gitana Team: Edmond de Rothschild family's Ultim-class ocean racing team. Direct Ultim peer to Team Actual — both field 32m-class trimarans in Route du Rhum, Transat Jacques Vabre and 24H Ultim, and Gitana 17 was actually the predecessor boat to Team Actual's Actual Ultim 4.
• Sodebo (Ultim 3): Thomas Coville's Sodebo Ultim 3 project. Direct Ultim-class peer operating a 32m trimaran in the same competitive circuit as Team Actual.
• Team Holcim - PRB: Holcim's IMOCA campaign with former skipper Kevin Escoffier and current co-skipper Sam Davies. Closely comparable offshore racing programme funded by a corporate sponsor using the team for brand content and sustainability positioning.
• Initiatives-Cœur: Sam Davies and others' IMOCA-class campaign. Similar corporate-sponsorship-driven offshore racing programme that monetizes brand content and visibility, structurally comparable to Team Actual's model.
• SVR Lazartigue: Kévin Escoffier's Ultim project (formerly the Apivia campaign). Direct Ultim-class competitor competing against Team Actual in Route du Rhum, Transat Jacques Vabre and 24H Ultim.
• Idec Sport: Francis Joyon's Idec Sport, an Ultim-class racing project. Direct peer in the same trimaran category with similar around-the-world and transatlantic race calendar.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/team-actual

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 Team Actual