Tête en l'air

What Tête en l'air does

Tête en l'air is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 1999 by parents in collaboration with the neurosurgery team at Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades in Paris, providing support services to patients operated on in neurosurgery — primarily hydrocephalus, but also brain tumors, spina bifida, epilepsy, craniosynostosis, and traumatic brain injury — and to their families. The organization operates from a single headquarters at 104 rue de Vaugirard in Paris's 6th arrondissement with a staff of approximately 12, and maintains a continuous in-hospital presence at Necker-Enfants Malades through weekly Saturday breakfasts and Sunday recreational animations since 2001.

The association's product portfolio centers on HydroApp, a free mobile application developed with software partner Kap Code and validated by neurosurgeons from Necker-Enfants Malades, Hôpital Pierre Wertheimer HCL (Lyon), CHU de Bordeaux, and Hôpital Beaujon APHP. HydroApp provides a digital patient dossier, age-specific shunt-malfunction symptom checklists, and integrates with a multilingual emergency care card (German, English, Arabic, Spanish, Italian). Complementary offerings include a 24/7 telephone hotline (01 45 48 15 42), peer support groups for adolescents and young adults (and from 2026, for parents), the semi-annual Le Mag publication, and downloadable medical information via the association's website and social channels.

Revenue is generated entirely through donations, individual memberships (collected via HelloAsso), and project-specific grants from corporate foundations such as Fondation Malakoff Humanis Handicap (which funded HydroApp development) and French-American Aid For Children (which supports parent groups), as well as event-based fundraising. All services are provided free of charge to families under the association's general-interest (intérêt général) status, which enables tax-deductible giving. The association is governed as a typical French loi 1901 charity with Thierry Mure serving as Président and Directeur de la publication.

Name

Tête en l'air

Legal name

Association Tête en l'air

Website

https://teteenlair.asso.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tête en l'air is a Paris-based non-profit association founded in 1999 that supports French pediatric neurosurgery patients (primarily hydrocephalus) and their families through HydroApp, emergency care cards, a 24/7 hotline, support groups, and in-hospital presence at Necker-Enfants Malades.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from individuals supporting the association. Collected through HelloAsso platform.
2. Donations: Voluntary donations from individuals and organizations supporting the association's mission. Collected through HelloAsso platform.
3. Corporate Sponsorship: Support from corporate foundations such as Fondation Malakoff Humanis Handicap for specific projects like HydroApp development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Association Tête en l'air is a French non-profit (loi 1901) that provides free support services to children and young adults operated on in neurosurgery and their families, with a particular focus on hydrocephalus. Its offering combines a free HydroApp mobile application for managing medical information and symptoms, a multilingual emergency care card, a 24/7 telephone hotline, in-person support groups, hospital-based activities at Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, and the semi-annual Le Mag publication.

Product overview

Tête en l'air is a non-profit association (loi 1901) providing support services for neurosurgery patients and their families. The organization's offerings center on HydroApp, a mobile application for hydrocephalus management that includes a digital patient file, symptom tracking, and emergency information; the Carte de soins et d'urgence (Emergency Care Card), available in multiple languages; Le Mag, a semi-annual publication; and direct support services including a 24/7 hotline, peer support groups, and bedside presence at Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades with weekend breakfasts and Sunday animations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HydroApp: A free mobile application for patients with hydrocephalus, developed by the association in collaboration with neurosurgeons. The app provides medical information, symptom tracking, emergency care cards, and patient dossier features.
• Le Mag
• Carte de soins et d'urgence

Products and services

• HydroApp A free mobile application (iOS and Android) that helps hydrocephalus patients manage their medical information, store a digital patient dossier, track age-specific shunt malfunction symptoms, and access emergency care guidance. Developed with neurosurgeons from major French hospitals.
• Carte de soins et d'urgence (Emergency Care Card) A free physical and digital emergency medical card that hydrocephalus patients carry to facilitate urgent medical care. Available in five languages (German, English, Arabic, Spanish, Italian) for international travel and dispatched by mail upon request.
• Le Mag A free semi-annual magazine containing articles, interviews with medical experts, patient stories, and practical guidance for neurosurgery patients, families, healthcare professionals, and volunteers.
• Téléphone d'écoute (Listening Hotline) A free 24/7 telephone support line (01 45 48 15 42) providing emotional support, information about patient rights, school enrollment procedures, and guidance for families of neurosurgery patients.
• Groupes de paroles (Support Groups)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 150,000 hydrocephalus patients estimated in France served through information and support resources
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• French-American Aid For ChildrencoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOngoing supporter of parent support groups and association activities. Provides financial support for organizing monthly support group meetings for parents of children with neurosurgery conditions.
• Kap CodecoreTechnology or IntegrationSoftware development partner that built the HydroApp mobile application (146 Rue Montmartre, 75002 Paris). Manages data processing and secure storage on servers.
• Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades APHPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary hospital partner where association maintains regular presence since 2001. Neurosurgeons from this hospital (Professeur Blauwblomme, Puget, Zerah) collaborated on HydroApp development.
• Hôpital Pierre Wertheimer HCL (Lyon)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeurosurgeon Professeur Federico Di Rocco from this hospital collaborated on HydroApp development and provides medical validation for association resources.
• CHU de BordeauxsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDocteur Edouard Gimbert from CHU Bordeaux collaborated on HydroApp development and medical content validation.
• Hôpital Beaujon APHPsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfesseur Stéphane Goutagny from Hôpital Beaujon collaborated on HydroApp development and medical content validation.
• Fédération Française des Dys (FFDys)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation Tête en l'air is a member of FFDys, which brings together parent associations for learning disabilities (dyslexia, dysphasia, dyspraxia). FFDys has scientific committee and represents members in national disability councils.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders): US-based rare disease patient advocacy organization. Comparable in operating model (patient support, information resources, advocacy) though covering all rare diseases rather than a single therapeutic area.
• APF France Handicap: Largest French non-profit supporting people with motor and neurological disabilities. Comparable in mission (family support, advocacy, information resources) but with substantially broader scope and scale than Tête en l'air's neurosurgery focus.
• UNAFAM: French federation of families and friends of people with psychological illnesses. Comparable as a French family-led association structure providing hotline, support groups, and information resources, though focused on mental health rather than neurosurgery.
• Fondation Malakoff Humanis Handicap: Major French corporate foundation funding disability inclusion initiatives. Currently a core financial partner of Tête en l'air; comparable as an institutional player in the disability support ecosystem, though operating at much larger scale as a grant-maker.

Direct peers

• Fédération Française des Dys (FFDys): Federation of French parent associations for learning disabilities. Tête en l'air is already a member; FFDys offers comparable governance structure (parent-led association, scientific committee, policy advocacy) in an adjacent disability niche.
• Association Spina Bifida et Handicaps Associés (ASBH): French non-profit association supporting patients with spina bifida and associated disabilities, including hydrocephalus. Directly comparable in scope (patient and family support, hospital presence, information resources) and target population overlap with Tête en l'air.
• French-American Aid For Children: Existing core partner of Tête en l'air funding parent support groups. A comparable American-style charitable organization supporting children's health initiatives, with overlapping donor ecosystem and beneficiary profile.

Others

• Kap Code: Software development partner that built HydroApp. Directly comparable as a technology vendor in the patient-facing health app space, with established working relationship through HydroApp development and ongoing data hosting.

Regional players

• International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (IFSBH): International umbrella body covering spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Comparable as an advocacy and information clearinghouse for the same patient populations, though operating at international rather than national scale.
• European Hydrocephalus Association: Pan-European federation of hydrocephalus associations. Comparable mission and target population; serves as a potential partner or competitor depending on how Tête en l'air positions HydroApp internationally.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/AssociationT%C3%AAteenlair/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/teteenlair.asso
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/t%C3%AAte-en-l'air
• Instagraminstagram.com/asso_tete_en_lair

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Tête en l'air