UBee Lab - L'incubateur étudiant de l'université de Bordeaux

What UBee Lab - L'incubateur étudiant de l'université de Bordeaux does

UBee Lab is the student entrepreneurship incubator of the University of Bordeaux, created in 2016 and operated as the main local operator of the national Pépite ECA (Entrepreneuriat Campus Aquitaine) device for the Bordeaux territory. It serves students and recent graduates of the University of Bordeaux who hold or seek the Statut National Etudiant-Entrepreneur (SNEE), a national status obtained by applying through the Ministry of Higher Education's online platform and pitching to one of three annual selection committees hosted at UBee Lab (January, June, October). Services are provided free of charge and include individualized mentoring by a dedicated advisor, expert workshops, networking events, and access to three on-campus coworking spaces in Bordeaux and Pessac (Bastide, Victoire, Pessac).

Its flagship acceleration vehicle is UBOOSTER, an annual pitch competition now in its 10th edition (2026), offering cash prizes of up to €5,000 for first place and supported by corporate partners including Groupe Impulsion (Fondation Bordeaux Université), Chaire Entrepreneuriat, Banque Populaire Aquitaine Centre Atlantique, Crédit Mutuel du Sud Ouest, and Domofrance. The 2025 launch of the Fête de l'Entrepreneuriat, paired with the UBOOSTER final on the Bastide campus, consolidated the incubator's public event surface. Complementary offerings include the DU Outils pour Entreprendre diploma delivered via IUT Bordeaux and the broader D2E (Diplôme d'Étudiant-Entrepreneur) credential.

UBee Lab is not a commercial entity and has no proprietary technology stack. It is a publicly funded unit embedded within the University of Bordeaux, led by Alexandre Savin (Chef du service #Dev_Entrepreneuriat) with a named team of approximately six incubation advisors (Amandine Boutang, Bastien Buoro, Annabel Jouison, Maxime Gros, Lamine Koné) and broader headcount of 17. Since opening, UBee Lab reports supporting more than 1,000 student entrepreneurs and facilitating 150 business creations; its alumni portfolio spans healthcare (Meditect, LAMInEar, P'tit Bout de Lumière), consumer goods (ZETA Shoes, Hexacup, Jeanneret Paris, Bibo Boissons), professional services (Welyb, Citiz School), mobility (Cyclock), deep tech (Luchrome), and food (Les Filous).

Name

UBee Lab - L'incubateur étudiant de l'université de Bordeaux

Legal name

UBee Lab – Université de Bordeaux

Website

https://ubeelab.u-bordeaux.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UBee Lab is the University of Bordeaux's student entrepreneurship incubator, providing free individualized mentoring, coworking, and pitch competitions (UBOOSTER) to students via France's national SNEE framework. It has supported over 1,000 entrepreneurs and 150 business creations since 2016.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bordeaux

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public funding and institutional support: UBee Lab operates as a public university incubator funded by the University of Bordeaux and the Pépite ECA network. As part of France's national entrepreneurship support infrastructure for higher education, the incubator provides free services to students. Revenue comes from public institutional funding rather than commercial activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

UBee Lab is a student entrepreneurship incubator at the University of Bordeaux that helps students and young graduates develop entrepreneurial projects. It delivers free individualized coaching, expert workshops, networking events, and three coworking spaces (Bastide, Victoire, Pessac), and runs the annual UBOOSTER pitch competition and Fête de l'Entrepreneuriat event.

Product overview

UBee Lab is a student entrepreneurship incubator at the University of Bordeaux (created in 2016) that operates as the main operator of the Pépite ECA device for the Bordeaux territory. The organization offers an integrated suite of services including a student-entrepreneur status (SNEE), individualized support, workshops, networking events, and three coworking spaces across Bordeaux and Pessac. The flagship UBOOSTER annual competition and the annual Fête de l'Entrepreneuriat event provide acceleration and visibility opportunities. The incubator has supported over 1000 student entrepreneurs and facilitated 150 business creations since its opening.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UBOOSTER: An annual acceleration program and competition for student entrepreneurs at the University of Bordeaux, now in its 10th edition in 2026. Provides financial awards (5000€ for 1st place, 2000€ for 2nd, 1000€ for 3rd-5th) and networking opportunities.

Products and services

• UBee Lab Incubator Program
• Individual Support (Accompagnement individuel)
• Workshops & Permanences (Ateliers & permanences)
• Events & Networking (Événements & networking)
• Coworking Spaces (Espaces de coworking)
• UBOOSTER Program
• Fête de l'Entrepreneuriat

Quantifiable outcome

• 150 business structures created since 2016
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Pépite ECA (Entrepreneuriat Campus Aquitaine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUBee Lab is the main operator of the Pépite ECA device for the Bordeaux territory. Pépite ECA covers 6 departments (Charente-Maritime, Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne, Dordogne, Landes, Pyrénées-Atlantiques) and is present in cities including Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Pau, Bayonne, Anglet, Mont-de-Marsan, Périgueux, and Agen. This partnership provides access to the national student entrepreneurship network and resources.
• Chaire Entrepreneuriat (Université de Bordeaux)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides the Prix Coup de cœur prize of 2000€ for UBOOSTER, supported by Banque Populaire Aquitaine Centre Atlantique and accompanied by Fondation Bordeaux Université.
• Université de BordeauxcoreOthersParent institution that houses UBee Lab. The university's entrepreneurial tradition is built on three pillars: practice, pedagogy, and research. Professor Thierry Verstraete helped develop entrepreneurship culture since 2002, leading to UBee Lab's creation in 2016.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Euratechnologies: Major French regional tech hub and incubator in Lille supporting startups with workspace, programs, and corporate connections. Comparable as a publicly-supported French regional incubator with a similar mix of incubation services and ecosystem partnerships, though serving a different French region.
• Station F: World's largest startup campus based in Paris, hosting over 30 incubators and accelerators including student-focused programs. Comparable as a French public-facing startup platform supporting early-stage founders through physical workspace, mentorship, and ecosystem connectivity — though at materially larger scale than UBee Lab.
• Paris&Co: Parisian economic development agency operating multiple sector-specific incubators that support early-stage founders with workspace, programs, and ecosystem access. Directly comparable as a publicly-supported French incubator network serving founders, though focused on the Paris region rather than Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
• Schoolab: Paris-based innovation platform combining student/youth entrepreneurship programs with corporate partnerships and incubation. Directly comparable in serving student founders through structured programs, workshops, and corporate ecosystem ties.
• HEC Paris (HEC Challenge+ / Incubateur HEC): Top French business school operating student entrepreneurship programs including Challenge+ and a dedicated incubator for student and alumni founders. Comparable as a university-affiliated student entrepreneurship incubator with selective application processes, mentorship, and ecosystem access.

Broad incumbents

• BPI France (Le Hub / Direction Innovation): French national public investment bank that funds and complements the broader French startup ecosystem including student incubators. Comparable as a public-sector enabler of French entrepreneurship, though operating at much larger scale and as a financing body rather than a hands-on incubator.

Others

• Pépite France (national network): National umbrella network coordinating the SNEE status and Pépite poles across French universities. UBee Lab operates within this network as the Pépite ECA Bordeaux operator, so other Pépite poles (Pépite Paris, Pépite Lille, etc.) are its structural siblings — the framework that defines its service offering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ubee-lab

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 UBee Lab - L'incubateur étudiant de l'université de Bordeaux