Utopreneurs 🤝

What Utopreneurs 🤝 does

Utopreneurs is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 2016 and headquartered in Paris, operating as a collective innovation studio for inclusive enterprises (insertion enterprises and adapted enterprises). It was co-created by the Fédération des Entreprises d'Insertion (FEI) and the Union Nationale des Entreprises Adaptées (UNEA), with later associate members including ESSEC's Chaire Innovation et Entrepreneuriat Social, Phitrust, and France Active. The organization runs seven national "filières" (networks) — Ambition Inclusion (inclusive temporary staffing), Homeblok (modular housing from shipping containers), Centralplast (rigid plastic recycling), Recyfe (window recycling), Olivert (used cooking oils and bio-waste), Sequndo (selective deconstruction), and Mutascalab (social and environmental innovation consultancy) — each aggregating member enterprises under franchise or membership models.

The business operates two revenue streams: professional services consulting (strategy, financing, governance, operational support for social entrepreneurs) and managed services for national network coordination, including franchise recruitment, financing structuring, and growth strategy across France. GTM combines direct sales-led engagement with community-led network orchestration through partner federations and ecosystem actors (FEI, UNEA, La Poste Immobilier, eco-organismes). Customer segments are primarily French insertion enterprises (EI) and adapted enterprises (EA), plus traditional enterprises seeking inclusive partnerships for RSE/social-clause compliance. Distribution is entirely domestic via direct engagement and network membership, with no public pricing or technology platform — services are tailored bespoke per project.

The association is governed as "un commun" (a commons) under shared responsibility of its member enterprises, with no venture capital, private equity, or external funding rounds disclosed. Leadership includes President Laurent Laik (also head of Groupe La Varappe) and Director Nicolas du Souich (appointed 2020). Headcount grew from 1 (2020) to 17 currently, with measurable network-level outcomes including Recyfe's 24 franchised enterprises, Ambition Inclusion's 76 agencies across 11 regions, and Centralplast's 19,200 tonnes of plastics collected in 2024.

Name

Utopreneurs 🤝

Legal name

L'association UTOPRENEURS

Website

https://utopreneurs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Utopreneurs is a French non-profit association founded in 2016 that operates a collective innovation studio for inclusive enterprises, running seven national networks spanning recycling, modular housing, staffing, and consultancy across France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Inclusion Consulting and Circular Economy Network Development

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Cooperation, Capacity Building & Policy Advisory Programs (BPADABAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Program & Project Implementation (TA Delivery) (BPADAEAA), Institutional Capacity Building & Training (Workforce/Systems Strengthening) (BPADAEAC)

Keywords

• Social inclusion consulting
• Circular economy networks
• Insertion enterprise support
• Inclusive employment services
• Collective innovation studio

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting and project support services: Utopreneurs provides consulting services to social entrepreneurs, helping them develop projects from strategic reflection through to operationalization. They charge for their expertise in areas such as financing, governance, strategy, and operations support.
2. Network development and franchise model: Utopreneurs develops and manages national networks (Recyfe, Centralplast, Sequndo, Olivert) by recruiting new members, finding financing models, and implementing growth strategies. The networks operate on franchise or membership models.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Utopreneurs is a collective innovation studio that provides consulting and project development services to social entrepreneurs in French insertion enterprises (EI) and adapted enterprises (EA). It supports these inclusive enterprises from strategic reflection through operationalization, covering financing, governance, strategy, and operations, and scales successful local projects into national franchise-ready networks (filières) such as Recyfe, Centralplast, Sequndo, Olivert, and Ambition Inclusion.

Product overview

Utopreneurs is a collective innovation studio created by and for inclusive enterprises (insertion enterprises and adapted enterprises for people with disabilities). The organization operates as a platform supporting multiple specialized product lines focused on circular economy and social inclusion: Ambition Inclusion (temporary work network), Homeblok (modular housing), Mutascalab (innovation consulting), Centralplast (rigid plastic recycling), Recyfe (window recycling), Olivert (oils and bio-waste), and Sequndo (selective deconstruction). Each product addresses different aspects of inclusive economic development while advancing ecological transition through collaborative networks of social enterprises.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ambition Inclusion: First French network of independent inclusive temporary staffing, bringing together ETTi and EATT companies to facilitate access to sustainable employment for people excluded from the labor market.
• Homeblok
• Mutascalab
• Centralplast
• Recyfe
• Olivert
• Sequndo

Products and services

• Ambition Inclusion The first independent French network of inclusive temporary work, connecting companies with job seekers in fragile situations through ETTi (temporary insertion companies) and EATT for sustainable employment.
• Homeblok Transforms end-of-life shipping containers into high-quality modular housing to address demand for social housing and emergency accommodation with competitive pricing and reduced ecological footprint.
• Mutascalab Social and environmental innovation agency providing support to social entrepreneurs from strategic reflection through project execution, specializing in circular economy employment development.
• Centralplast First national inclusive network for rigid plastic recycling in France, uniting insertion enterprises to structure the recycling sector while creating career paths for people distant from employment.
• Recyfe First national network for recycling end-of-life windows, supporting insertion enterprises to collect, dismantle, and recycle window materials with emphasis on local closed loops.
• Olivert Network of local enterprises collecting and valorizing used cooking oils and bio-waste responsibly, prioritizing short-circuit innovative outlets and local employment.
• Sequndo First national network of selective deconstruction, providing services from consulting to material resale through inclusive enterprises covering all stages of the value chain.

Quantifiable outcome

• Recyfe grew from 3 founding members to 24 franchised enterprises between 2022-2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered important and core.

• Chaire Innovation et Entrepreneuriat Social de l'ESSECimportantStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Associate member joined in 2020. Created in 2003, the Chair has a network of 400 alumni bringing skills to ESS actors, RSE departments, and social enterprises. Has supported 250 social enterprises through Antropia ESSEC accelerator.
• Fédération des Entreprises d'Insertion (FEI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Founding member and co-creator of Utopreneurs in 2016. FEI represents insertion enterprises and work temporary insertion enterprises in France, founded in 1988. They share a vision of using collective action to advance inclusion through employment.
• Union Nationale des Entreprises Adaptées (UNEA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Founding member and co-creator of Utopreneurs in 2016. UNEA is a professional association that federates Adapted Enterprises and represents them before public and private actors. Founded in 1987.
• La Poste ImmobilierimportantStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner master contracting authority for Sequndo network. Has worked with the network on various renovation and rehabilitation projects, helping establish the 12 founding inclusive enterprises.
• Eco-organismes (for REP filières)importantStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners in the implementation of Responsabilité Elargie du Producteur (REP) systems. Utopreneurs helps inclusive enterprises respond to calls for projects and organize pilots with eco-organisms as part of AGEC law implementation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Avise: Avise is France's national agency supporting the development of the social and solidarity economy (ESS), providing consulting, evaluation, and resource mobilization for social enterprises. It is the closest functional peer to Utopreneurs' capacity-building and strategic advisory role for inclusive enterprises.
• Antropia (ESSEC): ESSEC's social enterprise accelerator and impact chair, supporting 250+ social enterprises via programs such as the Antropia accelerator. Already an associate member of Utopreneurs, it shares the consulting and capacity-building mission for inclusive economy actors.
• Mouvement des entrepreneurs sociaux (Mouves): Mouves is a French network mobilizing social entrepreneurs and serving as a collective voice for the social economy. Comparable to Utopreneurs as a membership-based ecosystem organization that supports the scaling and visibility of social enterprises.

Emerging players

• La Fonda: A French think tank and resource center for associative and social-economy actors, producing analysis and frameworks used by sector organizations. Comparable to Utopreneurs in its member-services and strategic-reflection function for the ESS ecosystem.
• Le Labo de l'ESS: A French collaborative lab producing research and field experiments for the social and solidarity economy. Comparable to Utopreneurs' Mutascalab spinoff in providing thought leadership, R&D, and pilot programs for social enterprises.
• Make Sense: A French-rooted international community supporting social entrepreneurs through incubation programs, impact measurement, and open-innovation workshops. Comparable as a younger, impact-oriented capacity builder that engages entrepreneurs from idea to scale.

Broad incumbents

• France Active: Pioneer in solidarity finance, having mobilized €508M for 66,000 ESS enterprises in 2021. Already an associate member of Utopreneurs, it complements Utopreneurs' consulting with the financing pillar required to scale inclusive enterprises.
• Caisse des Dépôts (Banque des Territoires): France's public investment arm financing social and territorial development, including insertion and adapted enterprises. Operates as a broad incumbent across the same ecosystem Utopreneurs serves and competes for large-scale social-economy mandates.

Others

• La Ruche: A French network of coworking spaces dedicated to social entrepreneurs, and the physical host of Utopreneurs' Paris offices. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler and physical community hub for the same target audience of social-impact startups.

Regional players

• Groupe Ares: A major French insertion enterprise group providing work-integration activities (recycling, logistics, digital services). Comparable as a downstream operator within the same inclusive-employer ecosystem Utopreneurs' networks support and grow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/utopreneurs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/utopreneurs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries7 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 Utopreneurs 🤝