Sb Factory
Sb Factory is a Paris-based social innovation consulting firm that advises associations, enterprises, and public bodies on Impact Contract (Social Impact Bond) structuring, with 50+ projects since 2012 and co-founding of the €14M Citizen CIS fund.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Sb Factory does
Sb Factory is a Paris-based social innovation consulting firm founded in 2012 by Pauline Heuzé and Marion de la Patellière. The firm specializes in Impact Contracts (Contrats à Impact), the French version of Social Impact Bonds — outcome-based financing instruments introduced in France in 2016 that allow private investors to fund social or environmental prevention programs, with repayment by the state contingent on independently measured impact results. Sb Factory's core offering is advisory work for associations and enterprises: feasibility studies, project modeling, indicator design, evaluator coordination, and matchmaking between project sponsors, private investors, and public payers.
The firm has accompanied more than 50 associations on Impact Contract projects spanning equal opportunities, employment insertion, and environmental transition. Beyond pure consulting, Sb Factory has built two financial vehicles: the Fonds B, the first private endowment fund designated as final payer, and Citizen CIS, a €14M independent investment fund launched in March 2023 in partnership with Citizen Capital and subscribed by the European Investment Fund, Société Générale, foundations, and private individuals. Sb Factory acts as operational partner for project sourcing and structuring on Citizen CIS, and coordinates with the Ministère de l'Économie, Ministère du Travail, and ADEME on portfolio themes.
Commercially, Sb Factory generates revenue from professional services advisory fees on project-based, multi-year engagements with pricing determined per mandate. The firm has no software product, no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, and a small founder-led operating model with no disclosed external equity investment. Customer concentration is fragmented across French non-profit associations, with go-to-market driven by direct advisory relationships, thought leadership via conferences and media (Le Figaro, B SMART, Novethic, Convergences Forum), and partnerships with family offices, banks, and foundations for Impact Contract financing.
Sb Factory firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sb Factory
- Legal name
- sbfactory
- Website
- https://sbfactory.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Sb Factory is a Paris-based social innovation consulting firm that advises associations, enterprises, and public bodies on Impact Contract (Social Impact Bond) structuring, with 50+ projects since 2012 and co-founding of the €14M Citizen CIS fund.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sb Factory industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Innovation Consulting & Impact Finance Advisory
- NAICS
- Management Consulting Services (54161)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Results-Based Financing (RBF) & Performance-Based Grants (BPADAOAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Private Sector & Blended Finance Arms (IFC-type) (BPADACAJ)
Keywords
Where Sb Factory is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sb Factory business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Consulting Advisory Services: Advisory fees for social innovation project modeling, feasibility studies, and Impact Contract (Contrat à Impact / Social Impact Bond) structuring for associations and enterprises.
- Fonds B and Citizen CIS Management: Co-founded the Fonds B (first private final payer endowment fund) and collaborated with Citizen Capital on Citizen CIS fund (€14 million) for financing Impact Contracts.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom consulting engagements for social innovation and Impact Contract projects |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Sb Factory product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sb Factory is a social innovation consulting firm that advises associations, enterprises, public sector bodies, foundations and family offices on the design, structuring, and deployment of Impact Contracts (Contrats à Impact — the French adaptation of Social Impact Bonds). The firm provides feasibility studies, project modeling, stakeholder coordination, and impact indicator design, and connects associations with private investors and public payers. It also co-founded Fonds B, the first private endowment fund designated as final payer, and Citizen CIS, a €14 million impact investment fund dedicated to financing Impact Contracts.
Product overview
Sb Factory operates as a social innovation consulting firm offering a portfolio of services and financial instruments rather than a unified tech product. The core offering consists of consulting services for social innovation and Impact Contract project development. This is complemented by two financial vehicles: the Fonds B (a private endowment fund as final payer) and Citizen CIS (an independent investment fund of €14 million launched with Citizen Capital in 2023). The firm also directly partners with over 50 associations on Impact Contract projects across themes including employment insertion, environmental transition, and equal opportunities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Social Innovation Consulting Services Consulting engagement for associations, enterprises, public bodies, family offices and foundations: feasibility studies, project modeling, stakeholder coordination, definition of impact indicators and engagement of independent evaluators for Impact Contract (Contrat à Impact / Social Impact Bond) projects. Tailored to each client engagement on a project basis.
- Citizen CIS Independent investment fund dedicated to financing Impact Contracts (Contrats à Impact Sociaux) in France, endowed with €14 million. Finances projects labeled by the State with predefined impact objectives measured by an independent evaluator. Subscribers include the European Investment Fund, Société Générale, and several foundations, families, and private individuals.
- Fonds b First private endowment fund (fonds de dotation payeur final privé) created by Sb Factory to serve as a final payer for Impact Contract projects. Designed to support the deployment of impact financing mechanisms through private endowment structures.
Quantifiable outcome
- More than 50 associations accompanied in Impact Contract projects
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Sb Factory
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Sb Factory technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Sb Factory partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Citizen CapitalflagshipStrategic partnership to launch Citizen CIS, first independent fund dedicated to financing Impact Contracts in France. Fund endowed with €14 million. Sb Factory co-founded the fund and serves as operational partner for Impact Contract project sourcing and structuring.
- ADEME (Agence de la transition écologique)coreGovernment partner for Impact Contracts on circular economy themes as part of Citizen CIS fund portfolio.
- Ministère de l'Économie (Ministry of Economy)coreGovernment partner for Impact Contracts on equality of opportunity themes as part of Citizen CIS fund portfolio.
- Ministère du Travail (Ministry of Labor)coreGovernment partner for Impact Contracts on employment innovation themes as part of Citizen CIS fund portfolio.
- Brookings InstituteminorReference source for global Impact Bond data and statistics used on the sb factory website.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Sb Factory competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Yunus Social Business: Advisory entity supporting social business and impact-driven enterprises with financing and project development. Functions as an adjacent enabling organization in the broader social impact ecosystem rather than a direct Impact Bond competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Bridges Fund Management: Established UK impact investment manager with debt and equity strategies tied to social outcomes. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the impact-bond and outcomes-based financing space, though operating as an asset manager rather than a project-structuring advisor.
- Mirova: Natixis-owned impact investment affiliate managing dedicated sustainable development funds. Operates in the adjacent French and European impact-investing ecosystem with significantly broader scale; comparable as a capital allocator for impact-linked strategies.
Direct peers
- Instiglio: Colombia-born social impact advisory firm operating globally on Results-Based Financing and Impact Bonds. Directly comparable as a specialist consultancy building Impact Bond infrastructure in emerging and European markets.
- Citizen Capital: French impact investment firm and Sb Factory's co-founder of Citizen CIS (€14M Impact Contract fund). Closely aligned model combining direct impact investing with project structuring and advisory on outcomes-based finance.
- Big Issue Invest: UK social enterprise investment arm of The Big Issue, active in Social Impact Bond origination and social investment. Directly comparable as a peer deploying private capital into outcomes-based social projects with public-sector payers.
- Social Finance: UK-based pioneer of Social Impact Bonds (the model Sb Factory replicates in France as Contrats à Impact). Direct peer in designing, structuring, and advising on outcomes-based financing for social outcomes across health, employment, and education.
- ClearlySo: European impact investment advisory and deal origination platform focused on matching institutional capital with social enterprises and impact investment products. Comparable in the impact-advisory and origination role across European markets.
Regional players
- France Active: French nationwide network financing social entrepreneurship and impact ventures, with similar advisory and intermediation functions to Sb Factory on French territory, though operating across both Impact Contracts and broader social finance instruments.
Emerging players
- MaRS Discovery District: Canadian social-innovation and impact-advisory hub with focus on outcomes-based financing and social impact bonds. Comparable as a non-profit advisory intermediary connecting impact projects to private and public capital.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sb Factory social profiles
Digital presenceSb Factory financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sb Factory leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Sb Factory subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Sb Factory funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sb Factory M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sb Factory
What does Sb Factory do?
Sb Factory is a social innovation consulting firm that advises associations, enterprises, public sector bodies, foundations and family offices on the design, structuring, and deployment of Impact Contracts (Contrats à Impact — the French adaptation of Social Impact Bonds). The firm provides feasibility studies, project modeling, stakeholder coordination, and impact indicator design, and connects associations with private investors and public payers. It also co-founded Fonds B, the first private endowment fund designated as final payer, and Citizen CIS, a €14 million impact investment fund dedicated to financing Impact Contracts.
Is Sb Factory a public or private company?
Sb Factory is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sb Factory founded?
Sb Factory was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sb Factory based?
Sb Factory is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Sb Factory make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Consulting Advisory Services are the primary driver. The others are fonds B and Citizen CIS Management.
Who are Sb Factory's main competitors?
Yunus Social Business is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Bridges Fund Management and Mirova. Direct peers are Instiglio, Citizen Capital, Big Issue Invest, Social Finance and ClearlySo. France Active is listed as a regional player. MaRS Discovery District is listed as an emerging player.
Does Sb Factory have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sb Factory.
What industry is Sb Factory in?
Sb Factory's product category is Social Innovation Consulting & Impact Finance Advisory. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAOAF, Results-Based Financing (RBF) & Performance-Based Grants, with a secondary code of BPADACAJ, Private Sector & Blended Finance Arms (IFC-type). Its NAICS code is 54161 and its SIC code is 8742.