Source Urbaine

What Source Urbaine does

Source Urbaine SAS is a French startup, conceived in 2018 and officially incorporated in 2020 by four co-founders (Richard Filippi, Marie Annick Le Bars, Bernard Soulez, and Bertrand Malet), headquartered at 135 route de la Reine, Boulogne-Billancourt. The company designs, engineers, fabricates, and installs a single core product — the patented Jardin de Pluie Urbain® (Urban Rain Garden) — a modular urban rainwater harvesting and irrigation system that captures rooftop or runoff water, stores it in an underground reservoir, and uses communicating-vessel principles to continuously restitute moisture to vegetation substrate, enabling autonomous plant watering for up to three months without external supply. The system can be deployed at ground level, semi-buried, or fully buried, with dimensions and materials (steel, concrete, wood, or recycled inputs) tailored to site conditions and local rainfall, and integrated electronic sensors enable remote performance monitoring.

Source Urbaine's revenue combines bespoke project-based professional services (site analysis, hydric potential assessment, calculation notes, design and engineering, fabrication, installation, and ongoing hydric performance monitoring) with equipment supply of the Jardin de Pluie Urbain itself, typically delivered as a turnkey package and priced on a per-project basis with no public price list. Its three primary customer verticals are Collectivités (local governments addressing heat islands, stormwater flooding, and zero-discharge mandates), private enterprises (seeking HQE/BREEAM/LEED alignment and CSR outcomes), and urban development firms (developers and amenageurs needing green infrastructure for new projects). Distribution is direct and France-wide, supplemented by co-development relationships with major construction partners such as Colas and Razel-Bec, plus a formal 2022 strategic partnership with water-treatment specialist Saint-Dizier Environnement.

The company actively cultivates demand through event-driven thought leadership (SIBCA 2025, CEREMA Colloquium December 2023, IEA European Irrigation Association Forum October 2024, ProDurable, Smart Port Challenge Istres) and webinars co-hosted with SUEZ, Département des Hauts-de-Seine, and Association ADOPTA. It has earned the Solar Impulse Efficient Solution Label (2024), holds memberships in Sekoya and Le Coq Vert, and is recognized by the Académie du Climat in Paris. Active relationships with four French water agencies (Loire Bretagne, Seine-Normandie, Adour-Garonne, Artois-Picardie), Bpifrance, and Région Île-de-France position the firm to channel public subsidies toward client projects, anchoring demand to French municipal zero-discharge regulatory programs.

Name

Source Urbaine

Legal name

SOURCE URBAINE SAS

Website

https://sourceurbaine.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Source Urbaine is a French startup that designs, fabricates, and installs the patented Jardin de Pluie Urbain, a modular urban rain-garden system enabling up to three months of autonomous irrigation, and serves local governments, private companies, and urban developers across France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Stormwater Management

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Irrigation System Design & Planning (HSAIAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Irrigation Systems Installation & Maintenance (BPABADAE), Commercial & HOA Irrigation Services (Large-Scale Systems) (HSAIAEAJ), Native & Pollinator Garden Design/Install (HSAIABAG)

Keywords

• Urban rainwater management
• Stormwater harvesting systems
• Green urban infrastructure
• Urban rain garden technology
• Sustainable city cooling

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulogne-billancourt

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Design, Engineering, and Installation Services: Source Urbaine provides end-to-end project services including site analysis and hydric potential assessment, solution proposals, calculation notes and installation plans, project design and engineering, material selection and urban adaptations, and supply of equipment and accessories with on-site installation and planting. Follow-up services include hydric performance monitoring, communication and educational activities, and data management support.
2. Equipment Supply (Jardin de Pluie Urbain): The company fabricates and sells its proprietary Jardin de Pluie Urbain equipment and accessories, with installations carried out via their own teams or through partner channels. The solution can be supplied as standalone equipment or as part of a full turnkey project.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Source Urbaine designs, engineers, fabricates, and installs the Jardin de Pluie Urbain, a patented modular urban rain garden system that captures, stores, and continuously redistributes rainwater to urban vegetation via a communicating-vessel mechanism, enabling up to three months of autonomous irrigation. The offering is delivered as a full-service package covering site analysis, hydric assessment, design and engineering, material selection, fabrication, on-site installation, planting, and post-installation hydric performance monitoring.

Product overview

Source Urbaine offers a single core product — the patented Jardin de Pluie Urbain® — a modular urban rainwater harvesting and irrigation system that captures and stores rainwater from rooftops or runoff, then gradually releases it to vegetation substrate via a connected-tank system, achieving full plant autonomy for up to 3 months without external watering. The offering is delivered as a full-service package covering advisory, design, fabrication, installation, and performance monitoring. No separate software platform, API, or add-on modules are documented.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Jardin de Pluie Urbain® A patented modular rainwater harvesting and irrigation system that captures, stores, and gradually releases rainwater to support urban vegetation, enabling autonomous plant watering for up to three months, urban cooling through evapotranspiration, and zero-discharge stormwater management. Configurable as ground-level, semi-buried, or fully buried, with dimensions and materials (steel, concrete, wood, or recycled materials) tailored to site constraints, local rainfall data, and vegetation needs, and integrable with electronic sensors for remote monitoring. Sold and delivered as a full-service package including site analysis, engineering, fabrication, installation, planting, and performance monitoring, for municipalities, private companies, urban developers, and educational institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Plants maintain autonomous irrigation for up to 3 months without external water supply
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Saint-Dizier EnvironnementcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022A strategic partnership formed in 2022 between Source Urbaine and Saint-Dizier Environnement, a company with over 50 years of expertise in stormwater treatment. Saint-Dizier Environnement is a nationally recognized leader in water treatment, placing innovation at the core of its business strategy. The partnership enables Source Urbaine to leverage Saint-Dizier Environnement's water treatment expertise and national reputation to strengthen its stormwater management solutions.
• Colas (BTP Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerColas, a major French BTP (construction and public works) group, collaborated with Source Urbaine to design and install the Jardin de Pluie Urbain demonstrator at the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille in Istres. The project combines draining surfaces and autonomous water-fed planted borders, featuring integrated electronic sensors for monitoring water restitution performance. The collaboration enables Colas to offer innovative green infrastructure in its urban development projects.
• SUEZsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUEZ, a global water and waste management company, co-hosted the 'Aménageurs Tous Acteurs' webinar with Source Urbaine, the Département des Hauts-de-Seine, and the Association ADOPTA. Nicolas Griglio presented the importance and benefits of improved stormwater management for urban cooling through nature-based solutions.
• Département des Hauts-de-SeinesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hauts-de-Seine Department co-hosted the 'Aménageurs Tous Acteurs' webinar alongside Source Urbaine, SUEZ, and Association ADOPTA, focusing on stormwater management best practices and nature-based urban cooling solutions.
• Association ADOPTAsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation ADOPTA co-hosted the 'Aménageurs Tous Acteurs' webinar alongside Source Urbaine, SUEZ, and the Département des Hauts-de-Seine to share project testimonials and experimentation findings on urban stormwater management.
• Métropole du Grand LyoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA research and development partnership with Métropole du Grand Lyon involving redesign of a parking area, stormwater valorization for irrigation, disconnection from the sewer network, and maximization of ambient evapotranspiration with sensor-based monitoring.
• BpifrancesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerBpifrance (Banque Publique d'Investissement) featured Source Urbaine at the ProDurable event, with representatives meeting the company to learn about its patented stormwater management solution. Bpifrance provides financing and support for innovative SMEs in France.
• Agence de l'Eau Loire BretagnesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerAgence de l'Eau Loire Bretagne is a French water agency that co-finances urban stormwater projects. Source Urbaine guides clients toward obtaining subsidies from this agency (e.g., Ecole des Mines Saint-Etienne project), and the company maintains its logo on its financing support page.
• Agence de l'Eau Seine-NormandiesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerAgence de l'Eau Seine-Normandie is a French water agency co-financing stormwater projects. Source Urbaine maintains an active relationship and guides clients toward available subsidies.
• Agence de l'Eau Adour-GaronnesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerAgence de l'Eau Adour-Garonne is a French water agency co-financing stormwater projects. Listed on Source Urbaine's financing support page.
• Agence de l'Eau Artois-PicardiesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerAgence de l'Eau Artois-Picardie is a French water agency co-financing stormwater projects. Listed on Source Urbaine's financing support page.
• Région Île-de-FrancesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerRégion Île-de-France provides funding support for urban sustainability projects. Listed on Source Urbaine's financing support page alongside water agencies and Bpifrance.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wavin: Major provider of water management and stormwater solutions including SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) for urban environments. Comparable as a broad incumbent in stormwater and irrigation infrastructure serving municipalities and developers across Europe.
• Colas: Major French BTP (construction and public works) group and existing Source Urbaine co-development partner. Comparable as a broad infrastructure incumbent collaborating with Source Urbaine on urban green-infrastructure demonstrations and capable of either integrating or competing with nature-based stormwater solutions in public works tenders.
• ACO Drain: European leader in drainage and stormwater management systems for urban and infrastructure applications. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering products in the same urban stormwater category, though focused on hard-engineered drainage rather than Source Urbaine's nature-based rain-garden approach.
• SUEZ: Global water and waste management company with extensive urban water and stormwater solutions. Comparable as both an existing Source Urbaine webinar co-host and a broad incumbent with overlapping expertise in nature-based stormwater solutions and municipal climate adaptation.
• Veolia Environnement: Global water and environmental services giant operating across water utility, treatment, and urban infrastructure. Comparable to Source Urbaine as a broad incumbent with overlapping capabilities in stormwater management and urban water resilience, though at vastly larger scale and with municipal contract portfolios across Europe.

Direct peers

• Saint-Dizier Environnement: French specialist in stormwater treatment with 50+ years of experience and a strategic partnership with Source Urbaine since 2022. Most directly comparable as a peer in urban stormwater management, with overlapping customer base (municipalities, developers) and complementary rather than competing product portfolios.
• Hydro International: Specialist in sustainable stormwater management products including bioretention, rain gardens, and treatment systems. Comparable as a direct peer in nature-based stormwater infrastructure for urban applications, with overlapping product categories though different geographic emphasis and channel structure.

Emerging players

• Nibika: French landscape architecture and urban greening firm. Comparable as an emerging French player in urban landscape and green-infrastructure design serving similar municipal customers, with overlap in stormwater-sensitive design but broader scope than Source Urbaine's patented system.

Regional players

• Terideal: French landscaping and urban greening services company (Kleysen group) providing design, installation, and maintenance of urban green spaces. Comparable as a French regional landscape-services peer serving similar municipal and developer customers, though with broader landscaping focus rather than Source Urbaine's patented stormwater specialty.
• Idverde: European landscape and grounds maintenance services provider with operations in France. Comparable as a regional landscape-services peer addressing municipal green-space and irrigation needs, though focused on ongoing maintenance rather than Source Urbaine's specialized stormwater infrastructure installations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/source-urbaine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Source Urbaine