What Kids Up does

Kids Up is a privately held Swiss operator of two specialized circus and gymnastics schools serving children and families in the French-speaking regions of Switzerland. Founded in 2012 by Nolvenn Dufay (a former IOC and SportAccord executive with French sports-science credentials), the company runs centers in Ecublens (Lausanne, 650 m2 purpose-built facility) and Meyrin (Geneva), both staffed by certified instructors holding BEES, BPJEPS, and BIAC circus diplomas, as well as psychomotor specialists. Its product portfolio spans Baby-Gym (parent-child classes from 14 months), Circomotricité (ages 4-6), children's circus (ages 6+), trampoline (Lausanne only), adult circus (18+), vacation camps during school breaks, and tiered birthday-party packages. The curriculum is progressive, non-competitive, and culminates in year-end student performances.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally lean and contains no proprietary AI or platform layer. Core systems consist of Cogito Sport (third-party registration and billing software by Proximity-Softwares Sàrl of Vevey), Google Analytics and Ads, Meta Pixel, and standard social media properties (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn). Web discovery and enrollment flow through kidsup.ch. Sales and marketing are predominantly direct-to-consumer, anchored by word-of-mouth referrals, earned Swiss media coverage (24 Heures, Tribune de Genève, Migros Magazine, Femina, RTS), and parent testimonials.

Kids Up's revenue model blends semester-based recurring subscriptions (weekly courses run September–June in two semesters, with sibling discounts and insurance reimbursements from CSS and Groupe Mutuel for parent-child classes) with transactional event revenue (vacation camps at CHF 300-550 per week, birthday parties at CHF 490-790, adult circus at CHF 30/session on a 10-session card). All revenue is denominated in Swiss Francs. The entity is structured as Kids Up Genève Sàrl, a Swiss private limited company, with no external funding rounds, no parent entity, and founder-led ownership. Two physical locations remain the sole distribution channel — no online, resale, or marketplace presence exists. Customer concentration is inherently diffuse given the consumer/parent end market.

Name

Kids Up

Legal name

Kids Up Genève Sàrl

Website

https://kidsup.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kids Up operates two specialized circus and gymnastics schools in Lausanne and Geneva, Switzerland, offering baby-gym, circus, trampoline, vacation camps, and birthday parties for children from 14 months through adults, using certified instructors and purpose-built facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ecublens

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Weekly Courses: Recurring semester-based course fees for weekly circus, baby gym, circomotricité, and trampoline classes for children from 14 months to adults. Courses run September through June in two semesters.
2. Vacation Camps: Week-long vacation camp programs during school breaks, offered as half-day or full-day packages. One-time fees per camp week.
3. Birthday Parties: Weekend birthday party packages with three tiers (Circus Party, Circus Midi Party, Circus Maxi Party). One-time event fees.
4. Adult Circus Courses: 10-session subscription packages for adult circus classes, CHF 30 per session.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Kids Up is a circus and gymnastics school offering weekly physical activity courses for children aged 14 months and older, plus adults, at two physical locations in Switzerland (Geneva and Lausanne). The core offerings include baby gym (parent-child classes), circomotricité, circus arts, and trampoline courses, supplemented by vacation camps and birthday party packages.

Product overview

Kids Up is a circus school offering physical activity programs for children and adults across two locations in Switzerland (Geneva and Lausanne). The product portfolio centers on circus arts education with age-appropriate programs: Baby-Gym (parent-child classes from 14 months), Circomotricité (ages 4-6), Cirque courses (ages 6+), and Cirque Adultes (18+). Additional offerings include Trampoline (Lausanne only), vacation camps, and birthday party packages. The company operates from specialized facilities with professional certified instructors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Baby-Gym Parent-child gymnastics classes for babies and toddlers from 14 months (or 16 months per main site) designed to develop motor skills, body awareness, coordination, and social skills through playful physical activities. Subscription-based, semester-priced with 50-minute sessions.
• Circomotricité Circus gymnastics classes for children in grades 1P-2P (ages 4-6), integrating gymnastics exercises to gently introduce children to circus arts including acrobatics, aerial disciplines, and balance work. CHF 495 per semester with 60-minute sessions.
• Cirque (Children) Weekly circus arts courses for children from 3P grade (age 6+), teaching acrobatics, aerial disciplines (trapeze, fabric), balance, juggling, and coordination through varied and progressive circuits. Sessions are 1h15 with a free first trial lesson.
• Trampoline Trampoline classes for children, available at the Lausanne center only, focusing on bounces, flips, and trampoline fundamentals.
• Cirque Adultes Weekly circus arts courses for adults aged 18 and older, suitable for beginners or experienced practitioners, covering disciplines including fabric, trapeze, slack line, balance, juggling, acrobatics, and trampoline. CHF 30 per session on a 10-session subscription/debit system, held Monday 20:00-21:30 at the Geneva center.
• Stages de Vacances (Vacation Camps) Vacation circus camps during school holidays for children from 4 years old (1P grade), offering full-day (CHF 550/week) or half-day (CHF 300/week) programs with circus workshops culminating in a final show for parents. Optional mid-day childcare at CHF 10/day; 20% member discount and 10% sibling discount available.
• Anniversaires (Birthday Parties) Birthday party packages for children aged 5 and older, offering privatized circus-themed celebrations with professional instructors. Three tiers: Circus Party on Saturdays (CHF 490), Circus Midi Party (CHF 590), and Circus Maxi Party on Sundays (CHF 790), with optional catering. Extended groups of 17-24 children add CHF 200.

Quantifiable outcome

• Enrollment growth from 50 to 500 students in 4 years in Lausanne, exceeding 1000 in 8 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cogito Sport (by Proximity-Softwares Sàrl)coreTechnology or IntegrationKids Up uses Cogito Sport software, provided by Proximity-Softwares Sàrl (based in Vevey), for membership management, course registration, and billing processes. Members register for courses and pay fees through this platform.
• Office Fédéral du Sport (OFSPO) - Jeunesse+SportminorOthersKids Up participates in the Swiss federal government's Youth+Sport program, which provides sports encouragement and may share member data with the federal office for program purposes.
• Debitors Management SAminorOthersIn cases of unpaid invoices, Kids Up may transmit debtor information (responsible legal guardian) to Debitors Management SA, a debt collection company based in Lausanne.
• GENILEMcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGENILEM is a business coaching and mentoring organization that supported Nolvenn Dufay in launching Kids Up. The CVCI (Chambre Vaudoise de Commerce et d'Industrie) article mentions Kids Up being accompanied by GENILEM as part of their startup support.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Romp n' Roll: US children's activity center franchise offering gym, music, art, and movement classes for toddlers and preschoolers. Comparable in combining parent-child classes with party/event revenue streams (Romp n' Roll parties parallel Kids Up's birthday party packages).
• My Gym: Global franchise operating structured fitness, gymnastics, and motor-skill classes for children from early infancy through pre-teen. Directly comparable to Kids Up's baby gym and progressive curriculum approach, with a similar recurring-class business model.
• The Little Gym: International franchise offering gymnastics, sports, and developmental classes for children from 4 months to 12 years. Closely comparable to Kids Up in target age range, parent-child class model, and weekly subscription structure, though at franchise scale across many countries.
• Tumbles: Children's gym franchise combining gymnastics, music, and movement classes for infants through elementary-age children, with party/event packages. Closely comparable business model to Kids Up including parent-child classes and recurring enrollment.

Broad incumbents

• Gymboree Play & Music: Established global brand in early childhood play, music, and movement classes. Operates as a broad incumbent with a wider curriculum portfolio than Kids Up, but serves an overlapping infant-to-preschool customer base with similar subscription class structures.

Regional players

• École de Cirque: Federation of Swiss regional circus schools (including schools in French-speaking Switzerland) offering recreational circus training for children, youth, and adults. Direct Swiss-market peer to Kids Up's circus instruction core, although structured more as an amateur-amateur training network than a branded operator.
• Fitness Kids: Swiss-language children's fitness and motor-development programs operating in similar Swiss regional markets. Regional peer addressing the same parent-child motor development need with comparable parent-supervised class formats.

Others

• Jeunesse+Sport (Federal Sports Office): Swiss federal youth sports program that subsidizes and certifies sports instruction for children and youth — Kids Up is already a participant partner. Acts as an enabling ecosystem rather than a direct competitor, but subsidizes competing providers in similar activity categories.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/KidsUpSuisse
• Facebookfacebook.com/KidsUpLausanne
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kids-up
• Instagraminstagram.com/kids_up_lausanne

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Kids Up