Ma Bibliothèque d'Objets

What Ma Bibliothèque d'Objets does

Ma Bibliothèque d'Objets (MaBO), founded in 2021 in Toulouse, France, is a social and solidarity economy association (association loi 1901, économie sociale et solidaire) that operates a community object-lending library. Its core service is the short-term rental of everyday objects — spanning tools, gardening, outdoor, kitchen, childcare, party, mobility, and multimedia categories — reserved online through a third-party MyTurn catalog (ma-bo.myturn.com/library/) and picked up/returned at a network of 12+ partner relay locations across the Toulouse metropolitan area. The company is co-led by Marie (ex-agronomist) and Fabien Estivals (former circular-economy professional at a Toulouse reuse association), and was incubated by Première Brique Toulouse Métropole.

MaBO generates revenue primarily through per-transaction rental fees described as 'prix mini', complemented by gift voucher sales (Chèques cadeaux), practical workshop fees (Les ateliers pratiques covering repair, DIY, and zero-waste fabrication), and a dedicated business offering (Espace Pro / Nos solutions pro). A second, non-commercial revenue layer comes from donations, volunteer labor, and the object contributions of members, supplemented by institutional and patronage funding from Toulouse Métropole, Mairie de Toulouse, Région Occitanie, ADEME, Banque des Territoires, ENEDIS, Crédit Agricole Toulouse 31, Caisse d'Épargne, Fondation Aésio, and others.

Customer segments are primarily individual Toulouse-area residents (homeowners, renters, DIY/event organizers) with a secondary professional/business segment addressed through the Espace Pro channel. The go-to-market is community-led, relying on word-of-mouth, workshops, blog/newsletter content, and earned regional media coverage. MaBO has been recognized as a Toulouse Métropole Impact laureate in both 2021 and 2024 (Trophées Toulouse Métropole Impact 2024), accumulating strong local brand reputation (4.9/5 on Google across 74 reviews). The model is purposefully bounded to Toulouse and is operationally analogous to a public-library hybrid rather than a venture-scalable marketplace.

Name

Ma Bibliothèque d'Objets

Legal name

Ma Bibliothèque d'Objets

Website

https://ma-bo.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ma Bibliothèque d'Objets is a Toulouse-based social and solidarity economy association that lends everyday objects (tools, outdoor gear, kitchen, party supplies) on short-term rentals to local residents, with pickup at 12+ partner relay points and complementary repair workshops and a professional offering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toulouse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Object Rental/Lending: Primary revenue from renting objects to customers on a short-term basis. Customers reserve objects online and pick up/return at relay partner locations. Objects span categories including tools, outdoor equipment, party supplies, and more.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ma Bibliothèque d'Objets (MaBO) operates a community-based lending library of everyday objects in Toulouse, France, where members reserve items online (tools, outdoor gear, party supplies, kitchen equipment, childcare items) and pick them up at a network of partner relay locations for short-term rental at low prices. The organization also runs practical repair and DIY workshops and a dedicated professional rental offering (Espace Pro) for businesses.

Product overview

Ma Bibliothèque d'Objets operates as a single unified service—a community object lending library based in Toulouse, France. The core offering is the rental of everyday objects organized into categories including Bricolage/Outillage, Bureautique, Jardinage, Cuisine, Mobilité, Entretien/nettoyage, Sport/Plein air, Puériculture, Réception/Fête, Sécurité, Jeux, Arts créatifs, Multimédia, and Beauté/Santé. Complementary services include Practical Workshops (Les ateliers pratiques) focused on repair and DIY skills, Gift Vouchers (Chèques cadeaux), Professional Solutions (Nos solutions pro) for business clients, a Blog with sustainability tips, and a monthly Newsletter. The service functions through partner relay points where users pick up reserved items.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Object Lending Service (Location d'objets du quotidien) A short-term rental service for everyday objects (tools, outdoor equipment, party supplies, kitchenware, childcare items, etc.) where users reserve items online and collect/return them at partner relay points across Toulouse, providing access at low prices without purchase. Targeted at local individual consumers and DIY users.
• Practical Workshops (Les ateliers pratiques) Hands-on training and repair workshops where participants learn to fix bicycles, clothing, small appliances, and to make zero-waste items (beewraps, mulch). Targeted at local residents interested in repair, DIY, and sustainable consumption skills.
• Professional Solutions (Nos solutions pro / Espace Pro) A dedicated B2B rental offering providing professional-grade equipment access for businesses, events, and short-term project needs at competitive rates, distinct from the consumer lending service.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.9/5 rating on Google based on 74 reviews

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Collectif Chemin FaisantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaBO is part of the Chemin Faisant collective, a group of Toulouse environmental education associations. Each season publishes a program grouping together all animations and initiatives from member associations. Provides cross-promotion and collaborative programming opportunities.
• Les ImbriquésminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaBO is a member of the Les Imbriqués collective, a local environmental initiative.
• Atelier des BricoleurscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPickup/dropoff relay partner for object rentals. Workshop providing convenient access point for customers.
• Halles de la CartoucheriecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRelay partner location at the Cartoucherie site for pickup and return of rented objects.
• CitizminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCar-sharing service operating as a relay partner for object pickup/dropoff.
• RoseLabminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRelay partner providing pickup location for rented objects.
• MJC RoguetminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorYouth and cultural center acting as relay partner for object rentals.
• La Conciergerie SolidaireminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSolidarity concierge service operating as relay partner for object pickup/dropoff.
• Zero Waste ToulouseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork and support organization for zero waste initiatives in Toulouse.
• Hall of ChangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport network for sustainability and environmental initiatives.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Fat Llama: UK-based peer-to-peer rental marketplace for high-value items (cameras, tools, drones, event equipment); a conceptual competitor in the same 'borrow instead of buy' category with a digital-first, asset-light model that contrasts with MaBO's owned-inventory approach.
• Hygglo: Sweden-founded peer-to-peer rental marketplace for consumer goods (cameras, tools, outdoor gear, party equipment) that competes for the same 'access over ownership' demand MaBO serves, but at multi-country scale and with a marketplace model rather than an owned inventory.
• Lendis: European equipment-as-a-service platform that lets companies rent and manage workplace equipment; comparable to MaBO's Espace Pro vertical for professional customers, though targeted at the corporate/office equipment niche rather than consumer tools.

Others

• Rentman: Netherlands-based rental management software used by event/production and AV rental companies; adjacent enabling vendor whose workflows (inventory, reservations, returns, maintenance) overlap with MaBO's relay-partner operations.
• MyTurn: Inventory and lending-management SaaS used by libraries, tool libraries and lending libraries worldwide; MaBO runs its entire catalog and reservation flow on MyTurn (ma-bo.myturn.com/library/), making it a key enabling technology peer rather than a competitor.
• Cheqroom: Equipment rental management software for businesses, schools and makerspaces; an enabling technology comparable to MyTurn and a candidate replacement for MaBO's stack as it professionalizes the Espace Pro and catalog operations.

Regional players

• La Recyclerie: Paris-based sustainability hub combining a bar/restaurant, urban farm, and reuse/educational programming; operates a similar circular-economy, community-led model in a different French metro and is directly comparable in mission and GTM to MaBO.
• AllVoisins: French peer-to-peer services and object-rental marketplace where neighbors lend tools, equipment and household items; competes with MaBO on the 'borrow rather than buy' use case in Toulouse, though via a marketplace model rather than an owned inventory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MaBOtoulouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ma-bo-toulouse
• Instagraminstagram.com/mabotoulouse

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 Ma Bibliothèque d'Objets