COBATY

What COBATY does

COBATY (legal name Fédération Cobaty) is an international non-profit professional federation headquartered at 85 rue de la Victoire, 75009 Paris, France, and organized under the French Law of 1901. Founded on 14 December 1957 by eleven professionals as the 'Cobaty Club' (Club International de Construction et d'Urbanisme), it has operated continuously for more than 68 years. The federation's defining feature is that it unites, within a single organization, all professions involved in the act of constructing — architects, engineers, entrepreneurs, notaries, painters, tilers, bankers, lawyers, energy specialists, insurers, and others — explicitly to overcome the corporatism of individual trades. Its operational footprint spans 135 local Associations grouped into 11 Districts across 8 countries (France, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Côte d'Ivoire, Lebanon, Madagascar) and 4 continents, with approximately 4,600 individual members (Cobatystes) and a Brussels liaison office established in 1992. Governance is exercised by an elected Federal President (currently Pierre Ageron, since January 2023), a Federal Bureau, 11 District Presidents, and six federal commissions plus two delegations covering internal life, prospective studies, federal actions, events, future professions, support and development, external relations, and digital tools.

The federation's product surface is built around in-person and intellectual convening rather than software. Flagship offerings include the annual Federal Congress (35th in Montpellier 2023, 36th in Nancy 2024, 37th in Clermont-Ferrand 2025, 38th planned for Morbihan/Vannes in October 2026) typically drawing 1,000+ participants, the Entretiens d'Agen annual conference, the Trophée Cobaty Jeunes youth award, the Cobaty Cup sailing regatta, and a portfolio of thought-leadership publications (Cahiers du Cobaty, Points de Vue, Les Essais de Cobaty) addressing topics such as ZAN land-sobriety, decarbonization, digital twins, biodiversity, and AI in construction. Technology assets are limited and member-facing: the institutional website cobaty.org (multilingual: French, English, Italian, Spanish), a mobile application for member communication and statutory meeting management, and the Cobatynfo/Cobatnews newsletters. There is no public API, SDK, or proprietary platform. The federation's technology posture is therefore that of a networked convener rather than a software vendor.

Revenue is generated almost entirely through membership dues (cotisations) paid by individuals to their local Associations, supplemented by Congress registration fees, publication sponsorships, and event-related income; no revenue figure is publicly disclosed and pricing is determined at the local Association level. Membership acquisition is sponsorship-driven: prospective members must be proposed by two existing sponsors and are formally initiated at a statutory Association meeting, making growth deliberately slow but highly retentive. Strategic positioning emphasizes total independence from political, ideological, union, corporatist, or confessional affiliations, and institutional recognition is evidenced by COBATY's designation as the 38th member of France's AQC (Association Qualité Construction).

Name

COBATY

Legal name

Fédération Cobaty

Website

https://cobaty.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

COBATY is a Paris-based international nonprofit federation, founded in 1957, that connects approximately 4,600 construction, urban planning, and environment professionals across 135 local Associations in 8 countries through membership-based networking, an annual Congress, and thought-leadership publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: COBATY is a non-profit federation of associations governed by the French Law of 1901. Members pay annual dues (cotisations) to their respective local Associations. The federation relies on membership contributions as its primary revenue stream. As stated in its privacy policy, data is collected during annual membership renewals and members must be up to date with their contributions to remain in good standing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

COBATY is an international non-profit federation of construction, urban planning, and environment professionals, organized under the French Law of 1901. It sells annual membership to individual professionals through 135 local Associations in 8 countries, and delivers networking, knowledge sharing, congresses (e.g., the 38th Federal Congress in Morbihan, October 2026), professional conferences (Entretiens d'Agen), youth awards (Trophée Cobaty Jeunes), publications (Cahiers du Cobaty, Points de Vue, Les Essais de Cobaty), and a member mobile application.

Product overview

Cobaty is an international federation of professionals in construction, urban planning, and environment. Rather than offering a unified software product, the organization provides a portfolio of member services including annual federal congresses (the flagship annual event with 850+ participants), the Trophée Cobaty Jeunes (youth trophy recognizing excellence among young professionals), the Entretiens d'Agen (annual professional conference), the Cobaty Application (mobile app for member communication and meeting management), and publications including Cahiers du Cobaty (congress proceedings) and Points de Vue (thought leadership papers on industry topics). The federation operates through 11 districts and 135 local associations organized around six federal commissions and two delegations that coordinate professional development, events, external relations, and digital transformation initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Trait-Bleu: Action to promote associativism and raise awareness about the building professions.
• Trophée Cobaty Jeunes
• Cobaty Cup

Products and services

• COBATY Federation Membership Annual individual professional membership of the Fédération Internationale Cobaty, providing access to networking across 135 Associations in 8 countries, the annual Congress, publications, and federal commissions. Members are admitted through sponsorship by two existing Cobatystes and initiation at a statutory meeting.
• Annual Federal Congress Annual three-day international congress of Cobatystes featuring thematic round tables, technical visits, and networking around construction, urban planning, and environmental themes; the 37th edition in Clermont-Ferrand (October 2025, theme 'Territoires et Résilience') projected 850 participants with 15 speakers.
• Entretiens d'Agen Annual professional conference organized by the Cobaty Agen association, bringing together experts from construction, urbanism, and environment to explore building materials and construction methods.
• Trophée Cobaty Jeunes Award program supporting and recognizing the engagement and excellence of young generations entering the construction professions, organized through local Associations and engaging engineering students and young professionals.
• Cobaty Application Mobile application developed to facilitate communication between Cobatystes, enable easier access to federation information, and allow association offices to manage statutory monthly meetings.
• Cahiers du Cobaty Series of thematic publications documenting proceedings and analyses from federal congresses, covering territorial resilience, mobility, water and urbanism, circular economy, and sustainable construction (e.g., Cahier N°17 'Territoires & résilience', Cahier N°16 'L'eau, la ville, la vie', Cahier N°15 'Quelles mobilités pour nos territoires').
• Points de Vue Position papers addressing key industry topics such as biodiversity in urban environments, digital twins, artificial intelligence in construction, climate warming, and waste management in building (eight numbered issues published to date).
• Les Essais de Cobaty Analytical essays examining major challenges facing the construction sector, including 'Essai N°2 RE 2020 – De grandes ambitions mais de nécessaires ajustements' and 'Essai N°1 Les Cobatystes au cœur de la lutte contre le réchauffement climatique'.
• Cobataccueil Multilingual welcome documentation designed to introduce non-French-speaking professionals to the federation, strengthening international outreach.

Quantifiable outcome

• COBATY has grown from 1 founding Association in 1957 to 135 Associations in 8 countries, demonstrating consistent organic growth over more than six decades.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AQC (Association Qualité Construction)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOBATY was designated the 38th member of AQC (Association Qualité Construction), France's leading construction quality association. Philippe Estingoy, Director General of AQC, proposed COBATY's membership to benefit from COBATY's transverse vision of construction issues (due to its members' diverse origins) and to improve AQC's territorial outreach through COBATY's network of 135 Associations. This membership facilitates the placement of AQC's regional delegates and the dissemination of AQC's publications nationwide.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• FFB (Fédération Française du Bâtiment): The largest French construction employers' federation representing building contractors. FFB is a broader incumbent with overlapping membership but focused on the contractor/employer side rather than COBATY's transversal, all-trade convener model.
• Ordre des Architectes (France): France's official architects' professional order. Comparable as a regulated professional body serving construction professionals, but restricted to architects whereas COBATY convenes the full act-of-building value chain.
• FIABCI (International Real Estate Federation): International federation of real estate professionals across all disciplines. Comparable as a cross-discipline international membership federation serving built-environment professionals with congress and publication programs.
• FIDIC (International Federation of Consulting Engineers): Global federation of national associations of consulting engineers in the construction/infrastructure sector. Comparable as an international membership-based professional federation with similar conventions, congresses, and thought-leadership publications.
• UIA (International Union of Architects): International federation of national architects' organizations, comparable as a global membership federation serving construction professionals, though limited to the architect profession.
• RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors): Global professional body for chartered surveyors and built-environment professionals. Comparable as an international membership-based professional federation serving the construction/built-environment value chain, though focused on surveying and real estate disciplines.
• CAPEB (Confédération de l'Artisanat et des Petites Entreprises du Bâtiment): France's federation for artisanal and small construction businesses. CAPEB is comparable as a construction trade federation but focuses on a narrower craft-business segment versus COBATY's cross-disciplinary professional model.

Direct peers

• UNSFA (Union Nationale des Syndicats Français d'Architectes): French architects' professional union, comparable to COBATY as a member-driven construction professional organization but narrower in scope (architects only).
• AQC (Association Qualité Construction): France's primary construction quality body, of which COBATY is the 38th member. AQC is a peer federation serving construction professionals with quality and prevention missions, operating through a national network that overlaps COBATY's territorial reach.

Regional players

• Constructiv (Belgium): Belgian construction sector federation operating a similar membership-and-services model across construction trades. Comparable in federative structure and mission but serves the Belgian market rather than COBATY's primarily Francophone-European footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=Sli0sqjngmY&ab_channel=Cobaty

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 COBATY