geds

What geds does

GEDS (Grandes Études Européennes de Santé) is a Portuguese private company founded in 2014 by Gilles Belissa that operates a specialized student-recruitment platform directing francophone students — particularly French candidates who fail to secure places through the highly selective PACES/PASS/LAS domestic admissions system — into health and medical programs at European partner universities. The company functions as a two-sided marketplace: students apply free of charge, while partner universities pay for the recruitment and placement services. The technology backbone is Hippocrate.io, a self-serve candidate platform that lets students create a profile, apply to multiple universities and 11 health programs (medicine, dental surgery, veterinary, physiotherapy, pharmacy, clinical psychology, integrated prep, biomedical sciences, bio-veterinary, marine health) with a single dossier, upload documents, track application status, and access career services for internships.

Name

geds

Legal name

Grandes Études Européennes de Santé (GEDS), Lda

Website

https://geds.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

GEDS is a Portuguese-founded international student recruitment service that guides francophone students into health and medical programs at 7 partner European universities through its Hippocrate.io platform, funded entirely by partner universities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Education Recruitment

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAIAAAB

Direct Enrollment & Third-Party University Study Abroad Programs

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/Study Abroad Program Providers (Multi-Country & Multi-Discipline)

SECONDARYEDAIAAAE

Hybrid, Multi-Location & Multi-Country Study Abroad Programs

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/Study Abroad Program Providers (Multi-Country & Multi-Discipline)

SECONDARYEDAIACAG

International Student Onboarding & Pre-Departure Orientation Services

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/International Student Recruitment & Admissions Services

Keywords

• International education recruitment
• Healthcare studies abroad
• Student placement services
• European university admissions
• Medical school consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Porto

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. University Partnership Funding: GEDS is financed entirely by its university partners. The service is free for students - GEDS receives payment from partner universities for student placement and recruitment services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GEDS is an educational placement service that guides francophone students—primarily French candidates who did not secure a place through the highly selective PACES/PASS/LAS French admission tracks—into accredited European health and medical programs at seven partner universities across Portugal, Cyprus, Germany, the Netherlands, and Hungary. The company operates Hippocrate.io, a dedicated candidate platform where students can create a single dossier to apply to multiple universities and programs, upload documents, track applications, and access post-admission career services. The service is free for students and entirely funded by partner universities through referral commissions.

Product overview

GEDS operates as a unified educational placement service for health studies in Europe, consisting of two main components: the GEDS Platform (geds.fr) which serves as the informational and marketing website, and Hippocrate.io which is the dedicated application and candidate management platform. Together, these products enable students to discover European health universities, create applications, track their progress, and access career services—all with free accompaniment funded by partner universities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hippocrate.io: A dedicated candidate platform developed by GEDS that allows students to create an account, apply to multiple universities and programs across Europe, upload documents, track their application status, and access career services.

Products and services

• GEDS Educational Placement Service A free educational placement service that guides francophone students, particularly French candidates who did not secure a place through the competitive PACES/PASS/LAS domestic admission system, into accredited European health and medical programs at seven partner universities across Portugal, Cyprus, Germany, the Netherlands, and Hungary. The service includes personalized expert guidance, multi-university application support, document certification assistance (certifié conforme, Apostille de La Haye), and post-admission career services for internships, spanning 11 health disciplines including medicine, dental surgery, veterinary, physiotherapy, pharmacy, clinical psychology, biomedical sciences, integrated preparatory programs, and marine health.
• Hippocrate.io Proprietary candidate-management platform that enables students to create a profile, apply to multiple universities and health programs across Europe with a single dossier, upload required documents, track application status step by step, and access career services for internship placement after admission. The platform is available self-serve from January 1 to May 31 annually.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% graduation rate among placed students
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor, secondary and core.

• StudyRoomminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 July 2025Housing and accommodation partner helping GEDS students settle abroad. Partnership announced July 2025.
• SOMT University of PhysiotherapysecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2024Dutch university in Amersfoort offering 4-year physiotherapy program with final year at Maastricht University. Partnership signed May 21, 2024, 17 GEDS students enrolled.
• QovetiaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 April 2024Partnership for veterinary care innovation through training, innovation, and expansion announced April 2024.
• University of SzegedsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Hungarian public research university founded in 1581 in Szeged, offering dental surgery, pharmacy, and physiotherapy. 3-year partnership with GEDS, 63 GEDS students enrolled. Home to Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó.
• European University Cyprus (EUC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 November 2021University in Nicosia, Cyprus offering medicine, veterinary, physiotherapy and biomedical sciences. 4-year partnership with GEDS, 499 GEDS students enrolled.
• European University Frankfurt BranchsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021German university branch in Frankfurt offering health programs. 4-year partnership with GEDS, 20 GEDS students enrolled. Founded in 2022.
• Egas MonizcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Portuguese cooperative university in Monte de Caparica offering dental surgery, veterinary, pharmacy and psychology programs. 9-year partnership with GEDS, 1,261 GEDS students enrolled. Ranked in top 30 globally for health engagement.
• EUVG (Ecole Universitaire Vasco de Gama)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Portuguese university in Coimbra offering veterinary and health programs. 10-year partnership with GEDS, 465 GEDS students enrolled.
• CESPU FamalicãocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Portuguese cooperative university in Famalicão offering dental surgery and other health programs. 11-year partnership with GEDS, 228 GEDS students enrolled.
• CESPU GandracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Portuguese cooperative university in Gandra offering veterinary medicine and health programs. 11-year partnership with GEDS, 1,303 GEDS students enrolled.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Study Group: Global education provider partnering with universities to deliver pathway and pre-university programs for international students. Directly comparable multi-country, multi-program placement model funded by universities.
• Navitas: International education pathway provider with university partnerships spanning multiple countries and disciplines. Similar affiliate-referral model with universities as payers, multi-country footprint, and pathway programs designed to address domestic admissions bottlenecks abroad.
• INTO University Partnerships: Global university-pathway provider placing international students into partner universities via centralized application platforms. Highly comparable business model to GEDS: matches students to multiple universities, charges universities, and operates across multiple countries.
• Kaplan International Pathways: Operates international pathway and foundation-year programs with partner universities globally. Comparable in facilitating international student enrollment via centralized programs and charging partner universities for placement.
• Shorelight Education: US-headquartered international student recruitment and pathway provider partnering with universities to enroll international students. Similar B2B-funded model where universities pay for student placements through a centralized platform.

Emerging players

• Studyrama: French education fair and student orientation platform covering study-abroad options in Europe. Actually a partner of GEDS, but represents a comparable French-market channel for study-abroad guidance, though focused on events/content rather than placement fees.

Others

• Campus France: French public agency promoting international study and managing French student mobility. Comparable as a French-language international-education channel, but operates as a non-commercial government entity rather than a paid placement service.
• European University Foundation: Brussels-based foundation promoting European higher-education mobility and Bologna-process implementation. Comparable as a pan-European education-infrastructure player; serves as an enabling ecosystem for cross-border study rather than a direct placement competitor.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gedseurope

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 geds