Coeur2Ville

Coeur2Ville is building a local-first digital ecosystem that connects residents with the shops, associations and events in their city. Its differentiator is a trust layer: QR-code-verified reviews and a transparent credibility system that gives more engaged users a stronger voice, all running on a professional subscription model rather than transaction commissions.

As global platforms take a growing cut of local commerce while reinvesting little back into towns, there's a clear opening for a hyper-local alternative that keeps value in the community. With data hosted in France and GDPR compliance baked in, Coeur2Ville is leaning into a moment when both merchants and residents are wary of extractive, data-hungry incumbents.

The idea began in March 2024 in Avignon, when founder and CEO Clément Groffe — a web product designer with eight years' experience — grew frustrated with how global platforms squeeze local businesses and started sketching prototypes. He's joined by co-founder Thierry Groffe, described as well-connected with Avignon's merchants and associations.

The pairing is deliberate: a product designer to build the platform and a co-founder with existing ties to local merchants and associations to seed it. That combination showed early traction, with 120 businesses on the September 2024 private beta before a public launch across four French cities.