L'ascenseur, associative incubator in Paris, France

L'Ascenseur is an associative incubator and shared office space at 29 boulevard Bourdon, beside place de la Bastille in Paris. Its eight floors in a Haussmannian building hold private and communal workspaces for 21 non-profits and social entrepreneurs. The ground-floor bay has a dark rectangular entrance under a sign reading "L'ascenseur", flanked by dark panels and a light rolling shutter.

L'Ascenseur opened on 11 June 2019 at 29 boulevard Bourdon, beside place de la Bastille, as a private initiative for associations and social entrepreneurs working on equal opportunities. It was founded by Benjamin Blavier of Article 1, Saïd Hammouche of Mozaïk RH and BNP Paribas, who chose to form a coalition rather than work separately. The building houses 21 organisations.

The name L'Ascenseur, "the elevator", evokes the upward mobility the resident associations pursue. The collective gathers groups working in education, culture, sport and employment, such as Article 1, Mozaïk RH, Télémaque and Cravate solidaire, pooling their expertise to scale up solutions for equal opportunities.

The entrance is the dark rectangular bay beneath the "L'ascenseur" sign at 29 boulevard Bourdon, a short walk from Place de la Bastille. The building has eight floors with private and shared spaces; the collective areas are used by the resident associations rather than open to the public. Metro Bastille (lines 1, 5, 8) is the nearest station.

The building has eight floors in a Haussmann-style structure, with private and shared spaces for the 21 organisations based there. The founders behind the project are Benjamin Blavier of Article 1, Saïd Hammouche of Mozaïk RH and BNP Paribas.