A committed partner of KEDGE Entrepreneurship on the Marseille campus, Marie-Laure GUIDI has been supporting innovative companies for over twenty years. Her career has been punctuated by encounters, risk-taking, territorial commitments and a deep passion for entrepreneurial stories. Here, she looks back on the key steps that led her to become one of the most recognized figures in the metropolitan innovation ecosystem.

Marie-Laure GUIDI had a rather atypical start to her career, before becoming a key figure in the support of innovative companies.
After spending two years in medical school - twice in the first year - she realized that this was not the path she wanted to follow. She decided to change direction and enrolled at ISEFI (now part of KEDGE), where she obtained her DESCF in two years.

She has "incredible" memories of this period and, above all, friendships that endure to this day.

After graduating, Marie-Laure GUIDI joined the Fayette et Associés law firm in Aix-en-Provence. She progressed rapidly and became a partner as soon as she obtained her DEC.
It was here that she discovered the world of innovation, particularly through the BIOTECH sector. The takeover of Immunotech, followed by the creation of companies such as Trophos, Innate Pharma and Ipsogen, enabled her to observe from the inside the emergence of ambitious, structuring scientific projects. This first contact with a booming sector was to have a profound impact on the rest of his career.

In 2000, Marie-Laure GUIDI left Aix to return "home" to Aubagne, where she set up her own practice. Five years later, she joined forces with a colleague to create Innovatech, an accounting firm specializing in supporting innovative companies.
This decision marked an important turning point: she now wished to devote her expertise to those developing the innovations of tomorrow.

In 2015, Innovatech became IODA Consulting, a structure entirely dedicated to the needs of innovative companies.
The ambition is clear: to offer global support that goes beyond accounting expertise alone, by also integrating innovation tax measures (CIR/CII) as well as the search for financing.

Under the impetus of Marie-Laure GUIDI, IODA Consulting has grown rapidly and today employs 60 people, all committed to helping companies build the future.

The year 2025 marks a new milestone. IODA Expertise Comptable joins the In Extenso group, the national market leader.
According to Marie-Laure GUIDI, this integration will enable us to "duplicate this unique know-how in France in innovation accounting", by drawing on the power of our national network and the complementary nature of our teams.
The aim is to make the group the French benchmark in accounting support for innovative companies.

A key player in the local entrepreneurial ecosystem

Alongside her professional activities, Marie-Laure GUIDI has always been involved in the economic, social and cultural life of her region.

She has been :

• President of Réseau Entreprendre Provence
• President of BPW Marseille Métropole
• Vice-President of French Tech Aix-Marseille

Today, she pursues this commitment through a number of responsibilities:

• Elected to the Aix-Marseille Provence Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Qualified member of the AMU Board of Directors
• President of the Marseille Endowment Fund
• President of the Association Marseille au Pluriel, which works to recreate social links and promote "togetherness" using intercultural tools

Passionate about music, Marie-Laure GUIDI is also President of the Piano Cantabile Association, which helps young pianists who have already won conservatory prizes to make the transition to a professional career.

When asked what fascinates her about her job, Marie-Laure GUIDI 's answer is immediate:

"The leaders I coach, and the incredible stories of the companies they create. "

She emphasizes that to support entrepreneurs well, you first have to like people, but also like their stories, and understand what motivates them and drives them to undertake.She is particularly proud to have contributed, at her level, to structuring the metropolitan innovation ecosystem, and to have supported numerous meaningful projects.

According to Marie-Laure GUIDI, innovative companies face very specific challenges:

• The ongoing search for funding during the R&D phase, which requires rigorous cost accounting and a thorough understanding of existing funding schemes.
• Growth is often rapid and difficult to anticipate.
• Essential agility: "The BP of a start-up must evolve according to opportunities and research results. "
• Consolidation of equity capital, which implies a specific approach to financial statements.

As a partner of KEDGE Entrepreneurship, Marie-Laure GUIDI works with student entrepreneurs to support them in their development.Her aim is to pass on practical advice to help them avoid sometimes fatal mistakes, and to help them move forward more quickly. She adds that this exchange is also a source of energy and pleasure:

"Feeding off their enthusiasm also keeps us young. "

"Go for it! There's no risk in trying, and it's better to live with remorse than with regret. "

She reminds us that the world of innovation is vast, rich and dense, and that the training received at KEDGE fully prepares young graduates to take up any challenge.

"Choosing innovation means choosing the future, choosing the light, choosing to do our bit to resist disease, environmental and societal problems".