Thanks to the GapsMoov–Business France partnership, young V.I.E volunteers now have a digital decoder for world cultures.
Profile
By Rédac Magazine Lyon Éco & Culture – 19 November 2025
V.I.E: GapsMoov launches an app to decode cultures and succeed abroad
With its partnership with Business France, GapsMoov places intercultural competence at the heart of France’s economic influence abroad.
Every year, more than eight thousand young French graduates pack their bags for an adventure that often reshapes the course of their lives: the Volontariat International en Entreprise. The V.I.E scheme, run by Business France on behalf of the State, offers graduates aged 18 to 28 a gateway to the world.
It is an experience that blends professional learning, autonomy and cultural immersion, serving French companies eager to establish themselves internationally.
But behind the promise of an international career lies a more subtle challenge: adaptation.
Leaving France means leaving behind familiar codes. A handshake that’s too firm, a silence that lasts too long, a refusal that sounds too direct—any of these can disrupt communication. People believe they’re speaking the same language, yet they collide with unspoken logic. Half of all expatriation projects fail for cultural, not technical, reasons.
It is in this gap—this invisible border of misunderstandings—that GapsMoov was born. The Lyon-based startup was founded in 2020 by Virginie Deshayes and Thibaut Issindou, both from the professional training sector.
Specialized in intercultural communication and management, the company designs tools to help individuals and organizations collaborate more effectively across borders.
Their belief is clear: intercultural competence is not a luxury, but a key driver of performance and mutual respect.
On 4 November 2025, at the “V.I.E Connect” day held at the Carreau du Temple in Paris, Business France and GapsMoov formalized their partnership. Together, they created a tailored version of the culture decoder®, the startup’s flagship application already used by many multinational corporations.
This “culture decoder” maps professional behaviors in more than eighty countries: time management, hierarchy, decision-making, meeting styles and the balance between individual and collective approaches.
For V.I.E volunteers, the application becomes a travel companion. In just a few clicks, it helps them explore the cultural norms of their host country, anticipate differences and adopt the right attitudes.
The goal is not to erase differences, but to understand them—and turn them into drivers of success.
“Our mission is simple,” explains Thibaut Issindou. “To help each V.I.E talent navigate cultural shocks and transform them into professional achievements.
With Business France, we want to make intercultural competence a strategic asset for France’s global influence.”
Through this collaboration, the startup and the public agency highlight a modern reality: in the 21st century, a country’s strength is measured not only by its exports, but also by its ability to engage in dialogue with the world.
Today, more than 11,500 young people are on V.I.E assignments worldwide, while 13,500 French companies received export support from Business France in 2023. GapsMoov, for its part, already has 70,000 users of its culture decoder®. These figures all point to the same dynamic: a France seeking to combine economic efficiency with relational intelligence.
Born in Lyon amid the upheaval of 2020, GapsMoov has grown by embracing a pedagogical conviction: technology is only valuable if it helps people understand one another. While many speak of artificial intelligence, its founders still speak of training, listening and openness.
Their approach is simple—almost artisanal in its human touch: helping companies avoid costly misunderstandings, improve collaboration and strengthen cohesion within multicultural teams.
At a time when the professional world is globalizing at full speed, this partnership between Business France and GapsMoov outlines a more balanced future: one in which international mobility is better prepared, more aware and more respectful.
With their curiosity—and a discreet yet powerful tool—young V.I.E volunteers become the pathfinders of a France that learns to listen before trying to persuade.
And perhaps, in the end, true influence lies less in the art of convincing than in the art of understanding. Maybe France’s future global impact will depend on this alliance between emotional intelligence and cultural intelligence.
