What London Hackspace does

London Hackspace is a non-profit community-run hackerspace founded in 2009 and operating in London, United Kingdom. It is structured as London Hackspace Ltd., a company limited by guarantee (registered in England and Wales, company number 06807563) with no shareholders; it is not a registered charity. The organisation provides a shared physical workshop facility where members access tools and equipment including 3D printers (e.g., P1S), woodworking machinery (table saw, mitre saw, planer-thicknesser, bandsaw), metalworking equipment (mills, lathes), electronics workbenches, and project storage. Core offerings are a monthly membership providing 24/7 access on a "pay what you think is fair" basis (averaging £20/month), mandatory space inductions, and specialised paid equipment inductions priced at £20 per session. The organisation is governed by an elected Board of Trustees serving as directors, with members entitled to vote at meetings.

Revenue derives from monthly membership subscriptions processed via GoCardless, supplementary donations (money and equipment) via PayPal and bank transfer, and paid equipment induction sessions. Operating costs exceed £10,000 per month, driven primarily by London commercial rent. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: prospective members attend Wednesday open evenings and monthly community days, then join via the website's self-serve signup. Marketing runs through Discord, Google Groups mailing list, IRC (#londonhackspace on Libera.chat), Twitter/X, a 878-article wiki, and an events calendar with iCal integration. In 2024 the organisation relocated from High Road, Wembley to a larger facility at 41-43 Standard Road, Park Royal, NW10 6HF, and reopened to members on 2024-07-03. Customer concentration is low, with a horizontal segment of London-based individual makers, hackers, and hobbyists; no enterprise customers or named accounts are referenced.

Name

London Hackspace

Legal name

London Hackspace Ltd.

Website

https://london.hackspace.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

London Hackspace is a non-profit, community-run hackerspace in London providing members with 24/7 access to shared workshop tools, 3D printers, woodworking and metalworking machinery, and electronics workbenches via a "pay what you think is fair" monthly membership model, serving individual makers, hackers, and hobbyists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Monthly membership fees charged on a 'pay what you think is fair' model. Members receive 24/7 access to the space, a storage box for projects, and participate in governance. The organization needs members to pay an average of £20/month to survive.
2. Donations: Cash-strapped non-profit accepting donations of money or equipment to support operations. Operating costs exceed £10,000 per month.
3. Training Inductions: Paid training sessions for machinery usage including Woodwork Machinery Induction (£20) and potentially other equipment training sessions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

London Hackspace operates a community-run, membership-based workshop facility in Park Royal, London. Members gain 24/7 access to shared tools and equipment (3D printers, metalworking and woodworking machinery, electronics workbenches), personal project storage, and participation in community governance. Supporting offerings include mandatory space orientations and paid equipment-specific training inductions, alongside a calendar of community events and skill-sharing workshops.

Product overview

London Hackspace is a non-profit hackerspace offering a unified membership-based access model to a shared workshop facility. The core product is Hackspace Membership providing 24/7 access to the physical space and its tools. Supporting services include mandatory Space Inductions (required for access), specialized equipment inductions (Metal Machinery, Woodwork Machinery, 3D Printing), and Community Events for skill-sharing. Tool Access is a fundamental component enabling members to use shared equipment including 3D printers, metalworking and woodworking machinery, and electronics workbenches. Project Storage provides additional member storage capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hackspace Membership Monthly membership providing 24/7 access to the London Hackspace workshop, shared tools and equipment, a personal storage box for projects, and participation in organisational governance including voting and trustee elections. Priced on a 'pay what you think is fair' basis, averaging £20/month.
• Woodwork Machinery Induction Paid training session (£20 per session, maximum 5 participants) covering safe use of the Table Saw, Mitre Saw, Planer-Thicknesser, and Bandsaw. Includes safety equipment (goggles and ear defenders). Required for members to use the woodwork machinery unsupervised.
• Metal Machinery Induction Training session covering safe use of metalworking equipment including metal mills and metal lathes. Includes preliminary theory videos and hands-on practice. Sessions run from a signup sheet and prioritise members on the waiting list.
• 3D Printer (P1S) Induction Machinery induction covering setup, operation, and maintenance of P1S 3D printers. Reservation required via the #induction-requests Discord channel. Required for members to use the P1S 3D printer.
• Community Events Programme Programme of regular events covering topics from electronics to brewing and biohacking to lockpicking. Includes weekly Wednesday open evenings (7pm), monthly community days, workshops, and skill-sharing meetups open to members and prospective members.
• Project Storage Personal storage box for members to store ongoing projects, tools, and materials at the hackspace. Subject to availability and space limitations.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BitfolkminorOthersBitfolk provides web hosting services for the London Hackspace website. Bitfolk is a UK-based hosting company specializing in VPS hosting.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Milwaukee Makerspace: A Wisconsin community makerspace offering members access to woodworking, metalworking, 3D printing, and electronics. Operates on a tiered membership model with equipment training requirements analogous to London Hackspace inductions.
• Artisan's Asylum: A Somerville, MA community makerspace offering shared access to heavy machinery, electronics, and crafts equipment via membership. Direct competitor in the community-workshop category with structured inductions and tiered access.
• Noisebridge: A San Francisco hackerspace run as a non-profit community workshop with open membership and shared tools. Operates on a donation/dues model with volunteer governance, making it a structurally comparable peer to London Hackspace.
• Dallas Makerspace: A large Texas community makerspace with extensive equipment (wood, metal, textiles, electronics, ceramics) and a member-elected board. Comparable in scale and breadth of programming to a maturing London Hackspace.
• HacDC: A Washington DC community hackerspace providing shared workspace, electronics tools, and educational workshops to members. Similar non-profit membership structure with elected leadership and recurring dues.
• Makespace Cambridge: A UK community-run makerspace operating as a registered charity, providing member access to shared workshop tools (3D printers, laser cutters, woodworking, electronics). Operates on a similar subscription/membership model with volunteer governance and equipment inductions.
• Ace Monster Toys: An Oakland, CA hackerspace providing shared workspace and tools for electronics, fabrication, and craft projects. Community-led non-profit with similar volunteer-driven governance and equipment-access membership model.
• Build Brighton: A Brighton-based community hackerspace offering shared workshop facilities, tools, and skills training to members. Mirrors London Hackspace's model of community-led makerspace with inductions and weekly open evenings.
• i3 Detroit: A Michigan community makerspace offering shared tools and workspace to members across woodworking, metalworking, electronics, and crafts. Comparable membership structure, induction-based equipment access, and elected board governance.
• NYC Resistor: A New York City hackerspace collective providing shared access to electronics, woodworking, and crafts equipment on a membership basis. Closest international analogue to London Hackspace in terms of community structure and equipment breadth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/londonhackspace
• GitHubgithub.com/londonhackspace
• Facebookfacebook.com/londonhackspace

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 London Hackspace