What Metalab does

Metalab is a non-profit hackerspace (Verein) located in a 220m² Souterrain space at Rathausstraße 6 in Vienna's 1st district, operating since April 2006 as what the organisation describes as Vienna's oldest and largest hackerspace. Its offering is a community-operated physical workspace, not a software product. The space comprises distinct rooms including the Otter Space (event room seating up to 50 with projector and audio), Whatever Lab (electronics workshop with oscilloscopes, bench power supplies, and component store), a dedicated Laser Cutter Room housing a BRM 90130, a Photo Lab (darkroom), a Heavy Machinery Area (CNC mill, lathe, drill press, welding), a Library, HEL (art and sewing room), and a Teehaus relaxation area. Underlying technology is industrial fabrication equipment rather than software: CNC mills, laser cutters, 3D printers, lathes, oscilloscopes, function generators, sewing machines, vinyl cutters, and darkroom chemistry equipment, paired with self-developed digital infrastructure including Metalab OS (member portal) and a MediaWiki-based wiki.

The business model is a hybrid of community subscription and in-kind sponsorship revenue. Standard membership is €30/month with reduced rates for students and financially precarious individuals; membership is explicitly encouraged but not required, with most tool use free beyond materials and maintenance donations. The principal monetised usage is the laser cutter at €0.60 per minute of cutting time, with some workshops charging material fees (e.g., €30 for a synthesizer soldering workshop). In-kind sponsorships (equipment, licenses, hosting) supplement infrastructure. The organisation is governed by a Vorstand (Michael Happl as Obperson, Rebecca Stauder as Kassaperson, Laura Stockner as Deputy Treasurer, Zoe Satzinger as Secretary) and reports no external parent, parent-type, or venture capital involvement. Marketing is entirely community-driven through a public calendar, Matrix chat, mailing lists, Mastodon/Fediverse (chaos.social), YouTube, PeerTube, and Instagram.

Metalab serves four primary persona segments: tech enthusiasts and makers (primary), artists and creative practitioners, activists and civil-society advocates, and lifelong learners. Use cases span programming, network technology, ham radio, electronics, robotics, art, and activism. Distribution is single-channel physical walk-in to the Rathausstraße 6 location, generally open daily after 6pm, with structured Open Days on the second Thursday and fourth Friday of each month. Notable programmatic initiatives include MetaInvasion Day (inclusion for women and non-binary/trans/gender-questioning individuals), accessibility collaborations with Define and MACH'S AUF!, and a demonstrated solidarity event (MetaRave09) raising funds for the DobraKhatochka hackerspace in Ukraine. Reporting structure is annual member governance rather than commercial; the company description reflects operational continuity rather than venture-style growth.

Name

Metalab

Legal name

Verein zur Förderung der Erforschung und Bildung sozialer und technischer Innovationen - metalab

Website

https://metalab.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Metalab is Vienna's oldest and largest non-profit hackerspace, operating a 220m² community-run workspace with professional fabrication tools, electronics labs, and event rooms, financed primarily by €30/month memberships and in-kind sponsorships for makers and creatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Makerspace / Hackerspace Services

NAICS

All Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (33299)

SIC

Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Products (3490)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Cutting Tools, Tooling & Workholding (Cutters, Inserts, Chucks, Fixtures) (IMAHADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Architectural & Miscellaneous Metals (Stairs, Railings, Ladders) (IMADACAE), Metal Cutting, Fit-Up & Layout (Oxy-Fuel/Plasma/Saw) Training (EDAOADAE)

Keywords

• Community hackerspace
• Maker space access
• Shared workshop tools
• Community workspace
• DIY fabrication space

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Primary revenue stream. Standard membership €30/month with reduced rates available for students and financially precarious individuals. Membership is encouraged but not required for space usage.
2. Laser Cutter Usage Fees: Laser cutter billed at €0.60 per minute of cutting time. This is the main exception to free tool usage.
3. Sponsorships and In-Kind Donations: Sponsors provide in-kind donations such as equipment, licenses, and hosting. Used to supplement infrastructure beyond membership fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Metalab is a community-operated hackerspace that provides 220m² of physical workspace in central Vienna, offering members and visitors access to tools and infrastructure including a BRM 90130 laser cutter, 3D printers, CNC mill, lathe, electronics laboratory, photo darkroom, and creative workshop facilities. It operates as a non-profit membership association, hosting regular public events, workshops, talks, and meetups (such as Metaday and MetaInvasion Day), and supports horizontal knowledge transfer among tech enthusiasts, artists, activists, and lifelong learners.

Product overview

Metalab is Vienna's oldest and largest hackerspace—a community-operated physical workspace offering 220m² of educational, recreational, and workspace facilities in the heart of Vienna. The organization provides a diverse portfolio of spaces and services including the Otter Space (main event room), Library, Whatever Lab (electronics workshop with laser cutter, 3D printers, CNC mill), Heavy Machinery area, Photo Lab, HEL (art/sewing room), Teehaus (relaxation area), kitchen, and bar. Metalab operates as a non-profit association ('Verein zur Förderung der Erforschung und Bildung sozialer und technischer Innovationen') financing operations primarily through membership fees (€30 standard, reduced rates available). The organization also provides a member portal (Metalab OS), a collaborative wiki (MediaWiki), and hosts regular public events including workshops, talks, and meetups such as Metaday. Key accessibility initiatives include MetaInvasion Day for marginalized genders and partnerships with Define and MACH'S AUF! for accessibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Metalab Hackerspace Membership & Facilities A subscription-based membership providing access to 220m² of physical workspace in central Vienna (Rathausstraße 6) with multiple rooms (Otter Space, Library, Whatever Lab, Laser Cutter Room, Photo Lab, Heavy Machinery area, HEL, Teehaus) and tools including a laser cutter, 3D printers, CNC mill, lathe, electronics laboratory, photo darkroom, sewing machines, vinyl plotter, and audio equipment. Standard rate is €30/month with reduced rates for students and those in financially precarious situations; many tools are free to use.
• Event Hosting, Workshops, and Meetups Regular public and member events including talks (Metaday), organizational meetings (Jour Fixe), lockpicking sessions, and skill-sharing workshops on electronics, programming, art, and activism. Most events are free and open to the public without registration; select workshops charge a material fee (e.g., €30 for synthesizer soldering).
• Laser Cutter Usage (BRM 90130) Pay-as-you-go usage of the dedicated laser cutter room featuring the BRM 90130 laser cutter and accompanying PC for graphics file conversion. Billed at €0.60 per minute of cutting time, this is the primary exception to free tool usage at Metalab. Available to members and supervised guests.
• Metalab OS Member Portal A web-based member management system powering the Metalab website. It provides member login/registration, event calendar access, project listings, and links to the collaborative wiki for members of the hackerspace community.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• DobraKhatochkaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 July 2026Hackerspace partner in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Metalab's MetaRave09 event raised funds to donate the proceeds to DobraKhatochka as a solidarity party.
• DefineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccessibility organization that collaborates with Metalab to make the space more inclusive towards blind and visually impaired people.
• MACH'S AUF!minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccessibility organization collaborating with Metalab to improve inclusion for deaf and hard-of-hearing people.
• OpenLocksminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLockpicking user group that holds biweekly meetings at Metalab. OpenLocks sells lockpicking tools and equipment, with some sales available at Metalab.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Noisebridge: San Francisco hackerspace organized as a non-profit with open membership and donor-funded infrastructure. Directly comparable community-operated model, though U.S.-based and serving a different geography.
• NYC Resistor: Brooklyn-based hackerspace offering member access to laser cutters, CNC, electronics, and 3D printing tools. Closely comparable member-funded makerspace model with similar tool inventory and educational programming.
• c-base: Berlin-based hackerspace and registered association founded around the same era. Closely comparable non-profit community hackerspace model in a German-speaking market, offering similar infrastructure for technology, art, and activism.
• HacDC: Washington D.C. hackerspace operating as a non-profit community workshop. Similar volunteer-run governance and tool-sharing model in a different North American geography.

Broad incumbents

• Fab Foundation: Parent organization of the global Fab Lab network spun out of MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms. Operates a broader, standardized network of digital fabrication labs with overlapping tool sets (laser cutters, CNC, 3D printing) and educational mission.
• Chaos Computer Club (CCC): Europe's largest hacker association with regional chapters (Erfa-Kreise) across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Comparable in mission around digital rights, hacking culture, and community events, but operates at a much larger, federated scale than a single hackerspace.

Regional players

• Werkstatt Wien / Happylab: Vienna- and Austria-based commercial makerspaces offering paid access to laser cutters, 3D printers, and other fabrication tools. Same geography as Metalab and overlapping tool inventory, but commercial rather than volunteer-driven.

Emerging players

• Real Lab / Open Science Lab networks: European network of citizen-science and maker-style community labs with similar open-tool philosophies. Overlaps with Metalab's education, art, and technology mission, though with a stronger formal-research orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/metalabvie
• GitHubgithub.com/Metalab
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Metalab_AT
• Instagraminstagram.com/metalab_leaks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metalab-wien

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 Metalab