Wellcome Collection
Free museum and library in London operated by the Wellcome charitable foundation, exploring health and human experience through temporary exhibitions, a 1.1 million-item research collection, accessible tours, and educational programmes for the general public, researchers, and schools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Wellcome Collection does
Wellcome Collection is a free museum and library located at 183 Euston Road in central London, founded in 2007 and operated as the public-facing cultural arm of the Wellcome charitable foundation. The institution explores the intersection of health, medicine, and human experience through a permanent collection of over 1.1 million items spanning rare books, artworks, films, personal archives, and historical objects, supplemented by temporary exhibitions such as 'Being Human', 'The Coming of Age', and 'Tenderness and Rage'. Core products include the research library, the hybrid Reading Room, daily guided tours, accessible tour formats (BSL interpreted, audio described, speech-to-text), digital guides for exhibitions, published books, and an online stories/content platform. Supporting services — venue hire, retail shop, and café — are partly delivered through a partnership with Benugo.
Technology underpinning the institution consists of a Prismic CMS-hosted website, open developer APIs (developers.wellcomecollection.org) exposing catalogue data, IIIF-compliant image delivery (iiif.wellcomecollection.org), digital guides with audio description and BSL video, and standard analytics and marketing integrations. Event registration runs through Eventbrite.
The business model is dominated by charitable foundation subsidy from Wellcome, with all exhibitions, library access, and most events offered free of charge to the public. Commercial revenue streams are modest in scale and include venue hire (meeting rooms, 154-seat auditorium, exhibition galleries) on multi-year contracts, retail shop sales, café takings via Benugo, inter-library loans, and book publications. Customer segments span general public visitors, researchers and academics, schools and 14–19 year-olds, corporate event clients, and collaborating community organisations (for example ADHD Babes, Black Trans Foundation, and Black and Neurodiverse). Marketing relies on digital content, social media across TikTok/Facebook/Instagram/YouTube, segmented newsletters, earned media, and on-site programming.
Wellcome Collection firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wellcome Collection
- Legal name
- Wellcome
- Website
- https://wellcomecollection.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Free museum and library in London operated by the Wellcome charitable foundation, exploring health and human experience through temporary exhibitions, a 1.1 million-item research collection, accessible tours, and educational programmes for the general public, researchers, and schools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wellcome Collection industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Museum and Library Cultural Institution
- NAICS
- Libraries and Archives (51921), Libraries and Archives (519210), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations (EDAEAGAD), Medical & Clinical Reference (Physicians, Nursing, Allied Health) (EDAGAGAA)
Keywords
Where Wellcome Collection is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Wellcome Collection business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Charitable Foundation Funding: Wellcome Collection is part of Wellcome, a global charitable foundation. The institution is primarily funded through this foundation to support its mission of exploring health and human experience.
- Venue Hire: Meeting rooms, tiered auditorium, and exhibition galleries available for hire for events, conferences, and private functions. Partners with Benugo for catering services.
- Retail Shop: Shop selling books, gifts, and merchandise inspired by collections and exhibitions, operated in partnership with Benugo.
- Library Services: Free library membership for accessing collections and subscription resources. Day cards available for browsing. Inter-library loans to other libraries.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free admission to all exhibitions and most events |
| Subscription | Others | Library membership (free) and day cards |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Venue hire for events and meetings |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Wellcome Collection product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wellcome Collection operates a free public museum and library at 183 Euston Road, London, presenting permanent and temporary exhibitions that explore the intersection of health, medicine, art, and human experience. It maintains a research library with over 1.1 million items, a hybrid Reading Room, a retail shop, a café, and venue hire spaces, supported by educational programmes, accessible tours, digital content, and published books.
Product overview
Wellcome Collection is a free museum and library exploring health and human experience. The core offering comprises permanent and temporary exhibitions (including 'Being Human', 'The Coming of Age', and 'Tenderness and Rage'), a research library with over 1.1 million items, and the Reading Room. Supporting services include a shop, café, and venue hire facilities. Visitor engagement is enhanced through Daily Guided Tours and Access Tours (BSL interpreted, audio described), Digital Guides available on devices or loaner handsets, and published Books and digital Stories. The organisation offers targeted programmes for young people, schools, and researchers, plus newsletter subscriptions and group visit services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Being Human (Permanent Exhibition) Permanent gallery presenting 50 artworks and objects examining what it means to be human in the 21st century, organised across Genetics, Minds & Bodies, Infection, and Environmental Breakdown. Free admission for the general public.
- The Coming of Age (Exhibition) Major temporary exhibition of 150 artworks and objects examining experiences and perceptions of ageing, from adolescence to older age, and asking how societies can adapt for all to age better. Free admission.
- Tenderness and Rage (Display) Gallery 3 display exploring HIV and AIDS through stories of protest and care, featuring Gideon Mendel's photography projects 'The Ward' and 'Through Positive Eyes'. Free admission.
- Library Free research library containing over 1.1 million items covering art, health, culture and human experience. Open to everyone over 18 with day cards and free library membership; offers study spaces, subscription databases, and an inter-library loan service.
- Reading Room Hybrid library and museum space on level 2 housing over 1,000 titles across fiction, memoirs, graphic novels, magazines and pop-up books, together with themed displays of books, objects, amulets and charms, suitable for all ages.
- Shop Retail shop open seven days a week selling books, gifts, anatomical merchandise, cards, prints and unique items inspired by collections and exhibitions.
- Café Café on level 0 operated by catering partner Benugo, serving sandwiches, cakes, and hot and cold drinks with seasonal menus.
- Venue Hire Hire of meeting rooms, a tiered auditorium seating up to 154 people, and exhibition galleries for conferences, lectures, board meetings and drinks receptions. Includes audiovisual facilities, free WiFi, video conferencing, and catering through partner Benugo, with a 10% discount in the café and shop for event guests.
- Books and Publications Published books exploring health and human experience, including titles such as 'The Coming of Age: Notes on Getting Older', 'To Exist As I Am' and 'The Unfragile Mind'. Available for purchase in shop and online.
- Young People and Schools Programme Free activities for students aged 14-19, free study days for teachers, downloadable curriculum-linked resources, and dedicated support for school group bookings.
Quantifiable outcome
- Free admission ensures universal access to cultural and educational content
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Wellcome Collection
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Wellcome Collection technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration11 records
Feature2 records
Wellcome Collection partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- BenugocoreBenugo is the catering partner for Wellcome Collection, operating the café on level 0 and providing food and drink services for venue hire events. The partnership includes seasonal menus with focus on quality, freshness and flavour.
- ADHD BabesminorGrassroots organization supporting Black people with ADHD. Collaborated with Rudy Loewe on the 'Intimacies of Care' exhibition to bring lived experience perspectives to mental healthcare discussions.
- Black Trans FoundationminorOrganization supporting Black transgender individuals. Partnered with Rudy Loewe on exhibition exploring mental healthcare equity for Black communities.
- Black and NeurodiverseminorCommunity organization supporting Black neurodivergent individuals. Collaborated on Rudy Loewe exhibition to ensure authentic representation of mental healthcare experiences.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Wellcome Collection competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Natural History Museum (London): Free-admission London museum housing major scientific collections. Comparable as a London cultural landmark relying on free access, exhibition programming, and educational outreach, though focused on natural sciences rather than health.
- British Museum: Iconic free-admission London museum with global reach and large permanent collection. Comparable as a major London cultural institution relying on free access, but operating at significantly broader thematic and visitor scale.
- British Library: The UK's national research library and one of the world's largest, with extensive special collections. Comparable as a London-based free special-collections institution serving researchers and the public, though broader in scope than health/medicine.
- Victoria and Albert Museum: London's leading art and design museum with free admission and major exhibition programme. Comparable as a free London museum with significant collections, programming cadence, and venue-hire operations.
- Smithsonian Institution: Large US museum and research complex combining museums, libraries, and educational programming under a charitable endowment structure. Comparable as a multi-disciplinary cultural/scientific institution with foundation backing, digital platforms, and global collections reach.
Direct peers
- Deutsches Hygiene-Museum: Dresden-based museum dedicated to the human body, health, and hygiene, founded in 1912. Direct peer operating at the intersection of public-health education and museum exhibition, sharing Wellcome's health-and-society curatorial lens.
- Science Museum (London): Free-admission London museum exploring science, technology, and medicine with substantial collections. Closest direct peer given overlap on health/medicine themes, free access model, central London location, and family/educational audience.
- National Museum of Health and Medicine: US federal museum preserving and exhibiting medical artefacts, specimens, and records. Direct peer focused on medical history as a public institution, with comparable collections-based curatorial practice.
- Mütter Museum: Philadelphia-based medical history museum renowned for its anatomical and pathological collections. A direct peer in the niche of medical-history-as-cultural-institution, with overlapping curatorial interests in health, disease, and the human body.
- National Library of Medicine: US federal institution housing one of the world's largest biomedical library collections, including historical manuscripts and imagery. Direct peer on the medical special-collections library side, with overlapping digital-access and exhibition missions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Wellcome Collection social profiles
Digital presenceWellcome Collection compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Wellcome Collection financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wellcome Collection leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Wellcome Collection funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wellcome Collection M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Wellcome Collection
What does Wellcome Collection do?
Wellcome Collection operates a free public museum and library at 183 Euston Road, London, presenting permanent and temporary exhibitions that explore the intersection of health, medicine, art, and human experience. It maintains a research library with over 1.1 million items, a hybrid Reading Room, a retail shop, a café, and venue hire spaces, supported by educational programmes, accessible tours, digital content, and published books.
Is Wellcome Collection a public or private company?
Wellcome Collection is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Wellcome Collection founded?
Wellcome Collection was founded in 2007. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Wellcome Collection based?
Wellcome Collection is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Wellcome Collection make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Charitable Foundation Funding is the primary driver. The others are venue Hire, retail Shop and library Services.
Who are Wellcome Collection's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Natural History Museum (London), British Museum, British Library, Victoria and Albert Museum and Smithsonian Institution. Direct peers are Deutsches Hygiene-Museum, Science Museum (London), National Museum of Health and Medicine, Mütter Museum and National Library of Medicine.
Does Wellcome Collection have an API?
Yes. Open APIs allowing developers and digital researchers to access the collections catalogue data. The Wellcome Collection uses Prismic CMS (indicated by Prismic-auth cookie and images.prismic.io domain) and IIIF (International Image Interoperability Framework) for image delivery. The API provides access to over 1.1 million library items including books, artworks, images, videos, archives and manuscripts. Developer documentation is at developers.wellcomecollection.org.
What industry is Wellcome Collection in?
Wellcome Collection's product category is Museum and Library Cultural Institution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAHAF, Libraries, Archives & Special Collections, with a secondary code of EDAEAGAD, Special Libraries (Law, Medical, Corporate, Government) Operations. Its NAICS code is 51921 and its SIC code is 2741.