Zirkus

What Zirkus does

Zirkus cvba is a Belgian cooperative company (cvba) operating a small business center ("bedrijvencentrum") out of a historic manor house at Grotesteenweg 91 in the Berchem district of Antwerp. The company leases characterful office space to small businesses, freelancers, non-profits, and short-term project tenants. Its core offering comprises two office units: an 85 m² ground-floor space (priced at €1,100 per month plus operating costs) and a 32 m² second-floor unit that can be split into 20 m² and 12 m² rooms. Tenants share a communal kitchen, meeting room, alarm system, WiFi, and a city garden, with bicycle parking on site. Named tenants include Motionmill (an Antwerp web design and online marketing agency) and Hand in Hand tegen Racisme vzw (a socio-cultural NGO).

The business model is straightforward recurring subscription rental income, with inquiries and viewings handled offline via email ([email protected]) or phone (03 286 80 40), managed by Mark Tollenaere. There is no online booking system, no intermediated distribution, and no marketing automation. The company's product surface is expanding: it is developing "Ateljer Ferdinand," a planned 370 m² cooperative shared workshop ("deelatelier") targeting woodworkers, screen printers, ceramicists, illustrators, designers, and textile crafters, with both permanent workstations and day-rental slots. The former Zirkus event hall has already been separated into "The Floor" (thefloor.be) as a distinct operating entity. Pricing is not publicly disclosed beyond the ground-floor listing; revenue is not reported. The company carries no technology layer, no proprietary software, and no digital platform.

Name

Zirkus

Legal name

Zirkus cvba

Website

https://zirkus.be

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Zirkus cvba is a Belgian cooperative business center renting characterful historic office space in Berchem, Antwerp to small businesses, freelancers, and non-profits, and is developing a cooperative shared workshop called Ateljer Ferdinand for makers and creatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate / Office Space Rental

NAICS

Lessors of Nonresidential Buildings (except Miniwarehouses) (53112)

SIC

Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)

akta.pro primary industry

Office Property Management (BPAJAGAA)

Keywords

• Commercial office space
• Creative workspace rental
• Serviced office rental
• Flexible lease terms
• Shared workshop space

Headquarters

HQ city

Antwerp

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Office Space Rental: Rental income from commercial office spaces leased to small businesses, entrepreneurs, and organizations. Spaces available for short-term and long-term rental periods. Revenue generated through monthly rent payments plus operational costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Zirkus operates a business center (bedrijvencentrum) at Grotesteenweg 91 in Berchem, Antwerp, renting characterful office spaces within a historic manor house. It offers an 85 m² ground-floor office and a 32 m² second-floor office (rentable as one unit or as separate 20 m² and 12 m² rooms) on flexible short- and long-term leases, with shared amenities including WiFi, communal kitchen, alarm system, telephone connections, a city garden, and bicycle parking.

Product overview

Zirkus is a business center and creative workspace provider in Berchem, Antwerp. The company offers three distinct products: (1) two office spaces for rent — an 85 m² ground-floor office with meeting facilities and garden access, and a 32 m² second-floor office available as one unit or two separate rooms; (2) Ateljer Ferdinand, a cooperative 370 m² shared workshop for craftsmen and creatives supporting disciplines such as woodworking, screen printing, ceramics, illustration, and textile with both permanent and day-rental options; and (3) The Floor, a hall/event venue now operated separately. All spaces are designed for small businesses, creative professionals, and project-based workers seeking flexible rental terms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ateljer Ferdinand: A cooperative shared workshop concept targeting makers, crafters, and creatives in Berchem, planned for a 370 m² space focused on woodwork, screen printing, ceramics, illustration, and textile crafts.

Products and services

• Kantoorruimte - 85 m² (gelijkvloers) Ground-floor office space of 85 m² in a historic manor house with a separate entrance, original fireplace elements, high ceilings, a small meeting room, a small kitchen with sink, and access to a communal meeting room and garden. Furnished, with WiFi, telephone connections, utilities, alarm system, and shared kitchen included. Targeted at small businesses, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals.
• Kantoorruimte - 32 m² (2e verdieping)

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Antwerp Innovation Hub / Beacon: Antwerp-based innovation and workspace hub supporting startups and creative entrepreneurs — partial overlap with Zirkus's SMB and creative-professional target segment in the same city.
• Coworking Café Antwerp: Smaller Antwerp coworking operator offering flexible desks and offices to freelancers and small teams — comparable in scale and target customer to Zirkus, focused specifically on the Antwerp market.

Broad incumbents

• WeWork: Global coworking and flexible-office operator present in major European cities — competes for the same SMB and freelancer demand that Zirkus targets, with a much larger member base and standardized product.
• Regus / IWG: Global serviced-office and coworking operator with Antwerp locations — a broader incumbent competing in the same flexible-office category as Zirkus but with vastly greater scale and brand recognition.
• Spaces: International flexible-workspace brand (IWG) operating in Antwerp and other Belgian cities — offers similar serviced-office and coworking products but at much larger scale and broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Startblock: Coworking and business center in Antwerp serving startups, freelancers, and small enterprises with flexible workspace — comparable in service model and Antwerp-based customer base to Zirkus.
• FiftyOne Coworking: Antwerp-based coworking operator offering flexible office and desk rentals to freelancers, startups, and small businesses — a direct competitor for the same Antwerp SMB and freelancer segment Zirkus serves.
• Fosbury & Sons: Belgian coworking and flexible office operator active in Antwerp and Brussels, targeting creative professionals and SMBs with character-rich, design-led spaces — directly comparable in target customer and aesthetic positioning to Zirkus.
• Shesa: Belgian coworking and flexible office brand with locations across Belgium — directly competes for SMB and freelancer tenants seeking characterful, flexible workspaces similar to Zirkus's offering.

Regional players

• Workero: Belgian network of flexible workspaces and meeting rooms across multiple cities — comparable service model (short- and long-term office rentals for SMBs) with broader geographic coverage than Zirkus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Zirkus