Caisa

What Caisa does

Caisa (legal name: Kulttuurikeskus Caisa) is a municipally owned and operated cultural center in Helsinki, Finland, established on March 26, 1996 as the city's designated international meeting place for cultural exchange and diversity. It operates under the Helsinki City Culture and Leisure Division alongside seven sister cultural centers (Annantalo, Kanneltalo, Malmitalo, Maunula-talo, Stoa, Savoy-teatteri, Vuotalo), and its core mission is to elevate underrepresented perspectives and identities through arts and culture — an approach pioneered internally that has since been adopted by other Helsinki departments and municipalities.

The organization runs a portfolio of interconnected offerings from its Leipätehdas (Bread Factory) premises in the Kallio district at Kaikukatu 4 B, 00530 Helsinki. Physical infrastructure includes a 180-seat performance hall (Sali) with professional-grade sound and lighting, a 120-seat auditorium (Kino Caisa), a 100 sqm gallery with seven movable wall elements, and four meeting rooms (Kaura, Vehnä, Ohra, Maissi) accommodating 20-30 persons each. Programming is sourced primarily through a twice-yearly Open Call process open to professional artists and cultural producers, with structured multi-stage evaluation. Arts education includes 5x2 courses for Helsinki elementary school children (grades 3-6), toddler art workshops, and community-based projects. The organization also operates the Helsinki Open Waves radio program.

Caisa's business model combines three revenue streams: (1) operational funding from the City of Helsinki Culture and Leisure Division as the primary anchor, (2) ticket sales for performances and events distributed through the Lippu.fi third-party platform, and (3) venue rental income from the gallery (25 EUR/day), performance hall (104-202 EUR/hour), auditorium (101-202 EUR/hour), and meeting rooms (40-41 EUR/hour, free up to 2 hours for Helsinki-registered cultural associations). Pricing includes 25.5% VAT. Marketing is conducted through the caisa.fi website, Facebook and Instagram (@caisahelsinki), an email newsletter, Open Call announcements, and the Lippu.fi marketplace channel. The center is led by Director Cátia Suomalainen Pedrosa (appointed August 2016) with a team of specialized producers, technical staff, and a communications function.

Name

Caisa

Legal name

Kulttuurikeskus Caisa

Website

https://caisa.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Caisa is a municipally funded cultural center in Helsinki, Finland, operating since 1996 under the City of Helsinki Culture and Leisure Division. It serves residents, professional artists, and schoolchildren by providing performance venues, gallery space, arts education programs, and diversity-focused cultural programming sourced via open calls.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Center Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Centers & Multidisciplinary Arts Institutions (THAJADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

Keywords

• Cultural center services
• Art exhibitions programming
• Community arts education
• Event venue rental
• Municipal cultural services

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Space Rental: Caisa generates revenue through renting out its facilities including meeting rooms, the auditorium (Kino Caisa), performance hall (Sali), and gallery spaces. Rental fees vary by space type and usage category.
2. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from ticket sales for performances, exhibitions, and events. Tickets are sold through Lippu.fi and at the venue during opening hours.
3. City Funding: Caisa is funded by the City of Helsinki through the Culture and Leisure Division. The organization operates as a municipal cultural center.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Caisa is a municipal cultural center in the Kallio district of Helsinki that delivers a year-round program of art exhibitions, cultural events, and art education (classes and workshops) for residents and visitors, and also rents its halls and meeting rooms to private and community users. Programming is curated and largely produced in-house by the center's staff as part of the City of Helsinki's cultural services portfolio.

Product overview

Caisa is a cultural center (Kulttuurikeskus Caisa) established in 1996 in Helsinki, Finland, that offers a diverse portfolio of cultural services centered around promoting diversity and inclusion through arts and culture. The organization operates multiple interconnected offerings: an event calendar featuring exhibitions, theater, music, and literature; a 100m² gallery space for rotating professional art exhibitions; art education programs including 5x2 art courses for primary schools, open activities for toddlers, and community-based art projects; and three distinct venue rental options (Sali performance hall for 50-180 attendees, Kino Caisa auditorium for 120 attendees, and four meeting rooms). Caisa's Open Call system invites artists to submit productions for inclusion in the programming schedule, while Helsinki Open Waves extends the center's reach into radio media. All offerings are unified by the mission to highlight underrepresented perspectives and promote cultural diversity in Helsinki.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Art Exhibitions Curated art exhibitions presented at the Caisa cultural center for Helsinki residents and visitors, programmed as part of the center's year-round cultural calendar under the City of Helsinki's cultural services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 30 years of promoting diversity through culture since 1996
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Helsinki Open WavescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelsinki Open Waves is a radio program associated with Caisa that broadcasts cultural content. Caisa hosts and supports this initiative as part of its cultural programming.
• Kulttuurikaveritoiminta (Culture Buddy Program)minorOthersCaisa participates in the Kulttuurikaveritoiminta program coordinated by Helsinki Missio, which provides cultural companions for people who want to attend cultural events but find going alone difficult or unappealing.
• Helsinki City Culture and Leisure DivisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaisa is part of the Helsinki City Culture and Leisure Division, which operates 8 cultural centers including Annantalo, Kanneltalo, Malmitalo, Stoa, Savoy-teatteri, and Vuotalo. The division provides funding, coordination, and shared services.
• Helsinki City Human Rights NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaisa participates in Helsinki City's Human Rights Network, contributing expertise on diversity and inclusion in cultural programming.
• Helsinki City Immigration NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaisa participates in Helsinki City's immigration network, contributing expertise on integration and multicultural programming.
• Ek TaideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaisa collaborates with Ek Taide on arts education programming, specifically for toddler art workshops ('Taidetta taaperoille').

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vuotalo: Municipal cultural center in Vuosaari, Helsinki, part of the same City of Helsinki cultural center network. Similar operating model with performance hall, gallery, and event programming.
• Malmitalo: Helsinki City cultural center in Malmi, part of the same 8-center municipal network. Matches Caisa in offering gallery, performance, and community cultural programming under shared city funding.
• Stoa: Municipal cultural center in Itäkeskus, Helsinki, also under the City of Helsinki Culture and Leisure Division. Comparable business model, venue rentals, exhibitions, and event programming structure.
• Annantalo: Helsinki City cultural center also operated under the Culture and Leisure Division, focused on arts education for children and youth. Directly comparable to Caisa in municipal funding model, facility rental offerings, and 5x2 art course participation.
• Kanneltalo: Helsinki municipal cultural center in Kaarela, operated under the same Culture and Leisure Division. Comparable in offering space rentals, exhibitions, and community cultural programming to Helsinki residents.
• Savoy-teatteri: Helsinki City-owned theater venue under the Culture and Leisure Division. Comparable as a municipally-operated performance and event venue sharing the same city funding umbrella as Caisa.

Regional players

• Kulturhuset Stadsteatern: Municipal cultural center and theater complex in Stockholm, Sweden. Conceptually analogous to Caisa as a publicly-funded, multi-venue cultural center offering performances, exhibitions, and community programming, but operating in a different Nordic capital.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/caisahelsinki
• Instagraminstagram.com/caisahelsinki
• Xx.com/caisahelsinki

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 Caisa