BANK15

What BANK15 does

BANK15 is a Tilburg-headquartered social-infrastructure design practice ("Makersbureau") that designs, programs, and activates buildings and urban areas for Dutch municipalities, real-estate developers, and cultural institutions. Its core offering is a methodology that integrates space, programmatic strategy, community, and organizational models into cohesive place-making systems, applied across area-development tenders such as De Glasfabriek (Schiedam), Utrecht Jaarbeursplein, and Amstelkwartier (Amsterdam). The firm operates four branded "Living Lab" program lines — Kweektuin (music), Figuurlijk (art), Proefwerk (food), and Vaktaal (education/culture) — which simultaneously serve creative makers (artists, musicians, food entrepreneurs, designers) and function as replicable content formats for client engagements.

The company runs a dual-entity structure: BANK15 BV handles commercial consulting engagements, while Stichting BANK15, established in 2025 (KVK 97719927), carries the societal program lines. Revenue is generated through professional-services fees for vision, concept, programmatic strategy, and organizational models (e.g., 273.75% three-year ROI delivered at De Glasfabriek), supplemented by event and program revenue routed through the foundation. Customer acquisition is primarily relationship-driven, targeting enterprise developers (AM, BAM, VolkerWessels, Blauwhoed, Dudok), government (Gemeente Eindhoven), and cultural institutions (TextielMuseum, Laurenskerk Rotterdam), with maker-side demand sourced through open calls and community marketing on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Spotify.

The firm is bootstrapped and founder-led by Jerry Opier, who launched it in 2018 with personal resources. It has 11–50 employees, has previously operated physical creative hubs in Tilburg (2018–2021, with VolkerWessels) and Eindhoven (closed during COVID-19), and now concentrates on project-based consulting and foundation-run programming across the Netherlands.

Name

BANK15

Legal name

Stichting BANK15

Website

https://bank15.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BANK15 is a Dutch social-infrastructure design practice that programs and activates buildings and urban areas for municipalities, real-estate developers, and cultural institutions via four Living Lab program lines (music, art, food, education), serving both creative makers and institutional clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tilburg

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Urban Development Consulting: BANK15 supports municipalities, developers, and cultural institutions to fill places with meaning, movement, and community. They design social infrastructure as integral part of area and building development, working on vision, concept, programmatic strategy, and organizational models.
2. Program and Event Revenue: Through Stichting BANK15, the foundation generates revenue from cultural and educational programs including Kweektuin (music), Figuurlijk (art), Proefwerk (food), and Vaktaal (education/culture). These programs offer makers space to grow, experiment, and gain visibility.
3. Space Activation and Programming: BANK15 develops temporary functions and activities for development areas to create dynamic atmosphere, including events, exhibition spaces, ateliers, and workspaces for creative makers. This includes the transformation of historical sites like De Glasfabriek in Schiedam.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BANK15 designs social infrastructure for areas and buildings, translating social dynamics into programmatic building blocks for area and building development. The practice supports municipalities, real estate developers, and cultural institutions with vision, concept, programmatic strategy, and organizational models, complemented by four Living Lab programs (Kweektuin for music, Figuurlijk for art, Proefwerk for food, Vaktaal for education/culture) operated through Stichting BANK15.

Product overview

BANK15 is a social infrastructure design practice (Makersbureau) that develops programmatic systems for buildings and areas. The company operates through a portfolio of Living Lab programs (Kweektuin for music, Figuurlijk for art, Proefwerk for food, and Vaktaal for education) that serve as both creative platforms for makers and structural building blocks for urban development. The programs are complemented by BANK15 in Residence, offering temporary residencies for artists, and are supported by Stichting BANK15, a foundation that drives the societal mission. Together, these offerings create a unified approach where creativity, encounter, and entrepreneurship form the basis for sustainable social and economic value in cities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kweektuin Music program providing professional podium experience for music makers, creating shared listening experiences and space for artists to grow. Operated by Stichting BANK15 in collaboration with partners such as T&D Rotterdam and Laurenskerk Rotterdam.
• Figuurlijk Art, design and performance program in public space, creating opportunities for artists to share their practice with the public and produce installations and exhibitions.
• Proefwerk Food program for innovative foodmakers, providing space for culinary experimentation, growth, and audience engagement.
• Vaktaal Educational community for makers, thinkers and doers, offering learning environments and knowledge sharing across culture and community.
• BANK15 in Residence Temporary maker residency program offering spaces in museums and factory halls where artists, musicians, and creative makers can experiment, meet, and grow, creating durable connections between makers, institutions, and communities. Implemented with partners such as TextielMuseum.
• Social Infrastructure Design Services Consulting and design services for municipalities, real estate developers, and cultural institutions on vision, concept, programmatic strategy, and organizational models for areas and buildings. Includes work on area activation, temporary programming, community building, and place identity development for projects such as De Glasfabriek (Schiedam), Utrecht Jaarbeursplein, and Amstelkwartier (Amsterdam).

Quantifiable outcome

• 273.75% ROI within 3 years at De Glasfabriek with stable rental income
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VolkerWesselscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Three-year partnership to develop BANK15 Tilburg in a former bank building, combining horeca, ateliers, events, and art into a dynamic space. Achieved profitable operation with social value within 3 years, demonstrating BANK15's model for creative hub development.
• T&D RotterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Kweektuin music program - professional podium experiences for musicians in Rotterdam venues including Laurenskerk.
• Laurenskerk RotterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for Kweektuin music program performances, hosting events like the May 2024 program featuring Hayo Boerema, Gaidaa, Cero Ismael, Kaya Imani, and Ju'lia.
• BlauwhoedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on De Glasfabriek placemaking project in Schiedam - transformation of historical glass factory terrain into creative residential neighborhood.
• DudokcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on De Glasfabriek placemaking project - historical factory terrain transformation within Dutch Distillers District.
• AM (AM bouw en ontwikkeling)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Utrecht Jaarbeursplein transformation - cultural and social hub development near central station, working with Heatherwick Studio and Barcode Architects.
• BAMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTender collaboration on Amstelkwartier in Amsterdam with architect Paul de Ruiter - multifunctional building development emphasizing sustainability and social connection.
• Heatherwick StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign collaboration on Utrecht Jaarbeursplein project - cylindrical structures accessible from all sides for dynamic meeting place.
• Barcode ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign collaboration on Utrecht Jaarbeursplein project with Heatherwick Studio.
• TextielMuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBANK15 in Residence program partner - temporary maker residencies in museum setting for experimentation and growth.
• HeinekenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner supporting BANK15 programs and events.
• ASMLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEindhoven collaboration on programs connecting international communities including creative exchanges with India.
• TU EindhovenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEindhoven collaboration on creative community programs connecting locals, expats, students, and makers.
• Gemeente EindhovenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal partnership on Eindhoven creative community development.
• Zwarte HondminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUtrecht Jaarbeursplein project collaboration.
• OkraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUtrecht Jaarbeursplein project collaboration.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Heijmans: Large Dutch construction and area-development company that designs, builds, and operates Dutch neighborhoods end-to-end; comparable ecosystem player to BANK15's developer clients (AM, BAM, VolkerWessels) and a potential acquirer or scale partner for social-infrastructure capabilities.

Direct peers

• Studio Makkink & Bey: Dutch practice working at the intersection of architecture, design, and social programming; comparable in using cultural and community programs as structural components of spatial design, similar to BANK15's Living Lab integration into buildings and areas.
• LOLA Landscape Architects: Dutch landscape architecture firm that designs public and urban landscapes with a strong social and ecological programming layer; comparable to BANK15 in connecting place-making, community activation, and developer/municipal project delivery in the Netherlands.
• Gehl: Global consultancy designing cities and buildings around social life and public space; directly comparable to BANK15's social-infrastructure design practice, with overlapping municipal and developer clients and a similar evidence-based, people-centered methodology.
• ZUS (Zones Urbaines Sensibles): Dutch urbanism practice that designs area visions and social frameworks for complex Dutch redevelopments; comparable in collaborating with municipalities and developers on identity, programming, and community integration for new neighborhoods.
• Project for Public Spaces: US-based nonprofit consultancy that pioneered the placemaking methodology BANK15 applies; comparable in advising cities and developers on activating public and semi-public spaces, with a similar emphasis on programming, community, and measurable social outcomes.
• FABRICations: Dutch architecture and research practice focused on urban development, densification, and community-oriented design; comparable to BANK15 in advising Dutch municipalities and developers on socially embedded, programming-rich redevelopment strategies.

Broad incumbents

• MVRDV: Major Rotterdam-based architecture firm active on Dutch mixed-use redevelopments; comparable as a co-delivery partner for projects of the scale and type BANK15 works on (e.g., Jaarbeursplein-class), though operating from a much broader architectural and commercial base.
• KCAP: Rotterdam-based architecture and urban planning firm working on large-scale Dutch and European area developments; comparable in pairing with developers and municipalities on multi-year, mixed-use redevelopments like BANK15's Jaarbeursplein and Amstelkwartier engagements, though with a broader architectural remit.

Emerging players

• Crimson Architectural Historians: Dutch practice specializing in heritage, adaptive reuse, and storytelling around existing buildings; comparable to BANK15 in turning underused or historical sites (e.g., De Glasfabriek) into socially activated destinations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bank15
• Instagraminstagram.com/bank15nl
• Facebookfacebook.com/BANK15NL

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 BANK15