What Marineterrein Amsterdam does

Marineterrein Amsterdam is a public urban innovation district and living lab on a former naval base in central Amsterdam, jointly owned by the Dutch national government (Rijk) and the Municipality of Amsterdam under a governance agreement signed December 5, 2013. It functions as a physical experimentation environment where 50+ organizations and 600 students work on adaptive urban solutions across mobility, water, energy, food, climate resilience, and digitalization. The site operates as both a curated tenant community and a venue platform, with anchor tenants including AMS Institute (a joint research venture of WUR, TU Delft, and MIT), Roboat (autonomous vessel R&D), MINDBase (defense innovation), Impact Hub Amsterdam, and ROC van Amsterdam.

Its product surface is dominated by venue and space rentals rather than technology products. Rentable assets include Commandantszaal (€700/day full-day, capacity 60), Studio de Kat (max 15 persons), Schietbaan (cultural venue), Codam Auditorium (up to 100 persons, €1,750-€5,000/day with optional AV support), Academy Pictures Classroom (€350/day), Lighthouse coworking (€200/month for 2-3 days/week or €350/month for 5 days/week), and Techlab children's technology education. Additional on-site F&B and hospitality include Brouwerij Homeland, Restaurant Scheepskameel, Kanteen25, and Rooms25 accommodations. The organization also runs experiments and pilot programs such as Roboat, the Green Holistic System (a nature-based rooftop water and biodiversity platform with 40+ native plant species), and the recently opened Binnenhaven swimming area with water-quality monitoring.

Its revenue mechanics are a hybrid of subscription coworking memberships, pay-as-you-go venue rentals, and event-hosting service fees, complemented by an active programming calendar of summer events, weekly activities, and a podcast. Customer segments span startups and scale-ups testing urban solutions, knowledge institutions and researchers, impact-makers and social entrepreneurs, government and defense entities, and event organizers. Daily operations have been managed by Voets+TEPP since September 15, 2025, replacing Bureau Marineterrein which had managed the site from 2013. Because Marineterrein is a public-state entity rather than a commercial company, its activities are not structured to maximize profit; commercial venue and coworking income is incremental to its public-purpose mission of keeping Amsterdam livable.

Name

Marineterrein Amsterdam

Legal name

Marineterrein Amsterdam

Website

https://marineterrein.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marineterrein Amsterdam is a publicly-owned urban innovation district and living lab on a former naval base in Amsterdam, jointly governed by the Dutch government and the Municipality of Amsterdam. It hosts 50+ organizations and 600 students working on urban solutions, and generates revenue primarily through venue rentals, coworking memberships, and event hosting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Office Space Rental: Rental of office spaces to organizations working on urban challenges. Spaces are offered to startups, scale-ups, and organizations engaged in future work, living, and testing solutions for urban questions.
2. Venue and Room Rental: Rental of various venues including Commandantszaal (up to 60 persons), Studio de Kat (max 15 persons), Schietbaan, Codam Auditorium, and classrooms. Catering included with some venues.
3. Event Hosting: Hosting events and experiments on the terrain. Organizations, researchers, and makers use the terrain to test ideas, share knowledge, and bring people together.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Marineterrein Amsterdam operates a public urban innovation district and living lab that rents office space, coworking facilities, and event venues to startups, knowledge institutions, government entities, and impact-driven organizations. The terrain also hosts educational programs for children and serves as a real-world testing ground for urban innovation experiments covering mobility, water management, energy, food, and sustainability.

Product overview

Marineterrein Amsterdam is a living lab and innovation district in Amsterdam, not a technology product company. Its offering consists of physical spaces and programs: event venues for hire (Commandantszaal, Studio de Kat, Schietbaan, Codam Auditorium, Academy Pictures Classroom), coworking space (Lighthouse), educational programs (Techlab Marineterrein for children's technology education), and hosts innovation hubs including MINDBase (defense innovation), AMS Institute (metropolitan research), and Roboat (autonomous boat research). The organization provides workspace rental, venue booking, and serves as a testing ground for urban innovation experiments rather than selling software products or technology services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commandantszaal Historic multifunctional event space in a former commander's residence, suitable for meetings, workshops, and business events with capacity for up to 60 persons. Catering is included with venue rental.
• Studio de Kat Maker space and meeting room for workshops, sharing, and learning activities with capacity for up to 15 people.
• Schietbaan Former shooting range converted into a cultural and arts venue with indoor space, outdoor square, bleachers, and roof available for artistic projects and cultural programming.
• Codam Auditorium Ultra-modern event space at Codam with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, suitable for seminars, workshops, and conferences up to 100 people.
• Academy Pictures Classroom High-tech classroom with 86-inch digital board, full blackout capabilities, and recording equipment, available Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday for rental.
• Lighthouse Coworking Flexible coworking space for impact makers, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and startups, with subscription membership options for part-time (The Light, 2-3 days/week) and full-time (The House, 5 days/week) use.
• Techlab Marineterrein Summer technology education program for children aged 6-12, offering hands-on experiments with 3D printers, robots, VR, and mini-computers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50+ organizations and 600 students working on urban innovation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Voets+TEPPcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 15 September 2025Since September 15, 2025, Voets+TEPP manages daily operations of Marineterrein including buildings, outdoor spaces, tenant contact, programming, and communications. Previously Bureau Marineterrein managed from 2013 to September 2025.
• RoboatcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Autonomous vessel technology developer headquartered at Marineterrein. Developing self-navigating boats using LIDAR, cameras, and GPS. Binnenhaven serves as experimentation space for testing autonomous navigation in urban waterways.
• Gemeente AmsterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020City of Amsterdam collaborates on urban innovation projects including autonomous vessel testing, smart city initiatives, and urban development of Marineterrein.
• AMS InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Collaborates with Roboat and municipality on autonomous vessel research and urban waterway innovation projects.
• WaternetminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Water management organization collaborating with Roboat on developing sensors for continuous water quality measurement in Amsterdam's waterways.
• AMS Institute (Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2013Joint research institute of Wageningen University & Research, TU Delft, and MIT. Located on Marineterrein, AMS Institute works on solutions for metropolitan challenges including mobility, energy, digitalization, climate resilience, circularity, and food. Hosts MSc MADE program and connects researchers, students, and entrepreneurs.
• Rijk (Dutch Government)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2013National government signed governance agreement with municipality in December 2013 to develop Marineterrein as adaptive and innovative urban district. Government responsible for terrain ownership and transition planning.
• TU DelftcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2013Technical University of Delft is one of the founding partners of AMS Institute, contributing research capabilities and students to metropolitan innovation projects.
• Wageningen University & Research (WUR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2013WUR is founding partner of AMS Institute, contributing expertise in sustainability, food systems, and environmental research to metropolitan solutions.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2013MIT collaborates with AMS Institute on metropolitan research and innovation, contributing international perspective and research capabilities to urban solution development.
• Impact Hub Global NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of worldwide Impact Hub network with 500,000+ impact makers across 127 locations in 68 countries, enabling international connections and knowledge sharing.
• Green Holistic System (GHS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational team developing sustainable rooftop systems combining rainwater harvesting, biodiversity, and thermal insulation. Collaborates with AMS Institute on second prototype development.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HafenCity Hamburg: Waterfront urban redevelopment project transforming a former port area into a mixed-use district with research, residential, and commercial uses. Closest analogue to Marineterrein's conversion of a historic waterfront/military site into an innovation district.
• Impact Hub: Global network of impact-focused coworking and incubation hubs of which Impact Hub Amsterdam (a Marineterrein tenant) is part. Both curate impact-driven tenants, program community events, and run flexible membership models.
• CIC (Cambridge Innovation Center): Operates large innovation campuses combining coworking, wet/dry labs, and event venues under one roof — closely paralleling Marineterrein's mix of Lighthouse coworking, event spaces, and innovation tenants. Both monetize a curated tenant ecosystem rather than standalone office space.
• 22@Barcelona: Urban innovation district that converted a former industrial area into a mixed-use tech and research cluster. Mirrors Marineterrein's adaptive reuse model, public-private governance, and academic-anchor strategy (with universities and research centers on site).
• Pier 70 San Francisco: Waterfront redevelopment of a former shipyard/industrial site into a mixed-use district with makers, tech, arts, and event venues. Mirrors Marineterrein's waterfront location, adaptive reuse of industrial heritage, and mixed tenant strategy.
• Brooklyn Navy Yard: Former U.S. naval shipyard repurposed into an industrial and innovation hub hosting manufacturers, tech tenants, and workforce programs. Shares Marineterrein's DNA of converting a historic naval/military site into a working innovation ecosystem.
• The Hague Security Delta: Largest security cluster in Europe, hosting companies, knowledge institutions, and government under one governance umbrella. Directly comparable to the MINDBase defense-innovation anchor at Marineterrein, including the dual-use research focus.
• Singapore one-north: Master-planned mixed-use innovation district in Singapore managed by JTC, blending R&D, media, startups, and education. Comparable in governance (state-led), tenant curation, and ambition to position the city as a global innovation hub.

Regional players

• Amsterdam Science Park: Innovation district in Amsterdam hosting research institutes, university programs, and tech companies. Comparable tenant mix and city-level positioning, though located outside the historic center rather than on a former military site.
• Eindhoven Brainport: Dutch innovation ecosystem centered on high-tech manufacturing and cross-university collaboration. Operates under a similar public-private Dutch governance model and competes for the same pool of Dutch and European innovation tenants.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/marineterrein
• Instagraminstagram.com/marineterreinamsterdam
• Facebookfacebook.com/MarineterreinAmsterdam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marineterrein-amsterdam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Marineterrein Amsterdam