Coopérative la Ciguë

What Coopérative la Ciguë does

Coopérative la Ciguë is an independent, non-profit, participatory housing cooperative headquartered at 23 Boulevard du Pont-d'Arve in Geneva, Switzerland. It provides low-cost, unfurnished room rentals to students, apprentices, and interns aged 18 or older whose monthly income is below CHF 3,000 and who can document at least 12 hours per week of training activity. Rents range from CHF 150 to CHF 550 per room (average ~CHF 350), priced approximately 40-45% below Geneva market rates, and the maximum stay is 5 years. The cooperative currently houses approximately 800 residents, with ~50 actively involved in governance through General Assemblies, a Board of Directors, committees, and an allocation committee.

The underlying operating model is participatory housing management rather than a software platform. Core mechanics include mandatory in-person introductory sessions (with occasional online sessions) led by volunteer residents, a rolling 2-month mailing list of 250-300 prospective residents, and an allocation system in which current apartment residents screen candidates and choose their next roommate; there is no reservation or waiting list. A small work team of 9 part-time staff — covering reception, accounting, administration, rental management, external relations, technical services, and internal communications — supports the operations, while external-relations staff actively pursue new housing stock and construction projects.

The business model is a subscription-style recurring rental-income model with no disclosed revenue figure. As a non-profit cooperative, rents are set to cover operational costs and the small staff rather than to generate profit; the entity is owned and controlled by its members, with no external parent, no funding rounds, and no venture-capital involvement. Revenue is highly fragmented across ~800 individual tenants, and the organization supplements its housing activity with ancillary offerings such as event-space rental in common rooms. Distribution is direct: rooms are allocated through the community-led process described above, with a referral relationship to peer organization AGLAE for overflow demand.

Name

Coopérative la Ciguë

Legal name

Coopérative la Ciguë

Website

https://cigue.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Non-profit participatory housing cooperative in Geneva, Switzerland, providing subsidized room rentals (average CHF 350/month) to students, apprentices, and interns earning under CHF 3,000/month, with approximately 800 residents governed through a member-led allocation and committee structure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cooperative Housing Services

NAICS

Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers' Camps (72131)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Co-Living Private Rooms (Short-Term) (THAMABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Traditional Dormitory Hostels (THAMAIAA), Senior & Transitional Monthly Housing (THAMAFAJ)

Keywords

• Student housing cooperative
• Affordable rental housing
• Cooperative living
• Community housing services
• Non-profit housing

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Rental income: Revenue is generated from monthly rental payments from residents. The cooperative operates on a non-profit basis where rents cover operational costs and the small part-time work team. On average, two rooms become available per week at La Ciguë.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Coopérative la Ciguë rents affordable rooms within seven community-run dwellings in Geneva, Switzerland, primarily to students, apprentices, and interns, at monthly rates ranging from CHF 150 to CHF 550 (average CHF 350). The cooperative is member-governed through General Assemblies, committees, and a board, and operates as a non-profit participatory cooperative. In addition to housing, it offers event-space rental and an "Offer us housing" intake service for prospective residents.

Product overview

Coopérative la Ciguë is a non-profit, participatory housing cooperative in Geneva, Switzerland that provides low-cost community housing for students and people in training. The organization functions as a unified service rather than a platform with modular products, offering room allocation, rental management, and participatory governance services through its membership system. Members receive access to housing, and the cooperative's operations are managed collectively with resident involvement in governance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Affordable room rental (Cooperative Housing)
• Event space rental
• "Offer us housing" intake service

Quantifiable outcome

• Rents 40-45% below market rates in Geneva (ranging from CHF 150-550 with average of CHF 350)

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AGLAE (Association Genevoise pour le Logement des Apprentis et Etudiants)minorOthersReferral partner for student housing in Geneva. AGLAE is another student housing organization in Geneva that La Ciguë recommends to those seeking housing when they cannot accommodate them.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stiftung Basler Studentenwohnheime: Direct peer: Basel-based foundation operating student dormitories and affordable housing for students and trainees. Comparable non-profit structure providing subsidized rooms to similar segments as La Ciguë.
• WOKO Studentische Wohngenossenschaft: Direct peer: Zurich-based student housing cooperative offering affordable rooms to students, apprentices, and trainees. Operates the same non-profit cooperative model as La Ciguë but at significantly larger scale across the Zurich student market.
• AGLAE (Association Genevoise pour le Logement des Apprentis et Etudiants): Direct peer: Geneva-based non-profit providing affordable housing for apprentices and students. La Ciguë maintains a formal referral partnership with AGLAE when it cannot accommodate applicants, making them the most directly comparable organization in the same city.
• Studentendorf Adlershof: Direct peer: Berlin-based cooperative student village offering affordable co-living for students with strong participatory governance. Closest international analogue to La Ciguë's community-led, non-profit model.
• Stiftung Jugendwohnungen Winterthur: Direct peer: Non-profit foundation in Winterthur providing affordable housing for young people in education and training. Highly comparable model, serving the same persona (students/apprentices) with subsidized rents.

Regional players

• La Maison de St. Laurent: Regional peer: Student and young-worker housing provider in Lausanne region offering affordable community-style housing. Comparable target customer (students and trainees) but operating in a different Swiss geography.

Emerging players

• Spotahome / HousingAnywhere: Emerging player: Digital marketplace platforms for student and trainee accommodation across Europe. Serve the same end customer (international students/apprentices) but via a marketplace model rather than owned/operated housing.

Broad incumbents

• UniverCity Co-op (various Swiss university residences): Broad incumbent: Swiss university housing offices (UNIGE, UNIBE, ETH) operate large student residence portfolios. They compete for the same customer segment but as institutional, scaled players rather than cooperative-driven operators.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/coop%C3%A9rative-la-cigu%C3%AB

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 Coopérative la Ciguë