cmip
c-base e.V. is a Berlin-based non-profit hackerspace founded in 1995 that operates a community venue, server and network infrastructure, and a recurring calendar of tech meetups and workshops for technology enthusiasts, makers, and free-software user groups, funded by membership fees, sponsorships, and event rentals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What cmip does
c-base e.V. is a Berlin-based, non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein, VR 16105 B) operating a hacker and makerspace community venue at Rungestraße 20, 10179 Berlin-Mitte. Founded in 1995 and branded as the "Raumstation unter Berlin" (space station under Berlin), the association provides physical infrastructure — a main hall, seminar rooms, server hosting, and network connectivity — for technology education, skill sharing, and digital culture programming. Its activities are anchored by recurring community events including the NixOS Stammtisch (Tuesdays), the c-lounge (Thursdays), and the monthly Netzpolitischer Abend co-hosted with Digitale Gesellschaft, alongside user-group meetups for Ubuntu Berlin, Drupal, Pure Data, Python, and other free-software communities.
The organization serves individual tech enthusiasts, makers, and workshop organizers, and operates a multi-channel marketing footprint across Mastodon, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, GitHub, Vimeo, and its own logbuch blog and audio blog. It does not sell a software product; its "core technology" is the physical venue itself plus the network and server infrastructure that supports events and member projects. c-base is supported in kind by infrastructure partners SysEleven (hosting) and IPB (Internet Provider Berlin, providing transit, server housing, and IP traffic), with prior corporate sponsorship from Archimedes, Google, and Immobilienscout 24.
The revenue model is a hybrid of subscription, service, and donation income: monthly membership fees (with a private Fördermitgliedschaft tier starting at 5 EUR/month and corporate supporting membership priced at roughly 10x regular rates), seminar room rentals for external organizers, fees for select workshops and courses (e.g., 2-hour programming introductions at 25 EUR/person, 5 EUR for members), and donations or sponsorship — with tax-deductible donation receipts issued for contributions of 27 EUR or more per year. Governance is by an elected Vorstand (board) chaired by Sebastian 'smile' Seitz, with Andre 'teco' Helwig overseeing finance, Uwe 'uk' Kamper as spokesperson, Miriam 'miramar' Schroeter as secretary, and board members Maximilian 'lassulus' Habryka and Leah 'hrmny' Ullmann. The association has a 30-year operating history, has never raised external funding, and has no disclosed revenue, parent entity, or subsidiaries.
cmip firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- cmip
- Legal name
- c-base e.V.
- Website
- https://cmip.c-base.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- c-base e.V. is a Berlin-based non-profit hackerspace founded in 1995 that operates a community venue, server and network infrastructure, and a recurring calendar of tech meetups and workshops for technology enthusiasts, makers, and free-software user groups, funded by membership fees, sponsorships, and event rentals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
cmip industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Hacker/Makerspace
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (81392)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Event Rentals (Furniture, Staging, Tents) (HSACADAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management (THAHACAM)
Keywords
Where cmip is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
cmip business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Regular members pay monthly membership fees (amount set by member assembly). Supporting members (Fördermitglieder) pay significantly higher rates, with private supporters paying minimum 5 EUR/month and corporate supporters paying negotiated rates typically 10x regular membership.
- Seminar Room Rental: The space generates revenue through renting out seminar rooms for workshops, events, and courses. Event organizers can book the space for their own purposes while remaining open to members.
- Workshop and Course Fees: Some workshops and courses charge fees. For example, programming courses at 25 EUR/person (5 EUR for members). Some workshops are free with donations requested.
- Donations and Sponsorship: The organization accepts donations and receives sponsorship support from companies like SysEleven (hosting) and IPB (internet access). Sponsors receive recognition in publications and may host one event per year.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Regular Membership - Standard monthly membership fee |
| Subscription | Monthly | Private Fördermitgliedschaft - Private supporting membership |
| Subscription | Monthly | Corporate/Enterprise Supporting Membership |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Programming Course - Tech Education Workshop |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Various Workshops and Seminars |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
cmip product offering
Product offeringCore offering
c-base e.V. operates a non-profit hacker/makerspace in Berlin, providing physical community space, server and network infrastructure, and event facilities for technology enthusiasts. It sells memberships (regular, private supporting, and corporate supporting tiers), rents seminar rooms to external organizers, and runs workshops and meetups on topics such as programming, free software, and digital rights.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Regular Membership
- Private Supporting Membership (Fördermitgliedschaft)
- Corporate/Enterprise Supporting Membership
- Seminar Room Rental
- Programming Course (Tech Education Workshop)
- Community Meetups and Events
Companies that use cmip
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
cmip technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
cmip partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SysElevencoreSysEleven provides hosting services for c-base, including this website, the logbuch blog, and the audio blog. This is critical infrastructure support for the organization's digital presence.
- IPB (Internet Provider Berlin)coreIPB provides internet connectivity, server housing, and IP traffic for c-base infrastructure. Essential for operating the space's network and online services.
- Digitale GesellschaftcoreCollaboration with Digitale Gesellschaft for monthly 'Netzpolitischer Abend' (network policy evening) held on the first Tuesday of each month at 20:00. c-base serves as the venue host.
- AutodeskminorMaterial provider for projects (Helfer/sponsor).
- AXIS CommunicationsminorMaterial provider for projects.
- bytecampminorMaterial provider for projects.
- Heinrich Suhr (Private Individual)minorPrivate individual who provided material support.
- Helmut Krause (Private Individual)minorPrivate individual who provided material support.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
cmip competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NYC Resistor: Long-running Brooklyn hackerspace founded in 2007 with similar membership model, workshop culture, and community-event programming. Analogous US peer in mission and operating model.
- Metalab: Hackerspace in Vienna operating as a non-profit association with membership model, physical infrastructure, and community events. Closest structural analog to c-base outside Germany.
- Chaosdorf: Hackerspace in Düsseldorf organized as a registered association with members, regular events, and shared technical infrastructure. Directly comparable German hacker-community peer.
- xHain hack+makespace: Berlin-based hackerspace founded by former c-base members. Directly comparable as a community-run makerspace in the same city, offering similar infrastructure and programming for tech enthusiasts.
- Fab Lab Berlin: Berlin-based fabrication and maker lab offering workspace, equipment access, and workshops. Directly comparable as a community-oriented makerspace in the same city, with similar membership and workshop-revenue model.
- Noisebridge: San Francisco hackerspace organized as a non-profit with membership-driven operations and community events. Directly comparable mission and operational structure to c-base.
Regional players
- Betahaus Berlin: Berlin coworking space with event/workshop programming and corporate memberships. Adjacent peer offering comparable venue-rental and community-event functionality, though focused on broader coworking rather than tech hacking specifically.
Broad incumbents
- Chaos Computer Club (CCC): Germany's largest and most established hacker association, also focused on digital rights and free software. Comparable to c-base as a non-profit, community-driven tech organization, but operates at national scale rather than a single physical venue.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
cmip social profiles
Digital presencecmip financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
cmip leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
cmip funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
cmip M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about cmip
What does cmip do?
c-base e.V. operates a non-profit hacker/makerspace in Berlin, providing physical community space, server and network infrastructure, and event facilities for technology enthusiasts. It sells memberships (regular, private supporting, and corporate supporting tiers), rents seminar rooms to external organizers, and runs workshops and meetups on topics such as programming, free software, and digital rights.
Is cmip a public or private company?
cmip is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was cmip founded?
cmip was founded in 1995. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is cmip based?
cmip is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does cmip make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are seminar Room Rental, workshop and Course Fees and donations and Sponsorship.
Who are cmip's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NYC Resistor, Metalab, Chaosdorf, xHain hack+makespace, Fab Lab Berlin and Noisebridge. Betahaus Berlin is listed as a regional player. Chaos Computer Club (CCC) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does cmip have an API?
No public API is recorded for cmip.
What industry is cmip in?
cmip's product category is Community Hacker/Makerspace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSACADAI, Corporate Event Rentals (Furniture, Staging, Tents), with a secondary code of THAHACAM, Virtual/Hybrid Conference Production & Platform Management. Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 7997.