Curiosum

What Curiosum does

Curiosum is a science center operating as a unit within Umeå University in Umeå, Sweden, founded in 2020 through the merger of two predecessor initiatives, Umevatoriet and Sliperiet. It serves the general public, schools from preschool through upper secondary, researchers, and corporate clients through interactive exhibitions, hands-on STEM workshops, and a 70-seat dome theater (Wisdome Umeå) equipped with a 12-meter diameter screen, six 4K projectors, and a 7.2 surround sound system. The center also operates a Makerspace combining digital fabrication tools (3D printers, laser cutters, digital embroidery machines) with traditional equipment (sewing machines, soldering stations), plus dedicated Chemistry and Technology labs. Its core products include school programs aligned with the Swedish curriculum, birthday party packages, evening programs for youth (CuriosumClub), adult-focused Curiosum Space lectures, and the C. upp! outreach program that travels with a portable Cuppolen dome theater to schools across Västerbotten county.

Curiosum's business model is hybrid and institutional in nature. Core operational funding comes from Umeå University in collaboration with Umeå Municipality, with significant capital and program support from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (Wisdome project) and Marcus and Amalia Wallenbergs Minnesfond (C. upp! program). Earned revenue is a secondary stream, generated from admission fees (120 SEK adult, 100 SEK senior/student, free for ages 0–19), annual passes (400 SEK), multi-visit cards, birthday party bookings (500 SEK base), venue rentals for external events (Nyfiket café, Wisdome dome, Black Box), and on-site shop and café sales. The center operates as a direct-to-consumer physical venue with additional digital channels for ticketing and school bookings, and pursues a direct field-sales motion for outreach to schools. As one of five hub venues in the national Wisdome Consortium, it also participates in content-sharing and collaborative science communication initiatives across Sweden.

Name

Curiosum

Legal name

Curiosum - en del av Umeå universitet

Website

https://curiosum.umu.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Curiosum is a public science center at Umeå University in Sweden that provides interactive STEM exhibits, a dome theater, makerspace, and school programs for the general public, schools, and corporate event clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Science Education Center

NAICS

Museums (712110), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual Field Trips & Experiential Learning Environments (Museums, Geography, History) (EDAFAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

STEM & Lab Simulation Media (Virtual Labs, AR/VR) (EDAGALAF)

Keywords

• Science center education
• Interactive STEM exhibits
• Planetarium dome theater
• Makerspace prototyping workshops
• School outreach programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Umeå

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Admission Fees: Revenue from paid admission to Curiosum's exhibitions and dome theater shows. Children and youth aged 0–19 have free admission; adults pay 120 SEK, seniors/students 100 SEK. Annual passes (400 SEK) and multi-visit cards are also sold.
2. Institutional Funding: Core operational funding from Umeå University in collaboration with Umeå Municipality. Curiosum is a unit of Umeå University.
3. Venue and Facility Rental: Revenue from renting facilities including the Nyfiket café/event space (up to 70 people), Wisdome dome theater, and Black Box. Catering to businesses, organizations, universities, and other groups for events and activities.
4. Shop Sales: Retail sales of toys, books, and gifts with a scientific twist in the on-site shop, plus gift cards applicable to shop items and admission.
5. Birthday Party Packages: Birthday party bookings (base price 500 SEK) including private chemistry lab sessions, dome theater screenings, and reserved café space.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Curiosum is a public-facing science center at Umeå University that delivers hands-on science and technology experiences through interactive exhibitions, a 70-seat immersive dome theater (Wisdome Umeå), a makerspace prototyping workshop, chemistry and technology labs, themed school programs from preschool through upper secondary, youth clubs, birthday party packages, and the C. upp! mobile outreach program serving schools across Västerbotten County via a portable inflatable dome (Cuppolen).

Product overview

Curiosum is a science center at Umeå University offering a comprehensive portfolio of interactive science and technology experiences. The core offering centers on hands-on exhibitions and workshops at the physical venue, featuring the Wisdome Umeå dome theater (a 70-seat immersive planetarium), the Makerspace prototyping workshop, Chemistry Lab, and Technology Lab. The center serves visitors of all ages through various programs including birthday parties, ScienceClub activities for youth aged 9-19, and the ForskarFredag science festival. For educational institutions, Curiosum provides extensive school programs across multiple age groups (preschool through upper secondary) featuring themed activities like Space Escape, LEGO robotics, stop motion filmmaking, and curriculum-aligned STEM workshops. The C. upp! outreach program extends these experiences to schools throughout Västerbotten County via mobile activities and the portable Cuppolen dome theater. Supporting amenities include Café Nyfiket and an associated shop. The center also offers venue rental for external events in its Black Box, Nyfiket, and Wisdome facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wisdome Umeå: Dome theater with 70 seats equipped with 360° screen and state-of-the-art projection and sound technology offering immersive experiences. Part of the national Wisdome collaboration between five Swedish science centers.
• Café Nyfiket
• Curiosum Makerspace
• C. upp!

Products and services

• Wisdome Umeå A 70-seat dome theater featuring a 360° projection system with six 4K projectors and 7.2 surround sound on a 12-meter dome screen, offering immersive planetarium shows and dome films on space, science, and the universe. Open to the public as part of general admission and as standalone ticketed shows.
• Curiosum Makerspace A prototyping workshop equipped with digital fabrication tools (3D printer, laser cutter, digital embroidery machine, cutting plotter with heat press, microcontrollers) and traditional tools (sewing machines, industrial overlock/straight stitch/leather machine, band loom, soldering stations, steam station). Available on Wednesdays to visitors aged 13 and up, with admission pricing separate from main center entry.
• School Programs Educational programs for preschools, elementary schools (grades 2, 5, 8), and upper secondary schools, offering themed visits including Space Escape, chemistry detective activities, LEGO robotics, stop motion filmmaking, math workshops, and planetarium visits aligned with Swedish curriculum standards. Free for Umeå municipal schools.
• C. upp! Outreach Program Curiosum's outreach program bringing STEM activities to schools across Västerbotten County, featuring LEGO robot programming, Space Escape escape room challenges, and mobile dome theater experiences (Cuppolen) for schools outside Umeå. Free for participating schools.
• CuriosumClub / ScienceClub Evening activities and workshops for children and young people aged 9–19, offering STEM-focused experiences including chemistry lab experiments, Makerspace activities, coding, and space exploration.
• Chemistry Lab Hands-on chemistry laboratory experiences where visitors of all ages can conduct experiments and explore chemical phenomena under guided supervision.
• Technology Lab Technology-focused activities including LEGO robot programming, coding challenges, and other hands-on tech experiences for visitors.
• Birthday Parties at Curiosum Birthday party packages for children including chemistry lab sessions, film screenings in Wisdome Umeå, and snacks at Café Nyfiket, held on Sundays. Base price 500 SEK per party (up to 20 children).
• ForskarFredag (Researcher's Night) Sweden's largest science festival held annually, featuring open house events at Curiosum with researchers, activities, and experiences for the whole family. Curiosum also hosts school programs during the festival.
• Curiosum Space Adult-focused evening events combining popular science lectures with immersive planetarium shows in Wisdome Umeå, exploring space and the universe.
• Venue Rental (Black Box, Nyfiket, Wisdome) Rental of Curiosum's facilities including the Black Box event space, Café Nyfiket (up to 70 people with presentation equipment), and Wisdome dome theater for external events and activities. Internal Umeå University pricing: 1,764 SEK/half day, 2,943 SEK/full day. External pricing: 2,850 SEK/half day, 4,268 SEK/full day (excluding VAT).
• Café Nyfiket and Shop On-site café offering coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and light refreshments, plus a retail shop selling scientific toys, books, and gifts with a scientific theme. Gift cards available applicable to shop items and admission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free admission for all children and youth aged 0–19 removes financial barriers to science engagement
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ESERO SwedenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024ESERO Sweden (European Space Education Resource Office) partners with Curiosum on space-themed events and classroom activities. Through C. upp!, ESERO offers events focused on space science for upper secondary students.
• InnovatumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Innovatum collaborated with Curiosum to develop the Space Escape educational game (escape room scenario based on Apollo 13), used in both on-site school programs and the C. upp! outreach program.
• Umeå MunicipalitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Umeå Municipality is a co-founder and primary funder of Curiosum alongside Umeå University. The municipality's Director of Education (Ann-Christine Gradin), CEO of Visit Umeå (Gabriella Hed-Vall), and Deputy Business Director (Åsa Fällman) serve on Curiosum's steering group. The municipality also provides support through Umeå kommun's Kompiskort accessibility program.
• Umeå UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Curiosum is a unit of Umeå University. The university provides institutional funding and access to researchers for educational activities. The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Patrik Danielsson) chairs Curiosum's steering group. Researchers collaborate on exhibitions, workshops, and science communication projects.
• Wisdome Consortium (Visualization Center C, Universeum, Technical Museum Stockholm, Malmö Museum)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Wisdome is a collaboration between five prominent Swedish science centers funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. Curiosum is one of the five hub venues. The consortium creates immersive dome theater experiences, shares educational content, and develops innovative science communication platforms.
• Umeå Kommuns KompiskortminorOthersCuriosum is connected to Umeå municipality's Kompiskort program, which provides free admission for companions accompanying visitors with functional variations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Umevatoriet: Predecessor science center initiative that merged with Sliperiet to form Curiosum in 2020. Relevant as a historical peer because it represents the prior incarnation of Curiosum's outreach mission in Västerbotten.

Direct peers

• Visualization Center C: Norrköping-based science center and Wisdome consortium member specializing in visualization and immersive dome experiences. Directly comparable to Curiosum on dome content co-development and STEM visualization mission.
• Universeum: Sweden's largest science center in Gothenburg and a fellow Wisdome consortium hub. Universeum operates a similar mix of immersive dome theater, hands-on labs, and school programs, making it the closest analog in scale and mission to Curiosum.
• Tom Tits Experiment: Stockholm-area science center offering hands-on STEM experiments, school programs, and immersive experiences. Comparable to Curiosum as a Swedish family-focused science center with broad age-group programming and school outreach.
• Teknorama: Swedish science/technology center offering hands-on exhibits and school programming. Comparable to Curiosum as a domestic Swedish STEM engagement venue with similar school program structure.
• Innovatum: Swedish science center and innovation environment in Trollhättan. Already a documented collaboration partner with Curiosum on the Space Escape product, confirming direct comparability in mission, audience, and content type.
• Malmö Museum: Malmö Museum is part of the Wisdome consortium alongside Curiosum and shares the national immersive dome content network, making it a directly comparable regional science/heritage institution.
• Tekniska museet (Technical Museum Stockholm): National technical museum in Stockholm and Wisdome consortium member. Comparable to Curiosum as a publicly funded science/technology engagement venue with immersive dome programming and broad family/school audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Experimentarium: Copenhagen-based science center with international recognition, offering immersive exhibitions and school programs. Comparable to Curiosum as a Nordic neighbor with similar mission, larger scale, and similar dome/immersive learning orientation.

Regional players

• NTNU Vitensenteret: Norwegian science center network anchored at NTNU in Trondheim, offering dome shows and mobile outreach to schools. Comparable to Curiosum on the Nordic university-tied science center model and the C. upp!-like mobile outreach concept.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCj9sHmibmdQjKLCGLP62A1w
• Facebookfacebook.com/curiosum.science.center
• Instagraminstagram.com/curiosum.sciencecenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/curios-um

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Curiosum