irides AG, ein Engagement der Stiftung Blindenheim Basel

What irides AG, ein Engagement der Stiftung Blindenheim Basel does

irides AG is a non-profit operating company wholly owned by Stiftung Blindenheim Basel, a charitable foundation established in 1898 to support blind and visually impaired individuals in the Basel region. The AG was structured as a separate operational entity to manage day-to-day service delivery while the parent foundation retains governance and stewardship. The organization is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, and operates from the newly opened 'irides' building which consolidates residential, workshop, and hospitality functions under one roof.

The company operates an integrated service portfolio across four interlocking verticals: (1) residential and long-term care for elderly clients, including those with sight and hearing impairments; (2) supported employment and sheltered workshops in traditional crafts such as basket weaving, chair caning, and brush binding, with output retailed through the 'ybligg' store; (3) gastronomy, including a public restaurant and event venue; and (4) vocational training and apprenticeships delivered in partnership with relevant OdA organizations. The sub-brand 'Sehbehindertenhilfe Basel' formalizes the historical specialist remit for visually and hearing-impaired beneficiaries.

The business model is a hybrid of fee-for-service care (resident fees, cantonal tariffs), IV (Swiss invalidity insurance) reimbursements, government subsidies and donor support routed through the Stiftung, and commercial revenue from workshop retail, restaurant, and venue operations. Approximately 37 employees deliver services across these verticals. The customer base is a mix of individual residents and their families, cantonal social-services referrals, and walk-in retail/dining customers. The organization is geographically concentrated in Basel-Stadt but accepts out-of-canton placements.

Name

irides AG, ein Engagement der Stiftung Blindenheim Basel

Legal name

irides AG

Website

https://irides.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

irides AG is a Basel-based non-profit subsidiary of Stiftung Blindenheim Basel, providing integrated residential care, sheltered workshops, gastronomy, and vocational training for elderly, blind, and hearing-impaired individuals across the Basel region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Services and Elderly Care

NAICS

Nursing and Residential Care Facilities (623), Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) (62311), Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (62331), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (62321), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities (6232)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Skilled Nursing Care Facilities (8051), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Assisted Living with Enhanced Care / High-Acuity (Aging-in-Place) (HLADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialized Assisted Living for Developmental/Intellectual Disabilities (Adult) (HLADABAJ), Respite Care for Adults with Disabilities / Special Needs (HSABAGAI)

Keywords

• Residential elderly care
• Disability support services
• Sheltered workshops
• Vocational training programs
• Social enterprise services

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Residential and Care Services: Fees for long-term care (Langzeitpflege), assisted living (betreutes Wohnen), and living with services (Wohnen mit Service) for elderly and people with disabilities. Pricing follows cantonal tariff regulations.
2. Public Gastronomy: Revenue from public restaurant and bistro operations serving both residents and external visitors. Self-service buffet model with pay-by-weight pricing.
3. Workshop and Craft Sales: Sales of handcrafted products including brushes, baskets, and furniture through the ybligg retail store. Also includes custom orders and repair services.
4. Government Subsidies and Donations: Subsidized employment places funded through disability insurance (IV) contributions. Charitable donations, bequests, and legacies from Stiftung Blindenheim Basel support operational deficits and special projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

irides AG operates an integrated residential, care, and social services center in Basel, providing long-term nursing care, assisted living, and serviced apartments for elderly and people with disabilities, supported employment and day programs for blind and visually impaired individuals, traditional craft workshops producing handmade goods, a public restaurant and bistro, and vocational training and apprenticeship programs. The organization functions as an inclusive community combining housing, healthcare, employment, gastronomy, and education under one umbrella as a nonprofit subsidiary of Stiftung Blindenheim Basel.

Product overview

irides AG operates as a unified care, housing, and social services platform offering multiple interconnected services for elderly, blind, visually impaired, and hearing-impaired individuals in Basel. The core offerings include residential care (Wohnen mit Service, Langzeitpflege, Betreutes Wohnen), gastronomy (Restaurant, Bistro, event hosting), supported employment and day programs for people with disabilities, traditional craft workshops producing handmade goods (brushes, baskets, furniture) sold through the ybligg retail store, and vocational training/apprenticeship programs. The organization functions as an inclusive community center where people with and without disabilities live, work, and learn together.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ybligg: Kaufladen Kunsthandwerk – a special retail store at Spalenberg 2, Basel, selling handmade crafts including baskets, brushes, and woven furniture created by blind and visually impaired workers.
• Sehbehindertenhilfe Basel

Products and services

• Wohnen mit Service (Living with Service)
• Langzeitpflege LZP (Long-term Care)
• Betreutes Wohnen (Assisted Living)
• Restaurant irides
• Bistro irides
• Anlässe / Raumbuchungen (Events / Room Bookings)
• ybligg Kaufladen (Retail Store)
• Werkstätten Workshops (Repair and Custom Orders)
• Begleitete Arbeit (Supported Employment)
• Betreute Tagesgestaltung (Supervised Day Programs)
• Bildung / Ausbildung (Education / Training)
• Lehrstellen (Apprenticeships)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GGG – Gesellschaft für das Gute und Gemeinnützige BaselcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Historical patron of Stiftung Blindenheim Basel since 1898. GGG is a major Basel charitable organization that established the foundation and continues to support its mission.
• OdA Gesundheit und OdA SozialescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with OdA (OdA Gesundheit Soziales) for supporting training and development of healthcare and social sector professionals. Assists in ensuring education standards meet industry requirements.
• OdA Hauswirtschaft und GastronomiecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with OdA Hauswirtschaft for supporting education in housekeeping and gastronomy sectors. Ensures apprenticeship programs align with national standards.
• Schule für Korbflechterei BrienzminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with traditional basket weaving school in Brienz for maintaining and passing on traditional craft skills. Supports continuation of endangered craft traditions.
• Kaufmännischer VerbandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Swiss commercial association for supporting commercial apprenticeship programs (Kaufmann/Kauffrau EBA). Ensures quality standards for business trainee education.
• Stiftung Blindenheim BaselcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent nonprofit foundation that owns irides AG as its operating subsidiary. Established 1898, provides funding, strategic direction, and operates complementary services including Sehbehindertenhilfe Basel and ybligg store.
• SZB – Schweizerischer Zentralverein für das BlindenwesenminorOthersSwiss central association for the blind - listed as related organization in links section.
• SBV – Schweizerischer Blinden- und SehbehindertenverbandminorOthersSwiss blind and visually impaired association - listed as related organization in links section.
• SbB – Schweizerischer BlindenbundminorOthersSwiss blind league - listed as related organization in links section.
• SUbB – Verband Soziale Unternehmen beide BaselminorOthersAssociation of social enterprises in Basel region - listed as related organization in links section.
• Curaviva Basel-StadtminorOthersIndustry association for care and retirement homes in Basel-Stadt - listed as related organization.
• Fachstelle Behindertenhilfe Basel-StadtminorOthersCantonal disability assistance office - listed as related organization providing regulatory oversight and funding coordination.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stiftung Wagerenhof: Uster-based nonprofit foundation offering residential, day program, and workshop services for people with disabilities. Direct peer to irides in integrating care, employment, and social services for disabled adults.
• Senevita AG: Major Swiss operator of residential care homes, assisted living, and Spitex services. Direct peer to irides in providing multi-tier care, assisted living, and home care services across Switzerland.
• Stiftung Brändi: Swiss nonprofit foundation providing sheltered workshops, supported employment, and residential services primarily for people with disabilities. Highly comparable to irides's workshop and Begleitete Arbeit model in Central Switzerland.
• Domicil Bern AG: Bern-based municipal operator of residential care homes and assisted living. Comparable to irides as a multi-site Swiss residential care operator with similar service mix (Pflege, Betreutes Wohnen).
• Tertianum Management AG: Switzerland's largest private senior care and living operator with residential, assisted living, and care services nationwide. Direct peer to irides in operating nursing and assisted living facilities for the elderly in the Swiss market.
• Stiftung Drei Linden: Swiss foundation operating residential care, workshops, and supported employment for adults with disabilities. Comparable integrated care-and-employment model to irides AG.

Regional players

• Bethesda Alterszentren AG: Basel-area operator of residential and nursing care homes for the elderly. Direct regional competitor in the Basel-Stadt residential care market served by irides.
• Felix Platter-Spital: Basel-based university hospital specializing in geriatric medicine and rehabilitation. Adjacent to irides in serving elderly Basel-Stadt residents and serves as a referral source for post-acute placements.

Others

• CURAVIVA Schweiz: Swiss industry association representing care and residential home operators nationally. irides is affiliated with the Basel-Stadt chapter; comparable as the sector umbrella body for the residential care industry.
• INSOS Schweiz: Swiss national association of providers for people with disabilities. Industry counterpart for irides's sheltered workshop and supported employment programs serving the IV-pensioner population.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irides-ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 irides AG, ein Engagement der Stiftung Blindenheim Basel