What Maizena does

Maizena is a student-run, non-profit study association founded in 2005 and formally affiliated with the Research Master Behavioural Science (RMBS) program at Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands. It serves the programme's students through social events (monthly drinks, parties, trips, dinners, sports), educational activities (Career Day, Modern Tools for Research workshops, seminars), and member benefits including a dedicated workspace — the Maizena Room (MM 2.305), open Mondays with free coffee and tea — and representation in the OLC/DPC degree programme committee. Governance is delivered by an annually elected student board; the current XXIst Board (2025-2026) comprises a Chair (Roel Loeffen), Secretary (Jahnavi Rastogi), Treasurer (Elvira Pijper), Promotional Officer (Ingrid Wortel), External Affairs Officer (Julia Dicks), and Internal Relations Officer (Tyler Timmers), supported by Activity and Education committees.

The association's revenue is generated through four small streams: annual membership subscriptions (Regular Membership and a 'Friend of Maizena' support tier), branded merchandise (T-shirts €10, hoodies €20 for members), event ticketing with member-vs-non-member pricing (e.g., Christmas dinner €23.50/€25.25, disco bowling €5/€8.25), and sponsorship — monetary from Roxy, FEBO, Camelot, and Luxor, plus discount partners Cat Café Balthazar and Bookstore Dekker v.d. Vegt. Acquisition is community-led through Instagram (@maizenarmbs), LinkedIn, the Maizena website, WhatsApp, and in-person activity at Radboud University. The association publishes a Science Communication Blog that translates student research (e.g., VR-based stress regulation training developed with the Dutch Police Academy, ADHD and scrolling, loneliness) for broader audiences, and historically administered the Daniël Wigboldus Prize (2008–2019) and a Maizena Magazine (from 2015).

The addressable market is structurally constrained to a single niche Research Master's cohort at a single Dutch university. There is no venture or external ownership; the organization is governed entirely by student volunteers, and the 11-person 'headcount' reflects board and committee positions rather than paid employees. Maizena's moat derives from its institutional embedding in the RMBS programme, twenty years of accumulated alumni network, and the volunteer-driven cost base — characteristics that are durable within the niche but offer no scale pathway beyond it.

Name

Maizena

Legal name

Maizena – Study Association Research Master Behavioural Science

Website

https://maizena.ruhosting.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Maizena is a non-profit student study association at Radboud University Nijmegen serving Research Master Behavioural Science students via events, workshops, and member benefits, funded by membership fees, merchandise, event tickets, and local sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Nijmegen

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees for students joining the study association, providing access to events, discounts, and the Maizena Room.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including T-shirts and hoodies to members and students.
3. Event Ticketing: Revenue from paid events such as Christmas dinners, disco bowling, and workshops. Members receive discounted pricing while non-members pay higher rates.
4. Sponsorship: Financial support from monetary sponsors (Roxy, FEBO, Camelot, Luxor) and discount sponsors (Cat Café Balthazar, Bookstore Dekker v.d. Vegt) who provide ongoing sponsorship to support association activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Maizena is a student-run study association that provides membership, social events, educational workshops, and a dedicated community space (the Maizena Room) for Research Master Behavioural Science students at Radboud University in Nijmegen. Its core activities include monthly drinks, dinners, workshops, career events, merchandise sales, and representation in university governance, funded through membership fees, event tickets, sponsorships, and merchandise.

Product overview

Maizena is a student study association for the Research Master in Behavioural Science at Radboud University Nijmegen. It does not offer commercial technology products or services; rather, it provides student-facing offerings including social activities organized by its Activity Committee (parties, trips, drinks, sports events), educational events through its Education Committee (Career Day, workshops, seminars, Modern Tools for Research), a physical shared workspace called the Maizena Room, confidential contact person services, a yearbook, and membership benefits including discounts from sponsors. The association also publishes a Science Communication Blog featuring student research projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Regular Membership Annual membership tier for Research Master Behavioural Science students at Radboud University, providing access to events, discounts, the Maizena Room, and voting rights.
• Friend of Maizena Membership Alternative annual membership tier for supporters who want to back the association with similar benefits to Regular Membership.
• Maizena Room (Workspace) Dedicated physical workspace at Radboud University (MM 2.305) open every Monday from 10:00 to 17:00 with free coffee and tea for members to work and socialize.
• Maizena Branded T-shirts Maizena branded T-shirts priced at €10 for members, sold as merchandise.
• Maizena Branded Hoodies Maizena branded hoodies priced at €20 for members, sold as merchandise.
• Christmas Dinner Event Annual Christmas dinner for Maizena members and students, priced at €23.50 for members and €25.25 for non-members, including main course, two drinks, and dessert.
• Disco Bowling Event Disco bowling social event priced at €5 for members and €8.25 for non-members (including €0.50 service fee), including one drink.
• Modern Tools for Research Workshop Educational workshop free for members and €1.50 for non-members. Attending counts towards workshop hours.
• Halloween Movie Night Halloween movie night event free for members and €2 for non-members (excluding fees).
• Science Communication Blog Online editorial platform that simplifies scientific concepts for broader audiences and showcases student research projects from the RMBS program.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Cat Café BalthazarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCat café in Nijmegen city center that provides a 10% discount to Maizena members showing their membership sticker on everything.
• Bookstore Dekker v.d. VegtminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBookstore in Nijmegen that offers Maizena members a 10% discount on English fiction books, secondhand books, and year agendas.
• Dutch Police AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with the Experimental Psychopathology and Affective Neuroscience group to develop the DUST (Decision Under Stress Training) VR game for training crisis-responding police officers. The game has undergone various adaptations throughout data collection.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• AIESEC: Global student-led organization operating local chapters with elected boards, membership fees, sponsorships, and event programming. While operating at much larger scale and focused on youth leadership/talent programs rather than behavioural science, it shares the student-volunteer governance and sponsor-driven economics model that defines Maizena.
• Erasmus Student Network (ESN): Europe's largest student-run organization with local sections at universities across the continent. Although its mission (international student exchange support) differs from Maizena's behavioural-science focus, ESN sections share the same operating primitives: elected student boards, membership tiers, sponsor partnerships, and recurring events.

Direct peers

• SPiN (Studievereniging Psychologie in Nijmegen): The bachelor-level psychology study association at Radboud University, explicitly cited in Maizena's data via board member Julia Dicks's prior SPiN board year. Operates the same study-association model (membership, committees, events, sponsors) for the undergraduate psychology cohort that feeds Maizena's research master.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maizenarmbs
• Instagraminstagram.com/maizenarmbs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Maizena