Orestad Innovation City Copenhagen

What Orestad Innovation City Copenhagen does

Ørestad Innovation City Copenhagen (ØICC) is a Danish non-profit membership association (forening) founded in 2017 to position Ørestad as Copenhagen's green innovation district. The organization functions as a convening and orchestration body rather than a technology or product company: it unites approximately 40 member organizations — including universities (Københavns Universitet, IT-Universitetet, Aalborg Universitet CPH), large enterprises (Rambøll, PensionDanmark, DR Koncerthuset, Skanska, Solstra Development), startups, and public institutions (By & Havn, Københavns Kommune) — in a triple-helix innovation partnership. Its core "products" are four thematic professional networks (Sustainable Urban Development, Urban Life & Culture, Innovation & Technology, Communication), a portfolio of projects and initiatives (Urban Insights Data Lab, BID Ørestad City, Energy FlexLab, Biodiversity Routes, Small Green Steps conference, Insights for Breakfast, the Ørestad Cykler Til Arbejde cycling competition), the annual Ørestad Ildsjælepris community award, the Ørestad Insight newsletter, and the "This is Ørestad" Instagram channel. There is no proprietary software platform; underlying assets are relationships, event programming, project coordination capacity, and reputational standing as Ørestad's designated innovation steward.

The business model is membership-subscription based. Members join via direct outreach to Director Sophie Bruun and pay recurring annual fees scaled to organization size, supplemented by project-specific grants from foundations (Realdania, We Build Denmark) and the Copenhagen Municipality (with multi-year allocations of 0.8M and 1.3M DKK secured for 2025-2028). The go-to-market is community-led: direct enterprise sales to prospective member organizations, followed by engagement through networks, working groups, events, matchmaking, and the annual Ildsjælepris award. Operating geographies are primarily Copenhagen and the Øresund Region (Denmark and Sweden, via the 2024 Hyllie Citysamverkan partnership). A 9-person secretariat executes operations from the ØICC headquarters at Arne Jacobsens Allé 15, HUB 2 in Ørestad City, with Sophie Bruun serving as Direktør.

Strategic priorities evidenced in the input center on (1) operationalizing Ørestad's innovation-district identity through projects like BID Ørestad City and Urban Insights Data Lab, (2) deepening the triple-helix membership base across universities, industry, and public sector, and (3) extending reach across the Øresund Region into Sweden through cross-border partnerships and the planned Danish-Swedish Innovation Day in March 2026.

Name

Orestad Innovation City Copenhagen

Legal name

Ørestad Innovation City Copenhagen

Website

https://oicc.dk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ørestad Innovation City Copenhagen (ØICC) is a Danish non-profit membership association that convenes roughly 40 universities, enterprises, startups, and public bodies to drive sustainable urban innovation in Copenhagen's Ørestad district through networks, projects, and events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: ØICC generates revenue through membership fees from organizations. The pricing for membership depends on the size of the organization. Members include universities, startups, public and private companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ØICC is a Danish non-profit membership association (forening) that sells size-based annual memberships to organizations and, in return, provides access to four thematic professional networks, member-only events and matchmaking, working groups on complex urban challenges, and project-based initiatives such as the Urban Insights Data Lab, BID Ørestad City, and Energy FlexLab Ørestad. Its purpose is to position Ørestad as Copenhagen's green innovation district by connecting universities, startups, public bodies, and private companies into a single innovation partnership.

Product overview

Ørestad Innovation City Copenhagen (ØICC) is a membership-based innovation partnership association, not a single software product but rather a network organization that facilitates collaboration between educational institutions, startups, and public/private companies in Copenhagen's green innovation district. The organization offers a portfolio of projects and initiatives including networking groups (Innovation & Technology, Sustainable Urban Development, City Life & Culture, Communications), the Urban Insights Data Lab (data products for urban development), BID Ørestad City (business improvement), Ørestad Ildsjælepris (annual award), the Ørestad Insight newsletter, This is Ørestad Instagram platform, Insights for Breakfast events, Energy FlexLab, Biodiversity Routes, cycling competitions, and conferences like Small Green Steps. These are programs and services designed to promote urban development, innovation, and sustainability rather than a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ØICC Organizational Membership Annual tiered membership for organizations (universities, startups, public and private companies) that grants access to ØICC's networks, events, matchmaking, working groups, and project participation in the Ørestad innovation district.
• ØICC Thematic Professional Networks Four member networks — Innovation & Technology, Sustainable Urban Development, City Life & Culture, and Communication — that convene members for knowledge sharing, working groups, and project co-creation.
• Urban Insights Data Lab A research and analysis project that delivers baseline urban data products describing how users and citizens behave and use the city, supporting sustainable urban development in Ørestad.
• BID Ørestad City (Business Improvement District) A three-year Business Improvement District initiative to strengthen commerce and street-level activity in Ørestad City through cooperation between local businesses, facilitated by ØICC and BIDdanmark.
• Energy FlexLab Ørestad A project and service that enables buildings in Ørestad to share energy across property boundaries, supporting district-level energy flexibility and de-risking.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 organizations are members of ØICC
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BIDdanmarkcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024BIDdanmark facilitates the BID (Business Improvement District) process in Ørestad City. They have driven BIDs in 35 areas across Denmark with successful results. ØICC initiated the BID project, with BIDdanmark running a 3-year process.
• Hyllie CitysamverkancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Sister organization to ØICC in Hyllie, Malmö. Both organizations work with similar agendas around innovation, sustainability, and urban development. ØICC and Hyllie Citysamverkan are building closer relations and planning joint activities and cross-border projects.
• Science City Lyngby and Gladsaxe ErhvervsbyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024ØICC collaborates with these organizations on 'Insights for Breakfast' - a concept for international professionals and accompanying spouses seeking to enter the Danish labor market.
• Smart City Insights ApScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partner in the Urban Insights Data Lab project. Smart City Insights, owned by Peter Bjørn Larsen, developed the data model for urban development in Ørestad.
• IT-Universitetet (ITU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Academic partner in the Urban Insights Data Lab project and ongoing collaboration on student projects and startup ecosystem development in Ørestad.
• By & HavncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBy & Havn is the co-developer of Ørestad and a key partner on multiple initiatives including the neighborhood map for Ørestad, the Instagram channel 'This is Ørestad', and the Ildsjælepris award. They sponsor prizes for the annual award.
• Ørestad AviscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerØrestad Avis is a media partner for the Ørestad Ildsjælepris award, providing coverage of nominations and winners. The newspaper features profiles and stories about community builders in the district.
• Field'sminorGTM or Marketing PartnerField's shopping center sponsors prizes for the Ørestad Ildsjælepris award.
• Miljøpunkt AmagercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization that collaborates with ØICC on sustainability initiatives including the Small Green Steps conference and climate action planning. Partner in the climate summit for Amager.
• Københavns KommunecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCopenhagen Municipality collaborates with ØICC on multiple projects including climate conferences, expat retention strategy (with 0.8 and 1.3 million DKK allocated for 2025-2028), BID initiatives, and urban biodiversity efforts.
• Aalborg Universitet CPHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in biodiversity collaboration under the Network for Sustainable Urban Development. Professor Harpa Birgisdottir contributed expertise on 'off site biodiversitet' and building industry impacts.
• The Global Institute on Innovation Districts (GIID)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGIID is the leading expert organization on innovation districts globally. ØICC has sparred with GIID over the years and references their research on innovation districts' future relevance. GIID's founders Bruce Katz and Julie Wagner coined the 'innovation district' concept.
• ØresundsinstituttetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDanish-Swedish knowledge center working to increase awareness of Øresund region development. Partner with ØICC for the Danish-Swedish Innovation Day in March 2026.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BIDdanmark: Danish national Business Improvement District (BID) organization that runs BID processes in 35 Danish areas. Direct implementation partner for ØICC's BID Ørestad City initiative; structurally similar as a member-funded association facilitating cross-actor cooperation on district development.
• Gladsaxe Erhvervsby: Danish municipality-led business and innovation development organization collaborating with ØICC on cross-program activities. Comparable as another Greater Copenhagen innovation cluster organization serving a defined district with member-driven programming.
• Hyllie Citysamverkan: Sister innovation district partnership organization in Malmö, Sweden. Explicitly partnered with ØICC since 2024 on cross-border projects and shares nearly identical structure (university/corporate/public triple-helix model for innovation district development). Most directly comparable peer in the dataset.
• Øresundsinstituttet: Danish-Swedish knowledge center focused on increasing awareness of Øresund region development. Partnering with ØICC for the Danish-Swedish Innovation Day; comparable as a cross-border member/knowledge organization working on Øresund integration and innovation.
• Science City Lyngby: Danish innovation cluster organization based in Lyngby, Copenhagen area. Collaborates with ØICC on 'Insights for Breakfast' expat programs and operates a similar member-based innovation partnership model around DTU and surrounding research/industry ecosystem.
• Miljøpunkt Amager: Local environmental organization collaborating with ØICC on sustainability initiatives including Small Green Steps conference and climate action planning for Amager. Comparable as a district-level member-based organization driving sustainability programming in the same geography.

Broad incumbents

• Copenhagen Capacity: Greater Copenhagen's official investment promotion agency. Larger, established organization with broader mandate to attract foreign investment and businesses to the region; overlaps with ØICC's district-level innovation attraction and retention role but operates at regional rather than district level.
• Dansk Erhverv (Confederation of Danish Enterprise): Denmark's largest business and employers' association representing companies across sectors. Comparable as a membership-based organization advocating for commercial interests but operates nationally rather than at the district level.
• Urban Land Institute (ULI) Denmark: Global real estate and urban development membership organization with a Danish chapter. Comparable in member-driven model focused on sustainable urban development and innovation districts, but operates at global/multi-country scale rather than a single district.
• The Global Institute on Innovation Districts (GIID): Leading global expert organization on innovation districts, founded by Bruce Katz and Julie Wagner who coined the 'innovation district' concept. ØICC has a knowledge partnership with GIID; they are the dominant thought-leadership reference point for the category ØICC operates in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orestadinnovationcitycopenhagen
• Instagraminstagram.com/thisisorestad

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Orestad Innovation City Copenhagen