Imperial College Space Society

Name

Imperial College Space Society

Legal name

Imperial College Union

Website

https://union.ic.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Society / Extracurricular Activities

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Organizations & Club Administration (EDALAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Higher Education SIS & Campus Management Systems (EDAFAEAB), University & Academic Conference Venues (THAHAAAD)

Keywords

• Student society operations
• University extracurricular activities
• Student club management
• Space education community
• Campus engagement programs

Headquarters

HQ city

South Kensington, London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Venue Sales (Food & Drink): ICU operates five bars and venues (FiveSixEight, The Union Bar, Metric, Reynolds Bar, h-bar) generating revenue from alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage sales and food. 568 catering is fully owned and operated by ICU since 2025. As a not-for-profit, all revenue is reinvested into student union services. A 25% discount is offered to students/staff via the ICU Orders app.
2. Event Tickets: ICU sells tickets for club nights, themed events, Welcome Week activities, and performances at Metric venue. Tickets are sold through the DICE platform. All ICU late-night events operate an over-18-only policy.
3. Venue Hire: ICU rents out its venues (Metric, Union Bar, Reynolds Bar, h-bar, Beit Quad) to student groups, Imperial departments, external organisations, alumni, and event promoters. Bookings are managed via JotForm.
4. Retail Merchandise: ICU operates a retail shop (Union Shop and Shop Extra) selling official Imperial College merchandise including clothing (T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, jackets), headwear, accessories (homeware, drinkware, bags), and stationery. Also sells club, society, and hall products.
5. Club & Society Memberships: Revenue from memberships for clubs and societies via the Student Group Shop. Also offers Life Membership (for alumni) and Honorary Life Membership (awarded yearly).
6. Partnerships & Advertising: ICU partners with external brands for advertising, event sponsorships, and collaborations targeting the 24,000-student community. With over 100 past partnerships, ICU creates campaigns and activations that resonate with students. Partners include Royal Albert Hall, Domino's, and national SU network Imprinted.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Imperial College Space Society is a student-run society founded in 1989 at Imperial College London, operating as one of 340+ clubs and societies registered with Imperial College Union (ICU). The society delivers space-themed extracurricular activities, events, and community engagement for Imperial College students, managed through ICU's eActivities platform. It does not operate as a commercial entity; its activities are supported within ICU's broader student services ecosystem including five on-campus venues, a mobile ordering app, and an advice service.

Product overview

Imperial College Union operates as a not-for-profit student organization offering a unified portfolio of venue, retail, advice, and student activity services. The core venue offering consists of five distinct spaces at Beit Quadrangle and other campuses: FiveSixEight (568) as the main social hub, The Union Bar as a historic pub, Metric as the largest event venue with dance floor, Reynolds Bar at Charing Cross campus, and h-bar as an event space. Food service is provided through Eat at 568 with a 50% vegetarian/vegan menu. Retail includes the Union Shop for Imperial merchandise and a Student Group Shop for club/society memberships. Student support services encompass a free Advice Service for academic issues and management of 340+ clubs and societies via Management Groups. Operations are supported by the eActivities platform for activity management and the ICU Orders mobile app for venue ordering with student discounts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ICU: Abbreviated name commonly used for Imperial College Union across the website and communications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24,000 students served automatically as ICU members
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Royal Albert HallminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRoyal Albert Hall is listed as an ICU partner, appearing on the partnerships page. The partnership allows Royal Albert Hall to promote events to the Imperial student community. The nature of the partnership appears to be brand advertising and cross-promotion.
• Domino's Pizza UKminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDomino's is listed as an ICU partner on the partnerships page. The partnership provides Domino's with brand visibility among the 24,000 Imperial students, likely through in-venue promotions, digital channels, or event sponsorship.
• ImprintedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImprinted is a national network bringing together Students' Unions with a shared mission to build financially sustainable futures for SUs across the UK. Through media sales, national brand partnerships, and smarter commercial operations, Imprinted creates a collaborative network of resources, expertise, and support. ICU participates as a member SU. Imprinted also has its own Instagram (@imprinted.uk) and media pack for partnership opportunities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• National Union of Students (NUS): UK-wide national confederation of students' unions including ICU's peers. Operates as a broader umbrella organization that negotiates national commercial partnerships and represents the sector politically, with partial overlap to ICU's representative and partnership functions.

Direct peers

• King's College London Students' Union (KCLSU): Students' union of King's College London, another major London Russell Group university with comparable venue, retail, and student activity operations. Operates multiple bar/club venues and serves a similarly diverse, internationally-recruited student body.
• LSE Students' Union (LSESU): Students' union of the London School of Economics, also based in central London with a comparable internationally-recruited student body. Runs The Three Tuns bar, retail operations, and 200+ clubs/societies under a similar service model to ICU.
• UCL Students' Union: Students' union of University College London, a comparable Russell Group UK university of similar scale (~43,000 students). Operates venues, retail, clubs/societies, and student representation in the same London market as ICU, with an overlapping student demographic.
• Bristol SU: Students' union of the University of Bristol, a top-10 UK Russell Group university. Operates comparable venue, retail, advice, and student representation services under a similar governance structure with elected officers.
• University of Edinburgh Students' Association: One of the UK's largest and most established students' associations, serving a comparable internationally-ranked research university. Operates multiple venues, advice services, and 300+ societies — directly analogous to ICU's operating model at slightly larger scale.
• Cambridge SU: Students' union of the University of Cambridge, serving an elite academic peer institution to Imperial. Provides representation, advice, and student activities across a comparable high-achieving UK university demographic.
• Oxford SU: Students' union of the University of Oxford, the UK's other globally top-ranked research university and Imperial's primary domestic competitor for talent. Comparable in scale, prestige, and operating model with venues, societies, and student representation services.
• University of Manchester Students' Union: Students' union of the University of Manchester, the UK's largest single-site university with ~40,000 students. Operates bars, events, retail, advice services, and 400+ societies under a comparable not-for-profit charity structure.
• University of Leeds Union: Students' union of a major UK research university with a large student body (~38,000). Runs multiple bars, a nightclub venue (Stylus), retail, and 300+ societies — closely paralleling ICU's five-venue, 340+ club model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCDbftdMxA8C-UqhaB8FsW5w
• Facebookfacebook.com/imperialcollegeunion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imperial-college-space-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/icunion
• TikToktiktok.com/@imperialcollegeunion

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Imperial College Space Society