bluefactory
Bluefactory (BFF SA) is a Swiss innovation-district operator and low-carbon real-estate developer in Fribourg, jointly owned by the Canton and City, leasing modular offices, labs, and prototyping space to technology companies and research institutions under a sustainability charter.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersFribourg, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What bluefactory does
Bluefactory (legally Bluefactory Fribourg-Freiburg SA, BFF SA) is a Swiss innovation-district operator and real-estate developer founded in 2014 and headquartered at Passage du Cardinal 1, Fribourg, on the former Cardinal brewery site. The corporation is jointly owned 50/50 by the Canton and City of Fribourg and operates under a public-benefit mandate. BFF SA builds, leases, and manages modular low-carbon office, laboratory, prototyping, conference, and domiciliation spaces to technology companies, startups, and research institutions that meet a binding charter of use organized around five thematic pillars. Current physical assets include Bâtiment B (first permanent construction, Minergie-P-ECO certified, inaugurated October 2024), the heritage Bâtiment A, the renovated Halle bleue (126 prefabricated local-timber containers), and the wood-iD modular structure; together they host roughly 700 jobs across 52 companies, 75 entities, and 10 competence centers and clusters on a ~60,000 m² site.
The company's underlying technology stack emphasizes sustainability infrastructure rather than software: a complete BIM digital twin of the district delivered via tenant infraSMART, Switzerland's first sponge-city water management system (in partnership with Mobilière), Minergie-P-ECO-A building certifications, Swiss Wood (Label Bois Suisse) construction, annual carbon-footprint assessments with Climate Services, and a circular-economy operating layer including a partnership with Les Sauveurs on food-waste recovery. Research infrastructure is anchored by EPFL Fribourg, HEIA-FR, and the University of Fribourg, notably through the Smart Living Lab.
Commercially, BFF SA runs a sales-led direct-leasing model. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring annual subscriptions for administrative areas, lab/workshop spaces (e.g., 200 m² prototyping rooms), conference rooms (20–80 m², 15–60 seats), and business-domiciliation services. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; tenant selection is gated by the site's charter rather than price competition. Distribution is regional (Fribourg canton), with cultural programming, public events (Streetfood Festival, Passage Festival), and annual reports functioning as top-of-funnel marketing rather than direct sales channels.
bluefactory firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- bluefactory
- Legal name
- Bluefactory Fribourg-Freiburg SA
- Website
- https://bluefactory.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Bluefactory (BFF SA) is a Swiss innovation-district operator and low-carbon real-estate developer in Fribourg, jointly owned by the Canton and City, leasing modular offices, labs, and prototyping space to technology companies and research institutions under a sustainability charter.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where bluefactory is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fribourg
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
bluefactory business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Commercial Real Estate Rental: BFF SA generates revenue by building and leasing modular low-carbon office spaces, laboratory spaces, prototyping rooms, and conference facilities to technology companies, research institutions, and innovative enterprises that meet the site's charter criteria. Rental categories include administrative areas, lab/workshop spaces, conference rooms (20-80 m²), business domiciliation services, and future accommodation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Office spaces - Bâtiment B |
| Subscription | Annual | Office spaces - Bâtiment A |
| Subscription | Annual | Prototyping rooms |
| Subscription | Annual | Conference rooms - Fribourg-Cardinal-Beauregard combined |
| Subscription | Annual | Conference rooms - Fribourg Room |
| Subscription | Annual | Conference rooms - Cardinal Room |
| Subscription | Annual | Business domiciliation |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
bluefactory product offering
Product offeringCore offering
bluefactory (operated by BFF SA) develops, owns, and operates an innovation district in Fribourg, Switzerland, on the former Cardinal brewery site. It builds and leases modular low-carbon office, laboratory, prototyping, and conference spaces to technology companies, startups, and research institutions selected under the site's charter, and also offers business domiciliation and event hosting services.
Product overview
Bluefactory is an innovation district in Fribourg, Switzerland, developed by BFF SA on the former Cardinal brewery site. The offering consists of modular real estate spaces for technology companies and research institutions, including permanent buildings (Bâtiment B, Bâtiment A), temporary structures (wood-iD), and renovated heritage spaces (Halle bleue). The site provides office spaces, laboratories, prototyping rooms, and conference facilities for technology companies, research institutes, and clusters. Development continues with Smart Living Lab and urban renaturation projects. The district positions itself as a low-carbon innovation ecosystem with 700 jobs, 75 entities, and 52 companies across 60,000 m².
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Bâtiment B The first permanent building of the bluefactory innovation district, offering modular offices, labs, prototyping rooms, conference rooms, and a restaurant for technology companies and research institutions. Built with local timber and Minergie-P-ECO-A certified.
- Bâtiment A Former Cardinal brewery administration building (1904), now housing the BFF SA team and offering administrative rental areas from 20 m² to technology companies and innovative tenants.
- wood-iD Temporary modular wooden structure of 24 Lego-style 7.6m x 3.8m modules serving as wood laboratory and overflow tenant space during construction phases.
- Halle bleue Rehabilitated former Cardinal storage hall (2015) housing research centres, laboratories, and offices across three floors with 126 prefabricated Swiss-wood containers and 1,800 m² of solar panels.
- Office Space Rental Modular administrative spaces for rent in new and heritage buildings, ranging from 20 m² in Bâtiment A to up to 615 m² in Bâtiment B, billed annually.
- Prototyping Rooms Workshop and laboratory spaces for prototyping, including a 200 m² space in Bâtiment B, rented on annual subscription.
- Conference Rooms Fully equipped conference rooms ranging from 20 m² to 80 m² (15 to 60 seats), including Fribourg Room, Cardinal Room, Beauregard Room, and combined layouts, available on annual subscription.
- Business Domiciliation Temporary business address service providing a c/o BFF SA postal address with mail administration or personalized mailbox for companies planning to move into bluefactory. Rates on request, billed annually.
- NeighborHUB Sustainable house that won the 2018 Solar Decathlon in Denver, rebuilt at bluefactory as a meeting place for residents and innovative actors and as a Smart Living Lab research prototype.
Quantifiable outcome
- 60% reduction in CO2 emissions per FTE since 2015
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use bluefactory
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
bluefactory technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
bluefactory partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Switzerland Innovation / InnoParkEPFLcoreStrategic partnership positioning bluefactory within Switzerland's national innovation network, connecting local innovation ecosystem with broader national platform for technology transfer and research commercialization.
- Climate ServicescoreAnnual collaboration to conduct carbon footprint assessments measuring the site's environmental impact since 2015, tracking CO2 emissions per FTE and overall sustainability performance.
- HEIA-FR (Haute école d'ingénierie et d'architecture)coreCollaboration with University of Engineering and Architecture Fribourg on research projects including SETUP PRO methodology for carbon budgeting, Smart Living Lab building, and urban mobility planning.
- ESA (European Space Agency)coreJoint research project with VunaNexus and Eawag (ETH water research institute) exploring decentralized urine processing systems as pilot project for sponge city concepts.
- VunaNexuscoreCompany developing unique technology to process urine and produce certified fertilizer (Auran), partnered with ESA and Eawag for pilot sponge city project at bluefactory.
- CarbonFriminorLocal sustainability network partnership contributing to carbon reduction initiatives and environmental awareness within the Fribourg region.
- Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology)coreWater research institute from ETH domain, partnered with ESA and VunaNexus on decentralized water treatment research applicable to bluefactory's sponge city objectives.
- HC Fribourg-GottéronminorPartnership with local hockey club including cup re-use initiative, enhancing visibility and community engagement for bluefactory's sustainability values.
- infraSMARTcoreSite tenant specializing in BIM (Building Information Modeling) digitalization, implementing complete digital twin of the bluefactory innovation district for collaborative planning and facility management.
- Les SauveursminorPartnership to reduce food waste through recovered baked goods distribution service in pilot project supporting circular economy objectives.
- ZFV-UnternehmungencoreSwitzerland-wide hospitality leader (200+ establishments) operating the Mycelium restaurant in Bâtiment B, providing on-site dining services for tenants with sustainable food offerings.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
bluefactory competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC): CIC operates a global network of innovation campuses and coworking facilities for startups, scaling companies and research organizations. Highly comparable to bluefactory as an institutional operator of multi-tenant, ecosystem-driven innovation real estate.
- Station F: Station F is the world's largest startup campus in Paris, offering offices, labs, and programming for early-stage tech companies. Comparable to bluefactory as a flagship, anchor-tenant-driven innovation district operator.
- Manchester Science Park: UK-based science and innovation park offering offices, labs and growth support to technology companies and research institutions. Comparable in offering modular R&D-ready space and an ecosystem-driven tenant model.
- MaRS Discovery District: MaRS is a Toronto-based innovation district that combines commercial real estate with research institutions, accelerators and venture support. Closely matches bluefactory's mix of research, startups and curated tenancy in a single urban campus.
Regional players
- Wageningen Campus: Dutch research-oriented campus anchored by Wageningen University & Research, hosting agri-food, sustainability and biotech companies. Shares bluefactory's research-and-sustainability positioning and ecosystem built around academic institutions.
- Biopôle Lausanne: Swiss life sciences campus hosting biotech companies, research labs and shared services on a former industrial site. Shares bluefactory's model of curated tenancy on a regenerated heritage site in the Swiss Romandie.
- EPFL Innovation Park: Innovation park affiliated with EPFL in Lausanne housing tech startups, scale-ups and corporate labs. Highly comparable in its university-research-driven model and Swiss low-carbon building standards, though located in the Lake Geneva region.
- Technopark Zürich: Swiss innovation park housing technology companies, research institutes and startups in modular office/lab space. Directly comparable to bluefactory in technology focus and Swiss geographic context, though privately rather than government owned.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
bluefactory social profiles
Digital presencebluefactory compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
bluefactory financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
bluefactory leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
bluefactory funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
bluefactory M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about bluefactory
What does bluefactory do?
bluefactory (operated by BFF SA) develops, owns, and operates an innovation district in Fribourg, Switzerland, on the former Cardinal brewery site. It builds and leases modular low-carbon office, laboratory, prototyping, and conference spaces to technology companies, startups, and research institutions selected under the site's charter, and also offers business domiciliation and event hosting services.
Is bluefactory a public or private company?
bluefactory is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was bluefactory founded?
bluefactory was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is bluefactory based?
bluefactory is headquartered in Fribourg, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does bluefactory make money?
One revenue line is on record: commercial Real Estate Rental.
Who are bluefactory's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC), Station F, Manchester Science Park and MaRS Discovery District. Regional players are Wageningen Campus, Biopôle Lausanne, EPFL Innovation Park and Technopark Zürich.
Does bluefactory have an API?
No public API is recorded for bluefactory.