Vintage Computer Federation

What Vintage Computer Federation does

Vintage Computer Federation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 that preserves and operationalizes computing history through a recurring circuit of Vintage Computer Festivals — VCF East, VCF West, VCF Montreal, VCF Southeast, VCF Southwest, VCF SoCal, and VCF Latam — alongside a brick-and-mortar museum located at the InfoAge Science Center in Wall/Eatontown, New Jersey. The federation curates a physical collection of vintage computing artifacts (including a UNIVAC 1219B mainframe), runs repair workshops, swap meets, and consignment sales, and stages media-facing rentals of period-correct hardware through partner VintageComputerRental.com.

The federation's revenue mechanics span multiple small-ticket streams: paid festival admission ($46–$128 per ticket), $25 swap-meet vendor spaces, an 18% consignment commission on hardware sold through the consignment room and lounge, museum admission, corporate exhibits, and educational speaking engagements. Recurring service work includes vintage hardware data recovery for owners of legacy systems. Operationally, VCF runs on a hybrid staff-and-volunteer model (11–50 employees listed) with named event leadership — Jeffrey Brace (VCF East Showrunner), Erik Klein (VCF West Organizer), and Jeff Salzman (Events Manager) — and a partnership network spanning the Computer History Museum, InfoAge, the Computer Museum at System Source, and absorbed regional clubs such as the Sacramento Amiga Computer Club.

Strategically, VCF is broadening its geographic and channel footprint (new festivals in Montreal and Latin America, a 7,000-square-foot VCF East 2026 consignment room expansion) while pulling back from non-core programming: the MARCH Hack-a-Thon was cancelled in March 2025, and the Charlotte Apple Computer Club dissolved in December 2024 with a residual donation of approximately $400. The result is a regionally federated, event-anchored preservation nonprofit whose growth is gated more by volunteer organizer capacity and partner ecosystem health than by capital.

Name

Vintage Computer Federation

Legal name

Vintage Computer Federation

Website

https://vcfed.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vintage Computer Federation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that preserves computing history through annual Vintage Computer Festivals across North America, a museum at InfoAge Science Center, repair workshops, swap meets, and consignment services for hobbyists, media productions, and educational institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vintage Computing Museum and Festival Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (71211)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Arcade & Retro Gaming Hardware (Mini Consoles, Arcade Sticks, Cabinets) (HDACANAK)

Keywords

• Vintage computer festivals
• Computer history museum
• Retro computing community
• Vintage computer rentals
• Computer restoration workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Eatontown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Event ticket sales: VCF generates revenue through the sale of tickets to its Vintage Computer Festival events (VCF East, VCF West, VCF Southeast, VCF Southwest, VCF Montreal, VCF SoCal, VCF Latam). Ticket pricing varies by event, attendee age tier, and whether purchased in advance or at the door. VCF East 2026: $46 (1-day, at door adult), $87 (2-day), $128 (3-day); $23 (13-17 years). VCF West tickets sold through Computer History Museum's ticketing system.
2. Consignment sales: VCF operates a consignment sales system at its festival events, selling vintage computer items on behalf of sellers through its NexoPOS point-of-sale system. VCF retains an 18% commission on all sales proceeds. Sellers pre-register items, receive barcode labels, and are paid out via PayPal, Venmo, check, or cash at the end of each event.
3. Museum admission: The VCF Museum at InfoAge Science Center charges separate museum admission fees (not included with swap meet or event admission). The museum is open every Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday from 12PM to 5PM.
4. Vintage computer rentals / prop services: VCF offers vintage computer rental and prop services for film, television, streaming, and media productions. This service provides production-ready vintage systems including supercomputers, mainframes, workstations, and personal computers spanning the 1970s through early 2000s, along with on-site support and historical accuracy consulting.
5. Corporate exhibits and educational speeches: VCF provides corporate exhibit services and educational speech offerings, leveraging the organization's vintage computing collection and expertise.
6. Swap meet vendor fees: VCF organizes technology swap meets (e.g., at Wall, NJ) charging vendor fees per selling space. VCF Swap Meet vendor fees are $25 per 18ft x 9ft space, with optional $5 table rental. General admission is $5 per person (12 and under free).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Vintage Computer Federation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that preserves computing history by operating a network of annual Vintage Computer Festivals (VCF East, West, Montreal, SoCal, Southwest, Southeast, Latam), the VCF Museum at the InfoAge Science Center in Wall, NJ, swap meets, repair workshops, and consignment sales via NexoPOS. It also sells vintage computer rentals and prop services to film, TV, and streaming productions, and offers corporate exhibits, educational speeches, and data recovery services.

Product overview

The Vintage Computer Federation (VCF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to preserving computing history through education, outreach, conservation, and restoration. The organization operates a portfolio of events and services centered around vintage computing. Core offerings include the Vintage Computer Festival series (VCF East, VCF West, VCF Montreal, VCF SoCal, VCF Southwest, VCF Southeast, and VCF Latam), which are annual/regional festivals featuring exhibitions, speakers, consignment, and workshops. The VCF Museum at InfoAge Science Center maintains operational vintage computer systems for educational purposes. Additional services include Repair Workshops (at InfoAge and System Source), Swap Meets, Consignment Services (via NexoPOS), Vintage Computer Rentals (for media productions), Corporate Exhibits, Educational Speeches, and Data Recovery. Regional groups MARCH (Mid-Atlantic) and BACH (Bay Area) provide local community engagement. The organization partners with VintageComputerRental.com affiliate network and the Computer History Museum to expand access to rare computing artifacts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vintage Computer Festival: Annual events celebrating vintage computing history including VCF East, VCF West, VCF Montreal, and regional festivals
• VCF Museum
• VCF Swap Meet

Products and services

• Vintage Computer Festivals (VCF East, West, Montreal, SoCal, Southwest, Southeast, Latam)
• VCF Museum
• VCF Swap Meet
• Repair Workshops
• Consignment Sales Service
• Vintage Computer Rentals
• Corporate Exhibits
• Educational Speeches
• Data Recovery Services

Named customers2 records

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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VintageComputerRental.com Affiliate NetworkcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 March 2026The Vintage Computer Federation Museum at InfoAge Science Center and the Computer Museum @ System Source (Hunt Valley, MD) have joined VintageComputerRental.com's affiliate network. This partnership makes rare computing artifacts from the 1970s to early 2000s—including mainframes, personal computers, and supercomputers—accessible to travelers, educators, and media creators. The affiliation provides productions with access to production-ready vintage systems, on-site support, and historical accuracy consulting, positioning these museums as interactive travel destinations combining entertainment, education, and media production.
• Computer History MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVCF West is hosted annually at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. The Computer History Museum provides the venue and handles ticket sales through its ticketing system. VCF West 2026 (August 1-2) is organized in partnership with the museum, with tickets available through connect.computerhistory.org.
• InfoAge Science and History MuseumscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe VCF Museum is co-located at the InfoAge Science and History Museums in Wall, NJ. VCF East events are held at the InfoAge campus. InfoAge and VCF Museums are open every Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday from 12PM to 5PM. The partnership provides the physical infrastructure and visitor base for VCF's museum and festival operations.
• Computer Museum @ System SourcecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Computer Museum @ System Source (Hunt Valley, MD) is a partner museum and co-member of the VintageComputerRental.com affiliate network alongside VCF. It provides additional vintage computing artifacts and swap meet events (e.g., April 26-27 swap meet) accessible to the VCF community and media productions.
• Sacramento Amiga Computer Club / AmiWestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVCF West partnered with the Sacramento Amiga Computer Club and AmiWest for the Amiga 40th anniversary celebration at VCF West 2025. This partnership brought additional Amiga-focused programming and exhibitors to the VCF West event.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@vcfederation
• Xx.com/vcfederation
• Facebookfacebook.com/vcfederation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vintage-computer-federation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Vintage Computer Federation