What Vakansa does

Vakansa AB is a Swedish online marketplace platform that connects owners of underutilized commercial spaces with businesses, organizations, and individuals seeking flexible rental arrangements. Founded in 2020 by Robin Rushdi Al-sálehi, an urban planner and sustainability specialist, the company is headquartered in Stockholm and operates primarily across Sweden, with active listings in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, and Uppsala. The platform supports 16 distinct space categories — including offices, coworking areas, meeting rooms, event venues, sports and dance halls, treatment rooms, studios, retail spaces, and warehouses — and accommodates rental terms ranging from hourly to multi-year.

The company operates a two-tier service model. Vakansa Bas is free to register and list, with monetization through a 15% commission on monthly rental income for successful matches, capped at 12 months per agreement. Vakansa Mest is a premium tier that bundles additional services such as contract drafting, VAT handling, booking systems, key management, and insurance, priced on request under multi-year contracts. Distribution is product-led and self-serve: property owners and renters use the vakansa.se platform directly, supported by organic social channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram), Google Marketing Platform paid acquisition, and a content blog. As of the latest disclosure, the platform has facilitated 300+ mediations per year, carries 450+ listings with 489 available rental spaces, attracts 3,500+ monthly visitors, and has mediated rental value of 2Mkr+.

Vakansa employs a small team of 3–4 people, including founder Robin Rushdi Al-sálehi, fullstack developer William Janssen, and advisor Klas Hermodsson (a former Amazon engineer). The core technology is a web-based marketplace with no disclosed API, mobile app, or AI/ML capabilities. The company's positioning is built on sustainability, arguing that offices sit empty roughly 90% of the time and that better utilization of existing buildings is more sustainable than new construction. This narrative is reinforced by partnerships with Swedish innovation ecosystem players including Vinnova, UIC, Hyper Island, Viable Cities, and Inrego.

Name

Vakansa

Legal name

Vakansa AB

Website

https://vakansa.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vakansa is a Swedish online marketplace that connects property owners with underutilized commercial spaces to businesses, NGOs, and individuals seeking flexible rentals, monetizing via a 15% commission on successful matches across offices, event venues, and specialty spaces.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commission on Rental Income: Vakansa charges 15% of monthly rental income as a mediation fee for successful matches, capped at 12 months per rental agreement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Vakansa operates a Swedish web-based marketplace that connects property owners with underutilized commercial spaces to businesses, organizations, and individuals seeking flexible rental options. The platform supports 16 categories of spaces — offices, coworking, meeting rooms, event venues, storage, parking, land, restaurants, studios, retail, classrooms, workshops, garages, halls, rooftops, and sports facilities — with rental terms ranging from hourly to multi-year. Vakansa earns a 15% commission only on successful rentals and offers an optional premium subscription ("Mest") that adds VAT handling, contract creation assistance, and insurance coordination.

Product overview

Vakansa operates as a unified online marketplace platform for commercial space rentals in Sweden. The core platform enables property owners to list spaces for subletting and connects them with tenants seeking flexible rental options. The platform is supported by two pricing tiers: Vakansa Bas (commission-based service at 15% of rental revenue) and Vakansa Mest (premium tier with additional management services). The product offering centers on the Lediga lokaler listings directory where users can search and filter spaces by city, type, price, and size.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vakansa Platform Web-based two-sided marketplace that connects property owners and landlords with businesses, organizations, and individuals seeking flexible commercial space in Sweden. The platform covers 16 categories of spaces (offices, coworking, meeting rooms, event venues, storage, parking, land, restaurants, studios, retail, classrooms, workshops, garages, halls, rooftops, and sports facilities) and supports rental terms from hourly to multi-year, with self-serve listing, browsing, and booking.

Quantifiable outcome

• Offices are utilized only 10% of the time while tenants pay 100% of rent

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• VinnovaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish government innovation agency that has supported Vakansa. Vinnova is Sweden's innovation agency that funds research and innovation projects.
• UIC (Uppsala Innovation Centre)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation center in Uppsala that supports the company.
• Hyper IslandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital education provider that has supported Vakansa's development.
• Fastighetsmässan (The Real Estate Fair)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReal estate industry event and advisory board participant.
• RekomominorOthersMarketing and communication services partner.
• SizzleminorOthersMarketing partner.
• We Listen InminorOthersCommunication services partner.
• InregominorOthersSustainability-focused partner for circular economy initiatives.
• Viable CitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic initiative for viable cities and sustainable urban development.
• 7aminorOthersListed as a partner on Vakansa's website.
• EbieminorOthersListed as a partner on Vakansa's website.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Workfrom: Online community and directory helping remote workers find cafés, coworking spaces, and meeting rooms nearby. Adjacent to Vakansa's marketplace model, but more discovery-focused with less transactional depth.
• Spacious (acquired by Industrious): Originally a marketplace for underutilized retail and restaurant spaces during off-peak hours; was acquired by flexible office operator Industrious. Closely comparable concept to Vakansa's focus on monetizing vacant or underused space.

Direct peers

• Hubble (HubbleHQ): UK-headquartered flexible office marketplace connecting businesses with short-term office and coworking space. Operates the same core model as Vakansa in the European commercial space rental segment, with a regional rather than Swedish focus.
• Croissant: On-demand workspace marketplace offering pay-as-you-go access to coworking spaces and meeting rooms across multiple cities. Closely aligned with Vakansa's flexible booking model for commercial space, though operating in different geographies.
• Coworker.com: Global online marketplace for coworking and flexible workspaces, connecting operators with individuals and teams seeking office space. Highly comparable to Vakansa as a two-sided marketplace facilitating short-term and flexible commercial space rentals.
• Deskpass: Subscription-based marketplace giving members on-demand access to coworking spaces and meeting rooms worldwide. Comparable to Vakansa in targeting flexible workspace demand and aggregating underutilized commercial space supply.
• Liquidspace: US-based marketplace for meeting rooms, offices, and event spaces available on-demand by the hour or day. Closely mirrors Vakansa's on-demand rental model and two-sided marketplace mechanics, though at a much larger scale.

Regional players

• Offices.net: European office space marketplace covering major cities including Stockholm, with listings for coworking, serviced offices, and traditional leases. Comparable marketplace model for commercial space rental in Europe, including Sweden.
• Instant Offices: UK-based flexible office broker and marketplace with global inventory of coworking, serviced, and traditional offices. Comparable two-sided model for flexible commercial space but UK-centric and serves larger enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• Airbnb for Work: Airbnb's dedicated business travel and workspace arm offering meeting and offsite space bookings through its global platform. Comparable as a marketplace for flexible, short-term space rentals, but operates as a small part of Airbnb's much broader travel portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Vakansa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vakansa
• Instagraminstagram.com/vakansa.se

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Vakansa