realitylab

What realitylab does

realitylab GmbH is a Vienna-based applied research and consulting firm operating since 2013 in the intersection of social sustainability, cooperative housing development, and urban energy transition. The firm supports housing developers, cooperatives (Baugruppen), and public-sector research programs with services spanning social sustainability consulting, Baugruppen facilitation from formation through long-term community living, and Wärmewende (heat transition) accompaniment for building decarbonization. Its underlying technology stack is primarily methodological rather than software-centric: a social process design and community-building practice, anchored by the Gemeinschaffen digital platform for resource communities and codified through a series of Applied Research Briefs derived from funded projects.

The company's revenue model rests on two pillars. First, project-based consulting retainers and long-term accompaniment agreements with Viennese housing developers (Eisenhof, Heimbau, ÖBB Infrastruktur, Mischek, ARWAG Holding, GEWOG, Sedlak, Sozialbau, Neues Leben, Gleis 21, IG Immobilien) and municipal clients such as Mobilitätsagentur Wien. Second, applied research grants from Austrian (FFG, Klima- und Energiefonds, Stadt der Zukunft) and European (Driving Urban Transitions, JPI Urban Europe) funding programs. Active projects as of 2024–2025 include Coop4PEDs (2025–2028), PED StepWise, SchrittZuKlimafit, HeatCOOP, DekarboGen, ZxB, and Die Siedler:innen. The firm is a private Austrian GmbH with approximately 10 employees, founder-led by Dr. Gernot Tscherteu and Petra Hendrich, with no disclosed external investment or parent ownership.

Strategically, realitylab has progressively broadened its scope from pure Baugruppen facilitation into heat transition, cooperative renovation, and positive energy districts, leveraging public-research credibility (including a New European Bauhaus Prize via the die HausWirtschaft project) to expand into transnational consortia. The offering is services-led and geography-concentrated in Vienna and Austria, with growing European research ties but no commercial presence outside DACH.

Name

realitylab

Legal name

realitylab GmbH

Website

https://realitylab.at

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

realitylab GmbH is a Vienna-based applied research and consulting firm that supports housing developers, building cooperatives (Baugruppen), and public research programs with social sustainability, community-building, and heat-transition services for cooperative and decarbonized urban housing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Project Funding: Government and EU-funded research projects through programs like FFG (Austrian Research Promotion Agency), Driving Urban Transitions (DUT), JPI-Urban Europe, and Stadt der Zukunft (City of the Future). Projects include PED StepWise, HeatCOOP, DekarboGen, Coop4PEDs, and others focused on urban decarbonization and energy transition.
2. Consulting Services: Social accompaniment and consulting services for housing developers, cooperatives, and building groups on topics including social sustainability, community building, and sustainable renovation processes.
3. Project Coordination: Coordination and moderation of neighborhood-building processes for housing projects, including pre-occupancy community development and ongoing neighborhood support.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

realitylab is a Vienna-based applied research and consulting organization that provides social sustainability, building group (Baugruppen) support, and heat transition accompaniment services to housing developers, cooperatives, and public-sector clients. Its work centers on social process design, community building, and facilitation for urban housing projects, delivered alongside funded research projects and the Gemeinschaffen platform for resource communities.

Product overview

realitylab operates as a research and consulting organization focused on applied research in 'Gemeinschaffen' (collaborative development, use, and management of resources in urban contexts). The company offers a portfolio of services including social sustainability consulting for housing developers, building group (Baugruppen) support from development through community living, and Wärmewende (heat transition) accompaniment services. The product ecosystem centers on the Gemeinschaffen platform as a digital hub for resource communities, complemented by multiple research projects (Coop4PEDs, ZxB, PED StepWise, HeatCOOP) that generate Applied Research Briefs as knowledge outputs. The offerings are advisory and facilitation-focused rather than software product-based, with an emphasis on social process development and moderation in housing and urban development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gemeinschaffen: Platform for resource communities - collaborative development, use, and management of resources in urban contexts.
• Applied Research Briefs

Products and services

• Soziale Nachhaltigkeit (Social Sustainability Consulting) Consulting service supporting housing developers to implement socially sustainable housing by considering social basic needs in housing projects and fostering community, neighborhood, and co-creation through early workshops and information events.
• Baugruppen-Begleitung (Building Group Support) Long-term coaching, moderation, and translation service for building groups (Baugruppen) and housing cooperatives from development through to community living, acting as intermediaries between building groups and construction/renovation partners.
• Wärmewende-Begleitung (Heat Transition Support) Social support and communication service for decarbonization and heat transition projects, helping to enable a socially just and ecologically effective heat transition through collaboration with involved stakeholders such as residents, housing companies, and municipalities.
• Quartiers- und Stadtentwicklung (Neighborhood and Urban Development) Consulting and facilitation service supporting neighborhood- and city-level urban development, working with municipal stakeholders and developers to coordinate participatory planning, social process design, and community integration at district scale.
• Forschung & Entwicklung (Applied Research) Applied research service conducting funded studies on cooperative housing, urban commons, sustainable renovation, positive energy districts, and community-led decarbonization, producing Applied Research Briefs as knowledge outputs for housing sector and policy audiences.
• Gemeinschaffen Platform Digital platform for resource communities that enables collaborative development, use, and management of resources in urban contexts, serving as a knowledge and coordination hub for community initiatives related to social sustainability and urban housing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple research projects funded by Austrian and European programs annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• FFG (Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational research funding partner supporting multiple realitylab projects including Leuchttürme der Wärmewende (Lighthouses of Heat Transition) and TIKS projects. Provides grant funding for applied research in urban development and energy transition.
• DUT (Driving Urban Transitions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean partnership program supporting urban transition research. realitylab participates in Coop4PEDs, PED StepWise, and HeatCOOP projects through this partnership, focusing on positive energy districts and urban decarbonization.
• JPI Urban EuropemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Programming Initiative supporting urban Europe research. realitylab participates in Citizens4PED project focusing on citizen-inclusive positive energy districts.
• Stadt der Zukunft (City of the Future)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian research program funding innovative urban development projects. realitylab has participated in projects including #EEG++ (digital plus-energy communities) and DieWärmePioniere.
• diehauswirtschaft.atminorOthersrealitylab is a member of this organization/network.
• diewogen.atminorOthersrealitylab is a member of this organization/network focused on housing and urban development.
• EisenhofmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit housing company (Gemeinnützige Wohnungsgesellschaft) that has partnered with realitylab on multiple housing projects including Generationenband and Wolfganggasse for social sustainability accompaniment.
• HeimbaumajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing developer and realitylab client for social sustainability services on multiple projects including Kuku23, Village Mitte, and Podhagskygasse.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Deutsches Institut für Urbanistik (Difu): German research and consultancy institute for urban issues covering housing, mobility, energy, and social cohesion. Overlaps with realitylab's applied research on cooperative housing and social-sustainability integration in German-speaking cities, though broader in scope.
• Österreichisches Institut für Raumplanung (ÖIR): Austrian institute for spatial planning and applied research on regional and urban development. Comparable to realitylab in producing applied research and policy-relevant outputs on urban transformation, energy transition, and cooperative development in Austria.
• Wohnbund: Austrian consultancy and research association focused on cooperative, affordable, and socially sustainable housing. Directly comparable to realitylab in serving Baugruppen, housing developers, and municipalities on cooperative housing processes and social-sustainability integration.
• baubüro Süd: Munich-based architecture and consulting practice specializing in Baugruppen (building group) project development, formation support, and group moderation in German-speaking markets — directly overlapping with realitylab's Baugruppen-Begleitung service line.

Broad incumbents

• Sweco: European engineering, design, and consulting firm with significant urban planning and sustainable-district practices across the Nordics and DACH. Comparable to realitylab in urban sustainability and energy transition consulting, but operating at continental scale.
• Ramboll: Global engineering, architecture, and sustainability consultancy with a large urban transition and energy practice. Overlaps with realitylab in sustainable district development and decarbonization research, but operates at much broader scale and scope.
• Arup: Global engineering and urban-development consultancy with established practices in sustainable cities, energy transition, and community engagement. Comparable to realitylab at the strategic sustainability advisory layer, though far broader and not housing-cooperative specialized.

Others

• ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability: Global network of local and regional governments working on sustainable urban development. realitylab participates in ICLEI-adjacent EU programs (DUT, JPI Urban Europe) and works with municipal clients like Mobilitätsagentur Wien, making ICLEI a thematic ecosystem peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/realitylab_at
• Facebookfacebook.com/realitylab.at
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/realitylab-at

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 realitylab