What Startblock Gmbh does

Startblock GmbH is a privately held coworking and community space operator headquartered at Schwarzwaldstraße 61 in Lörrach, Germany, registered as a GmbH in Freiburg im Breisgau (HRB 721245) and co-founded in 2018 by Frederic Geiger and Dr. Jürgen Brokatzky-Geiger. The company operates a 600 sqm converted former metal workshop building (Stockmar Metallbau) containing a 200 sqm coworking area, a 90-120 sqm modular Innovationswerkstatt, four bookable meeting rooms, a Makerspace with xTool F2 laser engraving, a content creation studio, terrace, kitchen, and event facilities. Service offerings span four pillars: coworking memberships (Fix Desk €330/month, Flex Desk €220/month, Community Pass €100/month, Day Pass €30), hourly meeting room rentals (€15-€35/hour), virtual business addresses (€39-49/month with optional mail forwarding), and event/workshop space rentals (price on arrangement). All memberships are month-to-month with online self-serve booking via the Cobot platform.

The company's commercial model is a hybrid of subscription recurring revenue (memberships and business addresses) and transactional revenue (meeting rooms and event space), targeting freelancers, solo entrepreneurs, early-stage startups, remote employees of Basel-region firms, and SMBs seeking meeting or workshop venues. A 20% founder discount is applied in the first year. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, anchored by monthly MachBar61 barcamps, weekly FRIDA-Freitag sessions, and the annual OpenBlockDay, with a small operational core team of four members supplemented by an active ecosystem of 98+ regular members and partnerships with Startup Academy Lörrach, Zukunft.Raum.Schwarzwald (state/EU-funded), Innocel, Wirtschaftsregion Südwest, and GCF. The customer base spans sport marketing, translation, web development, ML engineering, coaching, CAD software (ComputerWorks), e-commerce logistics (MyPaketshop), HR collectives, and entrepreneurship nonprofits, indicating a horizontally diversified SMB and individual micro-segment.

Name

Startblock Gmbh

Legal name

Startblock GmbH

Website

https://startblock.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Startblock GmbH operates a 600 sqm coworking, meeting, and event space in a converted Lörrach workshop, serving freelancers, startups, and SMBs with flexible memberships, bookable rooms, and virtual business addresses in the Germany-Switzerland-France tri-border region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lörrach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Coworking Memberships: Monthly recurring subscriptions for desk access (Fix Desk, Flex Desk, Community Pass) and day passes. All memberships include internet, coffee, and community access. Fixed desks also include business address. Monthly cancellation provides flexibility while encouraging longer tenure.
2. Meeting Room Rentals: Hourly rental of meeting rooms (Co-Creation Bubble, Breakout Room, Content Room) and the larger Innovationswerkstatt. Rooms equipped with whiteboards, screens, and presentation technology. Longer bookings receive volume discounts.
3. Business Address Services: Monthly fee for mail handling and business address registration at Schwarzwaldstraße in Lörrach. Optional mail forwarding services (domestic or international). Coworking members receive discounted rates.
4. Event Space Rental: Innovationswerkstatt and foyer available for corporate events, workshops, seminars, and kick-offs. Pricing by arrangement with optional catering packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Startblock GmbH operates a 600 sqm coworking space in a converted industrial metal workshop (former BYK-Gulden building) in Lörrach, Germany. Its core offerings are tiered coworking memberships (Fix Desk, Flex Desk, Community Pass), hourly meeting and event room rentals, registered business address services, and access to a fabrication-grade makerspace (Innovationswerkstatt) and a Content Creation Room for podcasting and streaming.

Product overview

Startblock GmbH operates a diversified coworking and workspace ecosystem in Lörrach, Germany, occupying a 600 m² renovated former metal workshop building. The offering comprises four primary service pillars: (1) Coworking Membership Plans providing fixed desks (€330/month), flex desks (€220/month), community passes (€100/month), and day passes (€30); (2) Meeting Room Rentals including the Co-Creation Bubble (up to 10 persons, from €35/hour), Breakout Room (up to 8 persons, from €25/hour), Content Room (up to 2 persons, from €15/hour), and the Innovationswerkstatt (up to 50 persons, price on request); (3) Virtual Business Address services (Geschäftsadresse) at €49/month standalone or €39/month for members, with optional mail forwarding to domestic (€59/month) or international addresses (€89/month); and (4) Community programming including the monthly MachBar61 barcamp, annual OpenBlockDay open house, weekly FRIDA-Freitag sessions, networking events, and workshops. The 200 m² coworking space accommodates over 98 members with 4 meeting rooms, a 90-120 m² Innovationswerkstatt for workshops and prototyping, a makerspace, and shared amenities including terrace, lounge, kitchen, kicker, and table tennis. The facility also offers parking for 9 vehicles and EV charging. Founders receive a 20% discount on membership tariffs during their first year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MachBar61: Monthly barcamp format held at the Startblock coworking space, focused on New Work and Entrepreneurship topics.
• OpenBlockDay
• artblock

Products and services

• Coworking Membership Plans (Fix Desk, Flex Desk, Community Pass) Tiered recurring memberships providing access to the 600 sqm shared workspace in Lörrach: Fix Desk reserves a specific workstation for the member, Flex Desk allows any available desk on a flexible basis, and Community Pass grants basic workspace access. Memberships are available with monthly and longer-term stays and benefit from a founder discount.
• Meeting Room Rentals Hourly and full-day rental of meeting and event rooms for workshops, offsite team sessions, presentations, and small events. Rooms are available on a 1-hour slot basis with a special offer of three 1-hour slots for €50 between 9:00 and 17:00, projector-equipped, with optional snacks and beverages.
• Content Creation Room Dedicated room equipped for podcasting, live-streaming, and video production. Bookable by the hour separately or as part of meeting-room packages; designed for content creators, podcasters, and teams producing recorded presentations.
• Phone Booth Rental Soundproof booth available for private calls and video meetings, integrated with the meeting-room offering at Startblock.
• Innovationswerkstatt (Makerspace) Members' workshop equipped with a laser gravur machine, woodworking tools, electronics workstations, 3D printing tools, and related fabrication equipment. Used by members and external guests for prototyping, product development, and hands-on making.
• Laser Gravure Service Dedicated laser gravur service operated inside the Innovationswerkstatt, allowing members and external clients to produce custom engraved parts and products.
• Business Address Service (Geschäftsadresse) Subscription service providing a registered business address in Lörrach for use on company correspondence, websites, and official registrations. Targeted at startups, founders, and small businesses that need a German registered address without renting a full-time office.
• MachBar61 (Monthly Barcamp) Monthly barcamp-format community event hosted at Startblock, bringing together members, founders, makers, and local ecosystem partners for peer-led sessions and networking.
• FRIDA-Freitag (Weekly Community Gathering) Recurring Friday community gathering organised at Startblock for members and guests to connect, share knowledge, and engage with the local entrepreneurship and maker community.
• OpenBlockDay (Annual Event) Annual flagship open-day event hosted by Startblock, showcasing the space, the makerspace, and the broader regional entrepreneurship ecosystem with the support of event sponsors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 members have used the space since founding, with 98+ active members
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Startup Academy LörrachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentral startup support organization in Lörrach organizing regular meetups, connecting new founders with established entrepreneurs, and offering support for founding ventures. Francesco Grieco (Geschäftsführer) frequently collaborates with Startblock and holds office hours at the space for startup consulting.
• Wirtschaftsregion SüdwestminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic development organization serving Lörrach and Waldshut counties. Part of Startblock's ecosystem networking.
• Zukunft.Raum.SchwarzwaldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject funded by Baden-Württemberg state and European Union to strengthen regional innovation. Startblock is one of the Zukunftsräume (future spaces) in this initiative, participating in events like the Aktionstag Zukunft.Raum.Schwarzwald.
• InnocelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLörrach's established innovation center, particularly active in Pharma/Healthcare and IT sectors. Part of the regional innovation ecosystem.
• Wirtschaftsförderung LörrachminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEconomic development agency for Lörrach that connects skilled workers, facilitates commercial real estate, and actively develops the business location.
• GCF (German Coworking Federation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman Coworking Federation representing coworking culture interests in German-speaking regions. Operates on 5 core values: openness, accessibility, sustainability, community, and collaboration. Provides networking, education, and advocacy for coworking spaces.
• Chez Mimi CateringminorOthersLocal catering partner providing food for MachBar61 events. Catering sponsored by Constantin Schlageter (WWK) for the barcamp.
• Constantin Schlageter (WWK Versicherungen)minorOthersInsurance and financial advisory professional who sponsors catering for MachBar61 events. Also offers insurance and retirement planning consultations at the space.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WeWork: Global coworking incumbent with locations across Europe including Frankfurt and (historically) the DACH region. Comparable as a coworking provider but operates at vastly larger scale and brand awareness.
• Spaces: IWG's design-led coworking brand competing for creative-class freelancers and SMBs across Europe. Comparable in member-tiered coworking offerings with similar meeting room and virtual office add-ons.
• Industrious: Premium flexible office operator (now part of CBRE) with enterprise focus. Comparable in providing premium meeting rooms and workspaces to SMBs but skews more enterprise and amenity-heavy.
• IWG / Regus: World's largest flexible workspace operator (Regus, Spaces, HQ, Signature brands) with broad SMB and enterprise reach. Comparable as a coworking/flexible-office provider serving similar freelancers and SMEs at scale.
• Mindspace: European premium coworking operator expanding across Germany, France, and beyond. Comparable as a design-forward, community-led coworking brand targeting similar SMB and startup segments.

Direct peers

• Workbar: US-based coworking operator with multiple neighborhood locations focused on flexible memberships and remote worker community. Comparable as a community-led, multi-tier subscription coworking business.
• Betahaus: Berlin-based coworking and event space known for community programming, makerspace elements, and event hosting. Comparable in mixing memberships, meeting rooms, and event revenue in a single physical footprint.
• St. Oberholz: Iconic Berlin coworking café and workspace, blending cafe culture with member workspaces. Most directly comparable German independent operator with a community-led, design-forward identity in a mid-sized German-speaking city.
• Factory Berlin: Premium Berlin coworking and innovation campus with strong partner ecosystem ties (corporates, government, VCs). Comparable as a community-driven hub with anchor partner relationships and event-driven GTM.

Emerging players

• CoWomen: German coworking and community concept focused on women entrepreneurs and female founders. Comparable as a DACH-region coworking startup ecosystem player with community programming at its core.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/startblock.eu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/startblock-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Startblock Gmbh