Stad en Bedrijf

What Stad en Bedrijf does

Stad en Bedrijf is a Dutch historical research bureau founded in 2003 by Matthijs Dicke and headquartered in Rotterdam, operating as a spin-off from the Centrum voor Bedrijfsgeschiedenis (Centre for Business History) at Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam after the university center was dissolved. The firm specializes in commissioned historical research and publishing, producing books and digital publications on business history, entrepreneur biographies, and Rotterdam regional history for companies, associations, government bodies, and private individuals. Notable clients include Koninklijke Vopak, Heerema Marine Contractors, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Van Leeuwen, Erasmus School of Economics, Siemens Nederland, and Gemeente Hoorn.

The bureau's core offering comprises research and writing, image research, and design and production coordination, delivered through customized project teams assembled by the founder and drawing on a curated network of freelance authors, photographers, designers, and printers. Each project is scoped and priced individually; there is no SaaS, subscription, or self-service channel. The firm has produced more than 50 publications over 20 years, and its external press coverage (e.g., NRC review) signals credibility within the Dutch cultural and corporate history community.

Stad en Bedrijf operates a sales-led, project-based revenue model with no external investors, no funding rounds, and no disclosed parent company. The firm is privately held and appears to be entirely founder-led, with Matthijs Dicke serving as the primary researcher, writer, and final responsible party for all publications. The go-to-market approach is word-of-mouth and referral-driven, with no formal digital marketing; commissions are acquired through professional networks in the Rotterdam business and academic community.

Name

Stad en Bedrijf

Legal name

Stad en Bedrijf

Website

https://stadenbedrijf.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stad en Bedrijf is a Rotterdam-based historical research bureau founded in 2003 that produces commissioned books and digital publications on business history and regional history for companies, associations, and private individuals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Research and Publishing Services

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK)

Keywords

• Business history research
• Corporate history publications
• Commissioned historical books
• Entrepreneur biographies
• Regional history writing

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Commissioned Publishing Services: Stad en Bedrijf creates books and digital publications on commission from clients. They research, write, and produce historical publications for companies, associations, and private individuals. Revenue is generated through project-based commissions rather than standard product sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Stad en Bedrijf is a historical research bureau that produces commissioned books and digital publications for companies, associations, and private individuals. The bureau delivers scientifically sound historical research, professional writing, image research, design, and production support, with specialization in business history, entrepreneur biographies, and the history of the Rotterdam region.

Product overview

Stad en Bedrijf is a historical research bureau that operates as a single-product publishing service rather than a platform architecture. The company produces two main product types: Boeken (Books) and Digitale Publicaties (Digital Publications), complemented by research and text services as well as design and production support services. These offerings work together as a complete publication service, where research and writing form the foundation, and design and production ensure quality end products. The company specializes in business history, entrepreneur biographies, and Rotterdam regional history, delivering over fifty publications in twenty years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Boeken (Books)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 publications delivered in 20 years of operation

Named customers18 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

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Atlas Contact: Dutch general publisher (part of VBK) with strong history, biography, and non-fiction lists. Overlaps with Stad en Bedrijf in producing historical and biographical works in Dutch, though at significantly larger scale with broader catalog.
• De Bezige Bij: Major Dutch literary and non-fiction publisher with extensive history, biography, and humanities lists. Comparable in producing scholarly Dutch-language publications including historical works, though at substantially larger scale and broader scope.
• Uitgeverij Prometheus: Dutch general publisher (part of VBK) producing fiction, non-fiction, and essays including historical titles. Comparable in producing Dutch-language publications including historical non-fiction, but operates at much larger scale with broader trade list.
• Uitgeverij Querido: Major Dutch literary publisher (part of Singel Uitgeverijen) with history, biography, and children's book divisions. Comparable in Dutch-language publishing of historical and biographical works, but operates at substantially larger scale.
• Uitgeverij Balans: Dutch non-fiction publisher with strong history, biography, and current affairs lists. Overlaps with Stad en Bedrijf in Dutch historical and biographical publishing, though at larger scale with broader trade focus.
• Uitgeverij De Arbeiderspers: Dutch literary and non-fiction publisher (part of Singel Uitgeverijen) with strong history, biography, and essay lists. Comparable in producing Dutch historical and scholarly works, though at much larger scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• Walburg Pers: Dutch historical publisher specializing in regional history, genealogy, and Dutch heritage topics. Direct comparable in producing scholarly Dutch historical works with focus on regional and cultural history, similar in scale and niche focus to Stad en Bedrijf's Rotterdam regional specialization.
• Uitgeverij Vantilt: Smaller Dutch academic and literary publisher based in Nijmegen, specializing in history, philosophy, and humanities. Highly comparable in scale and academic-quality publishing focus, producing scholarly Dutch-language books and historical works for a similar niche audience.
• Amsterdam University Press: Dutch academic publisher producing scholarly books in social sciences, humanities, and history. Direct comparable in academic-quality publishing of Dutch-language historical and scholarly works, though operating under an institutional rather than commissioned-service model.
• Boom Uitgevers Amsterdam: Major Dutch academic and general publisher with strong history, social sciences, and humanities catalogs. Directly comparable to Stad en Bedrijf in producing scholarly Dutch-language publications including historical works, though operating at significantly larger scale and with broader trade publishing alongside academic output.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stad-bedrijf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Stad en Bedrijf