Startblok Riekerhaven

Name

Startblok Riekerhaven

Legal name

Startblok Riekerhaven

Website

https://startblokriekerhaven.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Housing

SIC

Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Mixed-Use Community Association Management (BPAJAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Master-Planned Community & POA Management (BPAJAHAD)

Keywords

• Social housing
• Affordable housing
• Refugee integration
• Community living
• Youth housing

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Residential Housing Rent: Startblok Riekerhaven generates revenue through rental income from its approximately 565 residential units. Residents pay rent for their apartments/studios. The project is initiated and supported by housing corporation De Key and the Municipality of Amsterdam, suggesting a subsidized or social housing model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Startblok Riekerhaven operates approximately 565 affordable residential units in Amsterdam Nieuw-West, allocated roughly evenly to young Dutch residents (students and young professionals) and status holders (refugees with residence permits). Residents live in independent studios while sharing communal facilities (Clubhuis, gardens) and participating in structured self-management and community-building programs that foster intercultural exchange and integration.

Product overview

Startblok Riekerhaven is a social housing project in Amsterdam that offers affordable housing units for approximately 565 young people, combining Dutch youth with status holders (refugees with residence permits). The core offering is housing with integrated community-building programs, where residents live together in a self-managed environment. The project consists of housing units as the primary product, complemented by community programs like Startblok Actief! for self-organization and Zelfbeheer for collective management of shared spaces. The Clubhuis serves as the central community facility for social activities and events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Startblok Riekerhaven Housing (Woonruimtes) Approximately 565 affordable residential units (studios and apartments) in Amsterdam Nieuw-West, allocated roughly evenly to young Dutch residents and status holders (refugees with residence permits), forming an intentional intercultural community.
• Zelfbeheer (Self-Management Program) A resident-led program in which the Startblok community collectively manages housing units, common areas, gardens, and shared spaces to keep the environment clean, safe, and pleasant.
• Startblok Actief! (Resident Self-Organization Program) A program that enables residents to actively organize community activities, events, language exchanges, and skill-sharing, while developing leadership and project management skills.
• Clubhuis (Community Center) A shared community clubhouse and café at Overschiestraat 192, Amsterdam, serving as the central gathering space for residents to host events, meetings, and social activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 565 young people housed in intercultural community setting since 2016
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Hogeschool van Amsterdam (HvA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017The Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences partners with Startblok through sports activities and student volunteering. HvA students regularly visit for joint sports days, and students from various programs engage with the community.
• De KeycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016De Key is the housing corporation that owns and manages Startblok Riekerhaven. As the landlord and initiator, De Key provides the housing infrastructure, manages rental agreements, and supports the project's social mission. The project is described as one of the most spectacular developments in new forms of resident ownership.
• Gemeente Amsterdam (Municipality of Amsterdam)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016The Municipality of Amsterdam played a major role in preparing and initiating Startblok. They facilitated the land, provided planning permissions, and continue to support the project as a model for affordable housing and integration. The municipality also coordinates the placement of status holders.
• Socius WonencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Socius Wonen is a housing partner involved in the project. They help manage housing assignments and have shared information about alternative youth housing options (Socius, Lieven) on Startblok's website.
• VluchtelingenWerk Nederland (Dutch Council for Refugees)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016VluchtelingenWerk Nederland provides support services for refugee residents, including helping newcomers find housing and integrate. They conducted interviews with Startblok residents to document experiences and share stories of successful integration.
• TakecarebnbminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAn organization that arranges temporary housing for status holders still living in asylum centers after receiving their residence permit. Through this program, Muhammed Tlej was connected with Michel Jacobs and later moved to Startblok Riekerhaven.
• Leut (Coffee Shop)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerA neighboring coffee shop and lunchroom at Overschiestraat 200 run by Gijs and Rick. Leut welcomes Startblok residents, distributes information about the project, and represents the positive neighborhood integration the project aims for.
• ZID TheaterminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerZID Theater collaborated with Startblok to organize the CultuurGidsen (Culture Guides) training program for status holders and neighborhood residents. The program taught cultural event organization skills and led to a community festival.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Startblok Houthavens: Sibling project operated by the same landlord (De Key) in Amsterdam using the same mixed-cohort model of Dutch youth and status holders living together with resident-led self-management. It is the closest operational analog to Startblok Riekerhaven and demonstrates the model's replicability within a single housing corporation's portfolio.

Others

• Refugees Welcome International: International non-profit network connecting private hosts with refugees in need of temporary accommodation. Operates a smaller-scale, host-based version of Startblok's refugee housing and integration mission across multiple European cities, making it a thematic peer in cross-border refugee-housing innovation.
• VluchtelingenWerk Nederland: Dutch Council for Refugees, a core strategic partner supporting status holder residents at Startblok with integration, language, and orientation services. A thematic peer in the Dutch refugee integration ecosystem rather than a housing operator, but directly comparable on the social-impact dimension of Startblok's work.
• Socius Wonen: Dutch youth housing organization listed as a core strategic partner of Startblok Riekerhaven, sharing information on alternative youth housing options such as Socius and Lieven. Functions as a feeder and parallel provider of young-adult housing, making it an ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Ymere: One of the largest housing corporations in the Amsterdam metropolitan region, providing social and mid-market rental housing. Relevant as a broad incumbent peer operating in the same regulated Dutch social housing market that Startblok's landlord De Key competes in for tenants, capital, and policy attention.
• Rochdale: Amsterdam-based housing corporation managing a large portfolio of social and student housing, including dedicated student accommodation. Overlaps with Startblok on affordable rental housing for young adults in Amsterdam and offers a comparable incumbent benchmark for resident engagement and self-management practices.
• Eigen Haard: Large Amsterdam housing corporation managing tens of thousands of social housing units city-wide. Comparable to Startblok's operator (De Key) as a peer Dutch social housing landlord serving Amsterdam's affordable housing market, though without the intentional mixed refugee/youth cohort design.
• De Key: Amsterdam-based housing corporation (woningcorporatie) that owns and operates Startblok Riekerhaven and other Startblok sites. As the parent landlord, De Key provides the broader portfolio context and capital backing against which Startblok's innovation is benchmarked within the Dutch social housing sector.

Emerging players

• Takecarebnb: Dutch platform arranging temporary housing for status holders transitioning out of asylum centers. It has directly referred residents such as Muhammed Tlej into Startblok Riekerhaven and operates a smaller-scale, more transient version of the same refugee-housing pathway, making it a closely adjacent emerging peer.

Regional players

• Sozialbau: Vienna-based social housing provider operating subsidized, community-oriented rental housing in Austria. Comparable to Startblok's model as a European municipal/partnership-backed social housing operator with strong community programming, though in a different national policy and funding regime.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/startblok.riekerhaven
• Instagraminstagram.com/startblok_riekerhaven
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/startblok

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Startblok Riekerhaven