Kanju
Kanju is a French employee-owned consultancy (12-13 staff, Paris/Lambesc, founded 2007) providing scenography, maîtrrise d'œuvre, cultural engineering, and artist support services to public-sector cultural institutions across France and francophone Europe.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersLambesc, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Kanju does
Kanju is a French employee-owned professional services firm (SAS, founded 2007, 12-13 staff, bi-site Paris/Lambesc) that operates as maître d'œuvre and cultural engineering consultant specialized in live performance and cultural venues. Its four service lines — Scénographie d'équipement (stage/spectator geometry, machinery, lighting, sound, seating), Assistance à maîtrise d'ouvrage (owner representation and feasibility studies), Conseil et ingénierie culturelle (cultural policy, organizational and economic diagnostics), and Accompagnement d'artistes (production and development support for artists and orchestras) — are delivered through competitive public tendering and consortium partnerships with French and international architects (Snøhetta, Souto de Moura, PONT 12, Atelier King Kong, Land Architectes, Encore Heureux, Atelier Fabre & Speller).
The underlying technology is human expertise in scenography and stage networks rather than software or proprietary platforms; deliverables are CAD plans, feasibility studies, CCTP specifications, and chantier supervision. Notable recent project work includes the CDN Nanterre-Amandiers with Snøhetta (€28M, 2019-2025), the Radio France studio renovation (€30M), the Scène Nationale de Clermont-Ferrand with Souto de Moura (€28M), the Opéra-Théâtre du Grand Avignon with Atelier Fabre & Speller (€13M, 2019-2021), the Ateliers Médicis in Clichy-Montfermeil with Encore Heureux (€20.3M, 2022), and ongoing international engagements including the Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne with PONT 12 (€24M), La Seine Musicale (AMO), the CNSAD feasibility study, and a 2024 feasibility study for the National Museum of Guinea with Assemblage.
Revenue is generated through project-by-project professional service fees from French public sector clients — municipalities, regions, national theaters, scè nes nationales, opera houses, orchestras, and cultural ministries — with smaller contingents of work in Belgium, Switzerland, the Maghreb, Lebanon, and Guinea. The firm reported an Egapro gender-pay equity index of 97/100 and a highest-to-lowest salary ratio of 2.6. In July 2025 it transitioned to a four-person co-direction structure and continues to operate as a profitable niche specialist without external capital.
Kanju firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kanju
- Legal name
- KANJU
- Website
- https://kanju.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kanju is a French employee-owned consultancy (12-13 staff, Paris/Lambesc, founded 2007) providing scenography, maîtrrise d'œuvre, cultural engineering, and artist support services to public-sector cultural institutions across France and francophone Europe.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kanju industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cultural Infrastructure Engineering & Consulting
- NAICS
- Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Convention & Exhibition Center Construction (IMAFACAM), Education & Research Facility Construction (Schools, Universities, R&D) (IMAFACAE)
Keywords
Where Kanju is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lambesc
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Kanju business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Maîtrise d'œuvre (Master Contractor Services): Project management and design services for cultural infrastructure including conception, renovation of performance venues, and technical theater systems. Revenue generated through professional service fees on public procurement projects.
- Assistance à Maîtrise d'Ouvrage (AMO): Owner representation and project advisory services for public sector clients undertaking cultural infrastructure projects.
- Conseil et Ingénierie Culturelle: Cultural policy consulting, strategic advisory services, economic modeling, and organizational analysis for cultural institutions and public authorities.
- Accompagnement d'Artistes: Artistic development support including production management, financial and administrative guidance for artists and cultural producers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based professional services for cultural infrastructure |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Kanju product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kanju provides specialized consulting, engineering, and project management services for cultural infrastructure in France and internationally. The firm acts as maître d'œuvre (master contractor) and assistant à maîtrise d'ouvrage for performance venues, theaters, opera houses, and concert halls, handling scenographic design, stage network engineering, audiovisual systems, and cultural policy advisory. Revenue is generated through professional service fees on multi-year public sector projects, with the company operating as a multidisciplinary team of scenographers, engineers, and cultural consultants.
Product overview
Kanju operates as an integrated services firm offering four interconnected core offerings: Scénographie d'équipement (equipment scenography) for the architectural design of cultural venues; Assistance maîtrise d'ouvrage (owner's representative services) for project management support; Conseil et ingénierie culturelle (cultural consulting and engineering) for strategic advisory services; and Accompagnement d'artistes (artist support) for production and development assistance. The company functions as a unified service practice rather than a software product platform, with all four service lines drawing on the complementary expertise of their multidisciplinary team of scenographers, engineers, and cultural consultants.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Scénographie d'équipement (Equipment Scenography)
Quantifiable outcome
- Completed renovation of Théâtre Vidy Lausanne after 10-year collaboration
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Kanju
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Kanju technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Kanju partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SnøhettacoreArchitectural partnership on CDN Nanterre-Amandiers project (2019-2025, 28M€). Snøhetta serves as lead architect with Kanju providing scenographic master contractor services.
- Encore HeureuxcoreOngoing partnership including SMAC Orléans (Astrolabe, 2024), Ateliers Médicis Clichy-Montfermeil (20.3M€, 2022), La Belle de Mai project in Marseille.
- Land ArchitectescorePartnership on Fabrique Loubon project (Belle de Mai, Marseille), Cinema l'Alhambra rehabilitation, and multiple other cultural venues.
- Atelier King KongcorePartnership on multiple SMAC projects including Montauban (won competition 2024) and Venelles cultural center.
- Atelier Fabre & SpellercoreLong-standing partnership on Opéra-Théâtre du Grand Avignon (13M€, 2019-2021), Opéra-Théâtre de Metz (18.4M€), and Théâtre Max Jacob de Quimper.
- Souto Moura ArquitectoscorePartnership on Scène Nationale de Clermont-Ferrand (28M€, 2017-2020) with architect Eduardo Souto de Moura.
- ISTS / CFPTSminorEducational partnerships for apprenticeship programs in stage networks, scenic lighting, and audiovisual equipment. Collaborates with these specialized schools for intern and alternant training.
- PONT 12 ArchitectescorePartnership on Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne renovation (24M€, 2019-2023), a 10-year collaboration culminating in complete theater renovation.
- AssemblagecorePartnership on National Museum of Guinea renovation and extension feasibility study (2024), with Assemblage as lead of consortium.
- Kanren AssociationminorKanju encouraged and supports Kanren, an association where Kanju employees volunteer. Kanren develops reflection on performing arts and encourages creation for insufficiently supported forms including storytelling and young artists.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Kanju competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Buro Happold: Global engineering consultancy with a dedicated cultural and venues practice delivering structural and MEP engineering for museums, opera houses, and concert halls. Overlaps with Kanju on engineering and scenographic coordination for major cultural projects.
- Charcoalblue: UK-headquartered theatre, live entertainment, and performance-space design consultancy combining architecture, theatre consulting, and acoustic design. Closest international peer in discipline (scenography + venue design) and competes with Kanju on cross-border European tenders.
- Theatre Projects Consultants: Internationally established theatre and performance-venue planning consultancy with decades of marquee projects (Sydney Opera House, Lincoln Center). Comparable in discipline but operates at materially larger scale and global footprint than Kanju.
Direct peers
- Architecture & Technique (Groupe Patriarche): French engineering consultancy with a dedicated cultural and performance-venue practice providing AMO, structural engineering, and scenographic services for theaters, opera houses, and cultural facilities. Direct competitor in the same French public-tender ecosystem.
- Auerbach Pollock Friedlander: San Francisco-based theatre and performing arts design consultancy providing theatre planning, scenography, and AV/lighting design. Direct functional peer in venue design discipline.
- Fisher Dachs Associates: US-based theatre planning and design firm providing programming, scenography, and theatre consulting for performing arts centers. Direct functional equivalent in North America; relevant for cross-Atlantic benchmarking of scope and pricing.
- Cabinet Merlin: Independent French engineering consultancy active in cultural infrastructure and public-sector construction projects (water, environment, infrastructure). Overlaps with Kanju on building engineering and AMO scopes for cultural venues and public buildings.
- Artec Consultants: New York-based theatre, acoustics, and performance-venue consulting practice. Comparable specialized scope in theatrical equipment and scenographic advisory for cultural institutions.
- dUCKS Scéno: Paris-based scenography firm specializing in stage design, scenographic equipment, and cultural venue consulting. Direct competitor in the same French public-procurement market; comparable size and service scope (note: a former Kanju team member, Melissa Ribeiro, came from dUCKS Scéno).
- Text scénographie: French scenography practice providing scenographic equipment design and consultancy for cultural venues, performance halls, and event spaces. Direct competitor in the same French public tender market as Kanju.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Kanju social profiles
Digital presenceKanju financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kanju leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Kanju funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kanju M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kanju
What does Kanju do?
Kanju provides specialized consulting, engineering, and project management services for cultural infrastructure in France and internationally. The firm acts as maître d'œuvre (master contractor) and assistant à maîtrise d'ouvrage for performance venues, theaters, opera houses, and concert halls, handling scenographic design, stage network engineering, audiovisual systems, and cultural policy advisory. Revenue is generated through professional service fees on multi-year public sector projects, with the company operating as a multidisciplinary team of scenographers, engineers, and cultural consultants.
Is Kanju a public or private company?
Kanju is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Kanju founded?
Kanju was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kanju based?
Kanju is headquartered in Lambesc, France, in the Europe region.
How does Kanju make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Maîtrise d'œuvre (Master Contractor Services) is the primary driver. The others are assistance à Maîtrise d'Ouvrage (AMO), conseil et Ingénierie Culturelle and accompagnement d'Artistes.
Who are Kanju's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Buro Happold, Charcoalblue and Theatre Projects Consultants. Direct peers are Architecture & Technique (Groupe Patriarche), Auerbach Pollock Friedlander, Fisher Dachs Associates, Cabinet Merlin, Artec Consultants, dUCKS Scéno and Text scénographie.
Does Kanju have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kanju.
What industry is Kanju in?
Kanju's product category is Cultural Infrastructure Engineering & Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHACAN, Public Sector & Policy Consulting, with a secondary code of IMAFACAM, Convention & Exhibition Center Construction. Its NAICS code is 5416 and its SIC code is 8742.