Maakotheek

Name

Maakotheek

Legal name

Zebrano B.V.

Website

https://maakotheek.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Services (STEAM/W&T Curriculum Materials)

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms (EDAJAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services (EDAGAKAA), K–12 Digital Curriculum & Interactive Lessons (EDAGAEAA), Assessment, Testing & Analytics Platforms (Formative/Summative) (EDAJAMAC)

Keywords

• Educational learning kits
• Science technology education
• STEAM curriculum materials
• Teacher professional development
• Primary secondary education

Headquarters

HQ city

Rotterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Maakbox Rental (Equipment + Materials + Lessons): Maakboxen are rented from holiday to holiday (approximately 8-week periods). Each rental includes a base module (lesson licenses, equipment rental, consumables for 75 students, and team coaching) and optional additional consumption sets. Pricing scales with school size from small (€780/period) to large (€3,120/period).
2. Consumables and Additional Sets: Additional consumption sets (Verbruikssets) at €260 each can be added for larger schools or extended rental periods, providing extra consumable materials per 75 students.
3. Professional Development / Team Training: Team training sessions on W&T and OOL are offered, including workshops such as school vision development, W&T introduction, question formulation, project design, World Orientation integration, formative assessment, and teacher attitude. A free team training is included with a minimum of 3 Maakbox themes per school year.
4. Custom Maakbox Development for School Boards: Maakotheek develops custom W&T learning kits for individual school boards/stichtingen, including maintenance and rotation management, with the materials remaining property of the school/stichting.
5. Technalyse Consulting: A structured assessment and advisory service for schools and school boards to diagnose W&T education status and develop improvement roadmaps, delivered through an online questionnaire and ambition interview.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Maakotheek rents turnkey "Maakbox" learning kits to Dutch primary, secondary, and after-school care providers for Science & Technology (W&T) and STEAM education. Each Maakbox bundles lesson plans, physical materials and equipment, consumables, and online instructional videos around a themed unit (e.g., Makey Makey, 3D printing, Ozobot, stop-motion, sustainable energy) following the Onderzoekend & Ontwerpend Leren (OOL) pedagogical framework co-developed with Wetenschapsknooppunt TU Delft. The offering is rounded out with school-advisor coaching, professional development team trainings, and the Technalyse diagnostic assessment for school boards.

Product overview

Maakotheek is a supplier of concrete educational materials for Dutch primary (PO), secondary (VO), and out-of-school (BSO) education, operating as a trading name of Zebrano B.V. The core product is the Maakbox (educational kit) system — physical lesson kits rented from holiday to holiday that include lesson plans, all required physical materials and apparatus, and access to an online platform with instructional videos and teacher support. The Maakbox portfolio includes themed boxes such as Maak je eigen controller (Makey Makey), Onderzoeken & ontwerpen in 3D (3D printing), Optische illusies & spiegels, Stop-motion, Duurzame energie, and Robotiseer je wereld (Ozobot), all following the Onderzoekend & Ontwerpend Leren (OOL) pedagogical method. For VO, Maakotheek offers Maker's Red Box, Contextrijk Programmeren (micro:bit), and Ontwerpend Leren. BSO products include Doe-Dozen (one-hour activities) and Basis Maakvaardigheden (foundational making skills). Supplementary services include professional development team trainings (in partnership with Wetenschapsknooppunt TU Delft), the Technalyse assessment model for schools, an online Kennisbank (knowledge base), the Rekenhulp (cost calculator), and regional support via Techkwadraat/STO. Maakotheek also participates in STEAMADVIES, a five-organization collaboration to strengthen STEAM education across Dutch schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Maakbox (Educational Learning Kit) Everything-in-one rented educational kit (leskist) combining lesson plans, physical materials and apparatus, consumables, and online instructional videos for Science & Technology lessons in primary and secondary schools. Boxes are rented per holiday period (approximately 8 weeks) following the Onderzoekend & Ontwerpend Leren (OOL) pedagogical approach. Each Maakbox focuses on a specific thematic topic with a clear learning objective.
• Maak je eigen controller (Makey Makey) Thematic Maakbox in which students explore electrical circuits, conductors and insulators, and design, test, and present their own game controller using a Makey Makey. Includes Makey Makey boards, laptops, research materials, and custom cardboard templates; students test their controllers with the Scratch programming platform.
• Onderzoeken & ontwerpen in 3D Thematic Maakbox in which students discover the difference between 2D and 3D, learn about spatial figures, build prototypes, and design objects using Tinkercad 3D design software. A 3D printer (included) prints the students' designs.
• Optische illusies & spiegels Thematic Maakbox in which students research optical illusions and mirror mechanics. Students design their own optical illusions (thaumatrope for middle grades, zoetrope for upper grades) and build a working periscope using mirrors, flashlights, and craft materials.
• Stop-motion Thematic Maakbox in which students learn about stop-motion film characteristics and storyboarding, then design sets and produce their own stop-motion films. Includes tablets with stop-motion software, stop-motion tables, and craft materials.
• Duurzame energie Thematic Maakbox for secondary education (VO) exploring energy: where electricity comes from, what sustainable energy means, and how it is stored and transmitted. Uses Qmod devices, dynamos, solar panels, and LED components to teach about energy generation and storage.
• Robotiseer je wereld (Ozobot) Thematic Maakbox in which students discover the Ozobot (programmable robot) and program it using color codes and block coding. Middle grades use Ozobots for math (bus sums); upper grades design the city of the future. Includes Ozobot robots, charging stations, ground plates, and Ozobot markers.
• Maker's Red Box Comprehensive lesson package for cross-curricular project-based learning in the lower grades of vmbo-t, havo, and vwo (secondary education). Provides student materials for subject-integrated technology projects.
• Contextrijk Programmeren (micro:bit) Secondary education (VO) program teaching programming with the micro:bit in connection with subject content. Students learn programming concepts while applying them to real curriculum topics.
• Ontwerpend Leren Project format for secondary schools in which students independently design projects following the Ontwerpend Leren (design-based learning) methodology.
• Basis Maakvaardigheden (PO) Foundational making-skills Maakbox for primary education (PO) introducing basic crafting: gluing, cutting, and folding. Lays the foundation for more advanced design projects.
• Basis Maakvaardigheden (BSO) Foundational making-skills Maakbox for out-of-school care (BSO) covering basic crafting techniques including gluing, cutting, and folding.
• Doe-Dozen One-hour activity boxes for BSO (out-of-school care). Starting from a meaningful context, children make something to solve a story-based problem. Boxes are thematically structured activity sessions.
• EDUtheek KDV/VVE Lesson Kits Enriching lesson kits for childcare centers (KDV) and early childhood education (VVE) developed within the EDUtheek concept. A new theme is delivered three times per year for toddlers and preschoolers.
• Teamtrainingen W&T en OOL Team training programs on Wetenschap & Technologie (W&T) and Onderzoekend & Ontwerpend Leren (OOL), developed in partnership with Wetenschapsknooppunt TU Delft (WKD). Training topics include OOL introduction, formulating design questions, creating own projects, linking W&T to world orientation, formative assessment, and teacher attitude development. Training is free when a school orders a minimum of 3 Maakbox themes per school year.
• Technalyse (School Assessment & Advisory) Assessment model for schools and school boards (PO and VO) to measure current W&T education status. Consists of an online baseline survey, an ambition conversation, and a comprehensive report with school-level and regional-level analyses to guide targeted support.
• Custom Maakbox Development for School Boards Custom W&T learning kit development service for individual school boards (stichtingen), including maintenance and rotation management, with the materials remaining property of the school or stichting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Maakotheek's approach has been adopted by 40+ school boards and hundreds of individual schools throughout the Netherlands, indicating broad market acceptance.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

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

• Wetenschapsknooppunt TU Delft (WKD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaakotheek co-develops training programs on W&T and OOL (Inquiry-Based and Design-Based Learning) with Wetenschapsknooppunt TU Delft. Maakotheek executes these trainings on behalf of WKD, and uses WKD's research-based learning cycles as the pedagogical framework across all Maakbox themes.
• Wetenschapsknooppunt Zuid-HollandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaakotheek uses the inquiry and design learning cycles developed by Wetenschapsknooppunt Zuid-Holland as the pedagogical foundation for all its Maakbox lessons, aligning its methodology with academic standards.
• STEAMADVIES (ICTLeskisten, PMOT, Rolf groep, ToolKid)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTEAMADVIES is a collaboration between five leading Dutch organizations (ICTLeskisten, Maakotheek, PMOT, Rolf groep, ToolKid) to strengthen STEAM education in the Netherlands. The goal is to make STEAM education a natural part of every school.
• Techkwadraat en Sterk Techniek Onderwijs (STO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechkwadraat is a regional network for technology education that Maakotheek participates in as a knowledge and expertise center, supporting schools and school boards in the West Brabant Midden region with W&T implementation.
• SIFRminorOthersSIFR (SamenwerkingsInstituut voor FH-Redeneeronderzoek) is listed as a collaborative partner, likely providing research or educational research support.
• Nathan van der VeerminorOthersListed as a collaboration partner for educational consulting services.
• Educatief OntwerpminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaborative partner for educational design and development of learning materials.
• IT Campus RotterdamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a collaborative partner, providing technology education expertise and connections in the Rotterdam region.

Scale indicators2 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• LEGO Education: LEGO Education provides STEAM and robotics kits (including SPIKE, WeDo, and Mindstorms) and curriculum resources to schools globally. It is a broader incumbent in K-12 STEAM that overlaps with Maakotheek's robotics-themed Maakboxen (Ozobot, LEGO League) at a much larger scale.
• Malmberg: Malmberg is a leading Dutch educational publisher providing textbooks, digital methods, and learning resources across K-12. As a broad incumbent, Malmberg has the distribution scale to incorporate or substitute W&T content currently served by Maakotheek's Maakboxen.
• ThiemeMeulenhoff: ThiemeMeulenhoff is a major Dutch educational publisher producing textbooks, digital learning environments, and curriculum materials for primary and secondary education. It is a broad incumbent that could expand into bundled W&T content, competing with Maakotheek at the curriculum level.
• Zwijsen (VBK): Zwijsen is a long-established Dutch educational publisher (part of VBK) producing reading and learning methods for primary education. It is a broader incumbent with similar K-12 distribution and could compete in the W&T/STEAM adjacent curriculum space.
• Heutink Groep: Heutink is one of the largest educational materials suppliers in the Netherlands, distributing learning materials, furniture, and supplies to thousands of schools. It is a broader incumbent whose catalogue overlaps with Maakotheek's physical materials supply and school relationships.

Direct peers

• PMOT: PMOT delivers practical technology and science education materials and training to Dutch schools, with overlapping W&T content and a similar school-advisor-led sales motion. As a STEAMADVIES partner, PMOT competes with Maakotheek for the same Dutch K-12 STEAM budgets.
• ToolKid: ToolKid supplies hands-on educational tools and maker materials to Dutch schools, with a similar focus on practical W&T lessons. As a STEAMADVIES co-marketing partner, ToolKid targets the same Dutch primary and secondary school customers as Maakotheek.
• Rolf groep: Rolf groep (Rolf Club / Rolf Mondriaan) provides maker-education kits, materials, and teacher training to Dutch schools and operates a comparable rental/curriculum model. It is a STEAMADVIES partner, so it competes head-to-head with Maakotheek in the same K-12 STEAM niche.
• ICTLeskisten: ICTLeskisten rents ICT and media educational kits to Dutch primary and secondary schools on a holiday-to-holiday basis. It is a direct competitor to Maakotheek and is also a STEAMADVIES partner, making it the closest comparable in business model and customer base.

Emerging players

• Makeblock: Makeblock produces STEAM education robotics and coding kits (mBot, Codey Rocky, HaloCode) used in primary and secondary schools worldwide. It is an emerging player whose programmable hardware kits overlap with Maakotheek's Makey Makey and Ozobot Maakboxen.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/maakotheek
• Facebookfacebook.com/Maakotheek
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maakotheek
• Instagraminstagram.com/maakotheek

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Maakotheek