BlueCity is an international icon of circular economy, a national platform for circular entrepreneurs, and a very visible local accelerator that empowers circular entrepreneurs and inspires citizens.
Our goal? To provide start-ups and scale-ups with access to circular resources, knowledge and talent, to turn ideas into action and ultimately: to help sustainable entrepreneurs to grow from intention to impact. Want to learn more? Take a virtual walk through our 12.000 m2 circular city!
About our building
We are situated in former subtropical swimming oasis Tropicana, a well known iconic building that has sadly lost its function and grandness. To tear it down would be a shame, not only for the building itself but also for all the memories it entails. That is why innovative, sustainable and circular entrepreneurs are now settling down between slides and hot tubs to give new meaning, function and value to 12.000 square meters of deserted swimming pool. Superuse Studios and COUP are transforming the building as circular as possible, re-using old elements and materials both from within the swimming pool as from other abandoned buildings, using Oogstkaart.
BlueCity: Surfing the new Economy
BlueCity is a pool of possibilities. In this playground for circular entrepreneurs brains, guts, vision and fun go together. We serve our coffee with a dose of radical disruption while we head towards an economy in which waste does not exist. BlueCity serves as a breeding ground for innovative companies linking their waste-streams. Inside our ecosystem of social entrepreneurs and radical disruptors waste streams are valuable building blocks; the output of one is the input for the other. This way we create a much needed and inspiring example for the circular economy.
BlueCity: Vision
The biggest problem in the transition to circular economy: it doesn’t scale – or at least not quick enough. By accelerating 30+ innovative entrepreneurs, connecting them to big corporations and working with corporate partners in Living Labs, BlueCity shows on a local level that it is possible to change AND what the counterforces are, e.g. legally and fiscally. This gives invaluable insights on the problems of transition on a bigger, (inter)national scale. In this way we accelerate the international transition through local entrepreneurship.*
Programming
BlueCity is an independent platform for the city of Rotterdam, its entrepreneurs and its inhabitants. Our goal: to stimulate entrepreneurship and to contribute to the innovative culture in Rotterdam. By programming and doing, BlueCity puts circular themes on the agenda and connects small scale initiatives to the citizens of Rotterdam as well as to big corporations.
BlueCity is also partner in two European projects: Plastic Twist, which aims to revalue recycled plastic, using blockchain technology. And Wastefew (Waste Food-Energy-Water Urban Living Labs) which aims to map and substantially reduce waste in the food-energy-water nexus in cities across three Europe, Africa, and South America.
Innovation through inspiration
Last but not least: by welcoming 1500+ people each month in our exemplary circular city, we structurally plant seeds for innovation. Innovation comes from inspiration.