Koto
Koto is an international creative agency founded in 2015 and headquartered in London, operating five studios (Los Angeles, New York, London, Berlin, Sydney). It provides integrated brand strategy, identity, and digital services to major global enterprises and funded startups.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Koto does
Koto is an international B2B creative agency that provides integrated brand strategy, visual identity design, and digital services to major global companies and funded startups. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in London, the firm operates as a single unified studio across five physical locations — Los Angeles, New York, London, Berlin, and Sydney — supported by 11 to 50 employees and a distributed ownership base of 19 shareholders across the studios. Its client portfolio spans tier-one enterprise brands including Microsoft, Amazon, Google (Fitbit), Tripadvisor, GoFundMe, ezCater, and the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with project scopes reaching 15-market rollouts and 50+ sub-brand systems (as demonstrated by the Amazon XCM engagement). Koto also operates a small owned-media ecosystem (OFF Brand newsletter, OFF Live events platform, Seasoned content brand) that supports thought leadership and inbound demand generation.
The agency's core offering is professional creative services delivered on a project and retainer basis rather than a software or technology product. Service categories include brand strategy and positioning, identity system design, brand architecture for multi-brand portfolios, digital experience design, and global brand transformation. Koto's underlying capability is human-led creative judgment — visual systems, typography, narrative, and craft — with no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed AI or data products, and no patent or software-licensing revenue. Pricing is quote-based and project-specific, consistent with enterprise creative engagements, and revenue derives from design consulting fees and ongoing creative partnerships.
The business model is a single-stream professional services revenue model with a direct enterprise sales motion. In April 2025, Koto received private equity investment from WestBridge Capital to support organic growth and M&A-led expansion across US, European, and APAC markets, and appointed Charles Fallon as its first chairperson to preserve its people-first culture during the expansion phase. CEO James Greenfield leads the agency, with Damian Borchok serving as APAC Managing Director. The combination of marquee enterprise clients, multi-region studio footprint, and PE-backed M&A intent positions Koto as a platform-consolidation play in the global branding agency market.
Koto firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Koto
- Legal name
- Koto Studio
- Website
- https://koto.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Koto is an international creative agency founded in 2015 and headquartered in London, operating five studios (Los Angeles, New York, London, Berlin, Sydney). It provides integrated brand strategy, identity, and digital services to major global enterprises and funded startups.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Koto industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Brand Design & Creative Services
- NAICS
- Graphic Design Services (541430), Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Commerce & Shoppable Creator Campaigns (BPAFAHAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Children’s Language Learning & Bilingual/ESL Trade (EDAGAIAG)
Keywords
Where Koto is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
Koto business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Creative Agency Services: Koto generates revenue through project-based creative engagements, providing integrated brand strategy, identity design, and digital services to major global companies. Revenue is likely derived from design consulting fees, brand development projects, and ongoing creative partnerships with enterprise clients.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Koto product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Koto provides integrated brand strategy, visual identity development, and digital experience design services for global companies and funded startups. Engagements span brand architecture, identity systems, multi-market brand transformations, and digital touchpoint design delivered through its five global studios. Revenue is generated through project-based creative service fees rather than software or product sales.
Product overview
Koto is an international creative agency providing integrated brand strategy, identity, and digital services to major global companies. The agency operates five studio locations (Los Angeles, New York, London, Berlin, Sydney) and functions as a service-based business rather than a software product company. Their offering encompasses brand identity development, visual design systems, digital experience design, and strategic brand consulting. Client projects range from global brand transformations (Amazon XCM) to product branding (Microsoft Copilot+PC, Fitbit Ace LTE) and platform rebranding initiatives (GoFundMe, ezCater, LA28 Olympics). The agency also publishes thought leadership content through its OFF.Brand newsletter and OFF.Live platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- OFF Brand: Newsletter/content brand covering branding topics, published on Substack
- OFF Live
- Seasoned
Products and services
- Brand Strategy and Identity Services Integrated brand strategy and identity development services including visual identity systems, brand architecture, and strategic positioning for global companies and funded startups.
- Digital Experience Design Services Digital experience design and implementation services creating brand-consistent digital touchpoints across web, mobile, and interactive platforms.
Quantifiable outcome
- 18-month project spanning 15 markets and 50+ sub-brands for Amazon
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Koto
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Koto technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Koto partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Charles FalloncoreCharles Fallon appointed as Koto's first chairperson, specifically designed to protect the agency's people-first culture and creative identity during the expansion phase following WestBridge's investment. Charles brings over 15 years of international agency experience and two decades in M&A advisory, managing Koto's 19 shareholders across its five studios.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Koto competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gretel: Independent brand strategy and design studio based in New York serving global clients. Comparable positioning as a craft-led, story-driven design firm targeting enterprise brand work.
- Huge: Global brand and experience design agency combining brand strategy, digital product, and marketing. Overlaps directly with Koto's integrated brand strategy and digital services offering for enterprise clients.
- DesignStudio: Brand design agency known for high-profile identity work (e.g., Airbnb rebrand). Direct competitor for ambitious enterprise brand transformations at similar scale to Koto.
- Pentagram: Independent global brand design firm with multiple partner-led studios serving enterprise clients on identity, strategy, and digital. Pentagram is the archetype Koto competes against for marquee brand assignments.
- Ragged Edge: Independent brand agency frequently listed alongside Koto for funded startup branding. Direct competitor in the startup-to-enterprise pipeline that Koto also targets.
- Wolff Olins: Global brand consultancy owned by Omnicom delivering brand strategy, identity, and experience work to multinational clients. Direct competitor for large-scale brand transformation mandates like Amazon XCM.
- Mother Design: Design arm of Mother agency, providing brand identity and design services to ambitious global brands. Comparable scale, studio model, and enterprise client mix to Koto.
- Moving Brands: Independent global brand and experience agency with studios in London, San Francisco, Zurich, and New York. Comparable in scale and offering mix to Koto across brand strategy, identity, and digital.
Broad incumbents
- Landor & Fitch: WPP-owned global branding consultancy offering brand strategy, identity, and experience design at greater scale. Larger incumbent that competes with Koto for the same multinational brand transformation RFPs.
- IDEO: Established design and innovation consultancy combining brand, product, and service design. Competes with Koto for strategic design mandates from global enterprises, with broader innovation scope.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Koto social profiles
Digital presenceKoto financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Koto leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Koto funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Koto M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Koto
What does Koto do?
Koto provides integrated brand strategy, visual identity development, and digital experience design services for global companies and funded startups. Engagements span brand architecture, identity systems, multi-market brand transformations, and digital touchpoint design delivered through its five global studios. Revenue is generated through project-based creative service fees rather than software or product sales.
Is Koto a public or private company?
Koto is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Koto founded?
Koto was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Koto based?
Koto is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Koto make money?
One revenue line is on record: creative Agency Services.
Who are Koto's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gretel, Huge, DesignStudio, Pentagram, Ragged Edge, Wolff Olins, Mother Design and Moving Brands. Broad incumbents are Landor & Fitch and IDEO.
Does Koto have an API?
No public API is recorded for Koto.
What industry is Koto in?
Koto's product category is Brand Design & Creative Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAHAL, Live Commerce & Shoppable Creator Campaigns, with a secondary code of EDAGAIAG, Children’s Language Learning & Bilingual/ESL Trade. Its NAICS code is 541430.