kyu Collective

What kyu Collective does

kyu Collective is a privately held global creative collective of 20+ independently operating companies, owned by Japanese advertising and communications group Hakuhodo DY Holdings. Founded in 2012 by Michael Birkin and headquartered at 395 Hudson Street in New York, with additional offices in London and Tokyo, the network spans strategy consulting, design, digital marketing, behavioral science, urban planning, talent search, and event production. Member firms include IDEO, Kepler Group, SYPartners, Sid Lee, Sid Lee Architecture, Sid Lee Sport, Yard, Upstatement, BEworks, Gehl, Lexington, C2, Digital Kitchen, ATÖLYE, BIMM, Ghost Note, Godfrey Dadich Partners (GDP), Haigo, Napkyn, Neol, Never Not, Public Digital, RedPeak, Rich Talent Group, and SYLVAIN. The collective serves enterprise clients across technology (Nike, Apple, Uber), financial services (HSBC, BNP Paribas), luxury (Dom Perignon), automotive (Honda), food and beverage (KFC, Pepsico, Havana Club), retail (Uniqlo, John Lewis), media (The New York Times), and sports (Paris Saint-Germain, Converse, Red Bull, Jordan, Beats by Dre), among others.

The core platform is kyu OS, a creative intelligence platform that maps employee skills and creates clusters to facilitate cross-firm collaboration. Sub-brands include kyu Pulse, a 2025-launched agency model packaging media and creative capabilities for marketers, and kyu House, a recurring pop-up event concept staged at major convenings such as COP28, Climate Week NYC, and London Climate Action Week. Member companies also invest in proprietary products — IDEO Play Lab co-designed the Playhouse MD pediatric product line (Time Best Inventions 2025, Parenting category), and Yard co-built the Les Flammes rap awards with Booska-P and Spotify France, which reached 43 million first-day views in its 2026 edition.

Revenue is generated through professional services billed by individual member companies, each of which retains its own client relationships, pricing, and go-to-market motion. The collective itself monetizes primarily through brand affiliation, cross-company lead-sharing, and shared platforms (kyu OS, kyu Pulse). Acquisitions have been the principal growth lever: BEworks (2017), YARD merged into Sid Lee Paris (2017), Kepler Group (2018), Infectious Media joining Kepler (2020), Upstatement (2022), Gehl, Lexington, SYLVAIN, and others (2023). In 2024, founder Michael Birkin transitioned to Chairman and Rick Greenberg was appointed CEO.

Name

kyu Collective

Legal name

kyu Investment, Inc.

Website

https://kyu.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

kyu Collective is a privately held network of 20+ independent creative, strategy, design, and marketing companies — including IDEO, Kepler, SYPartners, and Sid Lee — backed by Hakuhodo DY Holdings and serving global enterprise clients across technology, financial services, retail, and sports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services: Member companies of kyu Collective provide professional services including strategy consulting, design, advertising, digital marketing, behavioral transformation, and events. Each member company operates independently with its own revenue model.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

kyu Collective is a network of 20+ independent creative companies that deliver professional services spanning strategy consulting, design, advertising, digital marketing, behavioral transformation, communications, and events to enterprise clients. Member firms (such as IDEO, Kepler, SYPartners, Sid Lee, Yard, and Upstatement) retain their own client relationships and brands, while benefiting from cross-firm collaboration supported by kyu OS, the collective's proprietary creative intelligence platform.

Product overview

kyu Collective is a platform of 20+ independent creative companies that collaborate strategically while maintaining their own identities and client relationships. The core offering is the kyu Collective Network, which provides access to diverse creative capabilities spanning strategy, design, technology, behavioral science, and transformation. Key products include kyu OS (a creative intelligence platform for internal collaboration), kyu Pulse (a media and marketing agency model), kyu.com (the collective's digital platform and content hub), and kyu House (event programming at major conferences). Member companies include IDEO (design thinking), Kepler (digital marketing), SYPartners (organizational transformation), Sid Lee (creative agency), Upstatement (digital product studio), Yard (urban culture/creative), and others specializing in areas from behavioral science (BEworks) to urban design (Gehl). The collective enables companies to collaborate on client work while benefiting from shared resources, cross-company learning, and the halo effect of association with other member firms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• kyu Pulse: A new media and marketing network offering seamless solutions for marketers via a new agency model
• kyu OS
• kyu House

Products and services

• kyu Collective Network A global creative collective of 20+ independent companies (IDEO, Kepler, SYPartners, Sid Lee, etc.) that collaborate strategically while maintaining their own identities and client relationships, spanning strategy, design, technology, and transformation services.
• kyu Pulse A new agency model offering seamless media and marketing solutions, powered by kyu's network of creative and technology companies for marketers.
• kyu OS A creative intelligence platform that maps employee characteristics across the collective and creates clusters to facilitate communication, community, and discovery of colleagues with relevant skills across kyu group entities.
• kyu.com Platform The collective's main digital presence and content management platform, redesigned by Upstatement to showcase member companies, their work, stories, and capabilities.
• kyu House Pop-up event programming hosted by kyu at major conferences (COP28, Climate Week NYC, London Climate Action Week), featuring workshops and sessions from member companies.
• IDEO Services Global design company services known for human-centered design, design thinking methodology, and innovation across healthcare, technology, and social impact sectors.
• Kepler Group Services Digital marketing pioneer services specializing in data, platforms, advanced analytics, and technology-driven marketing solutions for brands including Hasbro, John Lewis, The New York Times, Pepsico, HSBC, and Uber.
• SYPartners Services Strategic consultancy services helping organizations transform, navigate change, and build capabilities for the future.
• Sid Lee Services Creative agency services focused on brand building, experiences, and sports marketing for clients across North America and Europe.
• Upstatement Services Digital product studio services known for editorial design, storytelling platforms, and digital experiences for clients including Vogue, Nike, and Bloomberg.
• Yard Services Paris-based creative agency services specializing in urban culture, music events (including Les Flammes), and brand marketing for clients including Nike, Jordan, Apple, Converse, Red Bull, Uniqlo, and Beats by Dre.
• BEworks Services Behavioral science consultancy services applying experimental methods and AI to understand and influence human decision-making, including pre-emptive nudging systems for financial services clients.
• Gehl Services Urban strategy and design services focused on creating cities for people and planet, with over two decades of pioneering work.
• Lexington Services Strategic communications consultancy services helping organizations influence audiences, navigate challenges, and drive new ideas.

Quantifiable outcome

• From 12 million viewers in inaugural 24 hours to 43 million views across social channels and broadcast on first day of 2026 edition (Les Flammes)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

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

• Booska-PflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022Yard partnered with Booska-P (music platform) to launch Les Flammes, a major French rap and urban music awards ceremony. Booska-P brought media reach and credibility inside the rap scene; Yard provided brand creation and event expertise. The partnership has grown to include Spotify as main sponsor.
• Infectious Media (joining Kepler Group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2020Infectious Media, which powered the digital advertising revolution in Europe, joined Kepler Group to create a global innovation leader. The combined entity has nearly 400 professionals across offices in London, Singapore, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, and Costa Rica.
• Yard (joining Sid Lee Paris)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 October 2017kyu's first majority acquisition supported Yard's growth by joining forces with Sid Lee Paris. YARD brought urban trend culture expertise and media capabilities to expand Sid Lee's creative offering. Combined client rosters include Nike, Desperados, Beats by Dre, Uniqlo, Jordan, Converse, Honda, KFC, Paris Saint-Germain, Dom Perignon, and BNP Paribas.
• Spotify FranceflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerSpotify France became main sponsor of Les Flammes and has grown to include dedicated show formats, full physical and digital campaigns, and in-app voting for Album of the Year category. In 2026, Les Flammes aired live on public broadcaster France 4.
• Aspen InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSYPartners and Aspen Institute co-hosted sessions at kyu House Climate Week NYC on collective action for climate impact, bringing together leaders from consumer companies, global shipping, NGOs, and cocoa exporters.
• BSR and Kite InsightsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBSR and Kite Insights presented climate debate sessions at kyu House Climate Week NYC on whether climate action needs American political leadership.
• RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGehl co-hosted sessions with RMI at kyu House Climate Week NYC, introducing frameworks for climate action through urban design and reshaping cities.
• UpstatementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUpstatement, a digital product studio, joined kyu in 2022 and redesigned kyu.com in late 2025, building a flexible platform to showcase the collective's capabilities and member companies.
• Kepler Group acquiring Napkyn AnalyticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKepler Group acquired Napkyn Analytics, bringing digital analytics and engineering consultancy capabilities into the kyu Collective.
• GehlcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGehl, pioneers of urban strategy and design for over two decades, joined kyu Collective bringing expertise in human-centered urban planning and climate-conscious city design.
• LexingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic communications consultancy Lexington joined kyu Collective, helping organizations influence audiences, navigate challenges, and drive new ideas for over two decades.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Publicis Groupe: French multinational advertising and communications holding company operating Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, Publicis Sapient, and Epsilon. Competes with kyu member firms (Sid Lee, Yard) for global brand mandates and shares the holding-company multi-discipline model.
• WPP plc: World's largest advertising holding company operating Ogilvy, VMLY&R, GroupM, and other agency networks across creative, media, and communications. Comparable to kyu as a multi-brand creative services holding structure, though at materially larger scale and broader service portfolio.
• Accenture Song: Accenture's creative and technology services arm, formerly Accenture Interactive, competing directly with kyu's member firms on experience design, commerce, and brand transformation engagements for large enterprises.
• Dentsu Group: Japanese advertising holding company and direct corporate relative of kyu via Hakuhodo DY Holdings. Operates Dentsu Creative, Merkle, and global media agencies; serves as the closest Asian-market peer and shares parent-group DNA.
• Omnicom Group: Major advertising holding company operating BBDO, DDB, TBWA, and specialty agencies including the Interpublic-aligned digital and PR networks. Comparable as a multi-agency creative services platform targeting enterprise brand transformation.

Direct peers

• Pentagram: Independent design consultancy structured as a partnership of distinguished designers. Comparable to kyu's design-led member firms in brand identity, design strategy, and creative services to enterprise clients.
• S4 Capital / MediaMonks: Sir Martin Sorrell's digital-first advertising and content conglomerate built through M&A, focused on programmatic, content, and data-driven creative services. Closest comparable in growth-by-acquisition, digitally native creative holding-company model.
• R/GA: Global digital design and innovation consultancy (within the IPG ecosystem) specializing in brand, product, and experience design. Overlaps with kyu's Upstatement, IDEO, and Digital Kitchen member firms in digital product and brand experience work.
• Frog Design (now part of Capgemini Invent): Global design and innovation consultancy known for design thinking, product design, and brand strategy. Directly comparable to kyu's IDEO, SYLVAIN, and SYPartners member firms in human-centered design and transformation services.
• Stagwell: Publicly listed marketing and communications holding company assembling challenger agencies (Anomaly, Assembly, Doner) under a tech-enabled platform model. Comparable to kyu in network-of-specialized-creative-firms structure and enterprise client focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries25 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about kyu Collective