What Athletics does

Athletics is a privately held, Brooklyn-based brand innovation studio that has operated since 2004 as a professional services firm, not a software product company. It sells four core service lines to enterprise clients: Brand Strategy, Identity Systems, Digital Experiences, and Next-Gen Innovation, with Next-Gen Innovation explicitly encompassing AI enablement, futurecasting, and brand education. Its proprietary tooling is limited to Sesame, an internal brand-governance motion component system applied within client engagements rather than sold externally; there is no SaaS platform, no API surface, and no AI/ML model of its own.

The studio is organized around a cross-disciplinary leadership team — a CEO, Chief Creative Officer, Chief Design and Innovation Officer, Chief Culture Officer, Managing Director, and directors across strategy, creative, design, creative technology, client experience, and people operations — supported by strategists, designers, motion artists, and creative technologists. Athletics delivers projects through direct enterprise engagement ([email protected], [email protected]) with no intermediary channel or marketplace presence, and prices via custom, quote-based engagements rather than published rate cards.

Revenue is generated from professional services engagements across technology, sports, arts and culture, media, healthcare, and consumer brands, with named marquee work for IBM (across Cloud, Watson, Blockchain, Think, Consulting, TechXchange, Security), Google (Beam, Chrome), Amazon (Design Community identity), Salesforce (agentic-era rebrand), Nike, MLS, Seattle Sounders, MoMA, New Museum, and The Nation. The firm has remained founder-controlled with no external funding, no M&A activity, and no disclosed ownership plan beyond discretionary bonus payouts suggesting some form of profit-sharing arrangement.

Name

Athletics

Legal name

Athletics LLC

Website

https://athleticsnyc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Athletics is a privately held, Brooklyn-based brand innovation studio founded in 2004 that sells brand strategy, identity systems, digital experience, and AI-enabled innovation services to enterprise clients across technology, sports, arts, media, and healthcare.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services / Consulting: Brand innovation studio providing professional services including brand strategy, identity systems, digital experiences, and creative consulting to enterprise clients across diverse industries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Athletics is an independent brand innovation studio providing professional services across four practices: Brand Strategy (research, positioning, narrative development), Identity Systems (visual and sonic identity, motion design), Digital Experiences (UX/UI, websites, creative technology), and Next-Gen Innovation (AI enablement, futurecasting, product/service design). The studio serves enterprise clients on engagements that integrate strategy, design, and technology to deliver brand systems and digital platforms.

Product overview

Athletics is a brand innovation studio that offers professional services rather than a software product. Their core offerings include Brand Strategy, Identity Systems, Digital Experiences, and Next-Gen Innovation. These services are delivered through collaborative engagements with clients across various industries including technology, sports, healthcare, arts, and consumer brands. They also maintain a proprietary brand governance motion tool called Sesame used internally for client work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Strategy Strategic brand positioning service including research and insights, positioning, architecture, narrative development, brand messaging, and campaign strategy to help brands define their place in the world. Delivered to enterprise clients on collaborative engagements.
• Identity Systems Visual and verbal brand expression service including visual identity, sonic identity, creative direction, motion design, brand voice systems, and naming to build scalable brand identity systems for enterprise clients.
• Digital Experiences Digital product and platform design service including UX strategy, content strategy, technical consulting, creative technology, UX/UI design, and website design and development for enterprise clients.
• Next-Gen Innovation Emerging technology innovation consulting service including creative tools, AI enablement, innovation strategy, product and service design, futurecasting and vision, and brand education for enterprise clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Webby Award for Guild digital platform brand storytelling
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• JellyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Jelly on Salesforce brand evolution project for agentic era. Jelly provided additional creative support on research, creative strategy, brand identity, art direction, brand voice, and motion graphics.
• Laura SirventminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIllustrator collaborated on Salesforce brand evolution project, developing distinctive 3D character illustration style bridging humanity and technology.
• Google Brand Team / CATKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduct renders and marketing collateral collaboration on Google Beam project launch.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Collins: Brand strategy and design firm known for identity systems, brand strategy, and integrated design work for cultural and enterprise brands. Closely comparable on craft, peer-led structure, and enterprise engagement model.
• Red Antler: Brand agency for tech-forward and consumer companies, delivering naming, identity, and digital experiences. Comparable on boutique scale and brand-innovation positioning for emerging and established brands.
• Moving Brands: Independent brand and experience design consultancy working across identity, motion, and digital for enterprise clients. Similar studio structure and integrated brand-innovation offering.
• R/GA: Digital agency and brand consultancy blending brand work, experience design, and emerging-technology consulting for large enterprise clients. Overlaps on digital experiences, identity, and AI enablement service lines.
• Wolff Olins: Global brand consultancy delivering brand strategy and identity for enterprise clients including technology, cultural, and public-sector organizations. Comparable in focus area and large-enterprise client base.
• Huge: Digital experience agency combining brand, design, and technology capabilities for enterprise clients such as Google, Nike, and Target. Highly comparable on cross-functional integration (strategy + design + tech) and digital-experience focus.
• Pentagram: The pre-eminent independently-owned brand design studio; both firms are partner-led creative boutiques delivering brand strategy, identity systems, and digital experience design to enterprise clients. Most directly comparable on structure, deliverable mix, and client caliber.

Emerging players

• Manual: Boutique brand strategy and design firm serving tech-forward and consumer brands with positioning and identity work. Overlaps on craft, boutique scale, and modern enterprise brand client profile.

Broad incumbents

• IDEO: Established design and innovation consultancy with brand strategy and product/experience design practices. Comparable on innovation-strategy services but at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Independent creative network known for major-brand campaign work; competing for the same enterprise brand budgets but at significantly larger scale with broader media and campaign capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/athletics/mycompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/athleticsnyc
• Xx.com/athleticsnyc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Athletics