What Next/Now does

Next/Now is a process-driven innovation agency specializing in experience design, founded in 2011 and headquartered in Chicago at 1200 W. Lake Street, Suite 2, with an additional office in New York City established in July 2023. The firm designs and implements immersive technology-driven environments for enterprise clients, spanning executive briefing centers, corporate lobbies, retail flagship stores, trade show booths, and brand activations. Its work serves Fortune 500 and large-organization clients across healthcare, sports, retail, automotive, aviation, defense, and real estate, with representative clients including the NBA, State Farm, Microsoft, Mastercard, United Airlines, GE HealthCare, ABB Robotics, Adidas, McDonald's, Subaru, the Smithsonian Institution, Chicago Cubs, and DARPA.

The company's technical foundation is Activate360, a proprietary modular media server system that provides centralized control over digital displays, real-time content updates, sensor and motion-tracking integration, and remote system health monitoring. Activate360 is offered both as a backbone for permanent installations and as a retail signage solution managing multiple display zones (e.g., the NBA Flagship Store's 19 zones). Next/Now builds experiences using a unified technology stack that includes Derivative's TouchDesigner, Unreal Engine 5, 10bit FX's Notch, Maxon's Cinema 4D, and Adobe After Effects and Photoshop. The agency supports capabilities such as projection mapping, 360° LED halo installations, reactive LED floors, interactive kiosks, VR/AR/XR experiences, Web AR, custom driving simulators, and virtual production pipelines. AI capabilities are deployed on a project basis, including generative AI for personalized songs and motion graphics, computer-vision-based motion reactivity, and real-time data visualization.

Next/Now operates as a project-based professional services firm, generating revenue through design fees, development costs, fabrication, and installation services for each engagement. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is established through a consultative quoting process. The go-to-market motion combines consultative enterprise field sales with event-driven demand generation at major industry conferences such as CES, HLTH, Chicago Auto Show, Salesforce Connections, Snowflake Summit, and NBA All-Star. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or public financial statements, and employs between 11 and 50 people.

Name

Next/Now

Legal name

Next/Now

Website

https://nextnowagency.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Next/Now is a process-driven experience design agency that designs and builds immersive technology-driven environments—including executive briefing centers, brand activations, and retail experiences—for Fortune 500 enterprises across healthcare, sports, retail, automotive, aviation, and defense. Its proprietary Activate360 platform powers content management across permanent installations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experience Design Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (541850)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Emerging Tech (IoT, Blockchain, AR/VR, Edge) Consulting (BPAHAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Developer Experience Platforms for Enterprise (IDEs, CI/CD, Dev Portals) (HDAEAKAI)

Keywords

• Immersive experience design
• Executive briefing centers
• Brand activation experiences
• Experiential technology installations
• Emerging technology solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 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 - Experience Design & Implementation: Project-based professional services revenue from designing and building immersive, technology-driven environments including executive briefing centers, permanent experience centers, large-scale branded spaces, and experiential activations. Revenue generated through upfront design fees, development costs, fabrication, and installation services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Next/Now is a process-driven innovation agency that designs and builds immersive, technology-driven environments for enterprise clients. Its deliverables span executive briefing centers, permanent immersive spaces (lobbies, innovation centers, showrooms), brand activations for events and retail, and emerging-technology experiences (VR/AR/XR, interactive kiosks, driving simulators). All work is anchored by Activate360, the firm's proprietary modular media server and content management platform.

Product overview

Next/Now is an experience design agency offering a comprehensive suite of immersive technology solutions. Their core proprietary technology is Activate360, a modular media server system that serves as the backbone for managing digital displays and content across installations. The portfolio includes service offerings across Immersive Environments (corporate lobbies, innovation centers, showrooms), Brand Activations (retail activations, experiential marketing, pop-ups), Executive Briefing Centers, and Emerging Technologies (VR/AR/XR, 3D configurators, immersive web). Key technology features include projection mapping, reactive LED floors, 360° LED installations, driving simulators, interactive kiosks, and Web AR experiences. Activate360 Retail Signage Solution enables multi-zone content management for retail environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Activate360

Quantifiable outcome

• 74% of customers grow deal value by average of 31% after Executive Briefing Center visits
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers29 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability12 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NECcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for United Airshop immersive theatre project. NEC collaborated with Next/Now to design and develop the immersive theatre as part of United Airlines' innovation center, featuring multiple content modes and custom CMS capabilities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MKG: Creative experience agency building brand activations, pop-ups, and immersive campaigns for consumer and enterprise clients. Closely comparable in project scale, creative-led approach, and technology-forward delivery.
• MAS Event Design: Event and experience design firm producing immersive brand activations, conferences, and corporate environments. Comparable in custom fabrication, AV integration, and creative execution on enterprise projects.
• Observatory: Independent creative agency building integrated brand experiences across digital, content, and experiential. Overlaps with Next/Now in immersive storytelling, AR/VR production, and enterprise client work.
• Sparks: Experience design and production agency creating immersive brand environments, exhibits, and events for global brands. Similar mix of strategy, design, fabrication, and technology execution targeting enterprise CMOs.
• FakeLove (ADK): Experiential design studio (now part of ADK) known for interactive installations, immersive media, and brand experiences. Highly comparable on technology-led installations, generative content, and AR/VR work.
• Giant Spoon: Independent creative and media agency with significant experiential marketing and brand activation practice. Overlaps with Next/Now in blending emerging technology, content, and live experiences for major brands.
• Optimist: Boutique creative agency specializing in immersive brand experiences, retail environments, and digital activations for enterprise clients. Closely comparable to Next/Now in scale, delivery model, and immersive technology focus.

Broad incumbents

• Jack Morton Worldwide: Global brand experience agency within the IPG network, building brand experiences, events, and digital activations. Directly comparable in offering mix and enterprise customer base, with broader geographic footprint.
• George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: Large global experiential marketing agency serving enterprise brands with events, exhibits, and immersive environments. Overlaps heavily with Next/Now's brand activation and EBC work but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.

Emerging players

• Tool of North America: Boutique production and creative studio with strong capability in experiential, AR/VR, and interactive content. Comparable emerging-tech-led delivery model targeting brand and entertainment clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nextnowagency
• YouTubevimeo.com/nextnow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/next-now
• Instagraminstagram.com/nextnow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Next/Now