What Zapiens does

Zapiens is a strategic design studio headquartered in Madrid, Spain, with additional offices in Düsseldorf, Germany, and Bordeaux, France. Founded in 2003-2004, the firm operates a hybrid model integrating brand design, business strategy, and experience design as inseparable disciplines. Its service portfolio spans Brand Design (strategy, identity, creative direction, narrative, motion graphics), Experience Design (UX/UI, design systems, Design Sprint, conversational design, AI agents), Perspectives (user research, lean CX, rapid prototyping), and Futures Design (speculative and scenario design). The firm also runs Radical Ventures, a startup accelerator program offering equity or partnership arrangements, and has launched two proprietary AI-powered conversational products: Winebot (a wine recommendation assistant using artificial neural networks) and Nomade (an NLP chatbot for digital nomads).

The company serves a heterogeneous client base spanning enterprise and startup segments. Named clients include BBVA, Iberia, El Corte Inglés (Sicor security), Telpark, Specialized, Aplazame, The Aroma Trace, and Fundación Biodiversidad, across industries such as fintech, mobility, banking, sports tech, food & beverage, security, luxury fitness, and nonprofits. Zapiens operates a sales-led, B2B professional services engagement model: clients approach the studio directly via website forms, email, or phone, with a 24-48 hour response time. Engagements are project-based and quote-based, with no publicly disclosed pricing tiers. The firm employs 20+ people across disciplines including design, engineering, futurism, anthropology, and sociology. Five named partners lead the firm, with Miguel Gómez serving as Partner/CEO.

Revenue mechanics are anchored in professional services fees, with no disclosed funding rounds, parent company, or external investment. The team size, multi-decade operating history, and enterprise client roster suggest stable cash generation, though no financial figures are publicly available. The firm's 'Always beta, always better' philosophy and proprietary 'Pensamiento Evolutivo' methodology are positioned as differentiators, while its multi-office European footprint supports cross-border project delivery.

Name

Zapiens

Legal name

Zapiens S.L.

Website

https://zapiensdesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zapiens is a Madrid-based strategic design studio (founded 2004) serving enterprise and startup clients across Europe with integrated brand, experience, and business design services, supplemented by AI-powered conversational products and a startup accelerator.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Strategic Design Services: Project-based professional services including brand strategy, brand design, UX/UI design, design systems, experience design, and digital product development. Engagements are customized to client needs and typically involve strategic and tactical projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Zapiens is a strategic design studio that delivers integrated brand, business, and experience design services for enterprises and startups. The studio develops brand strategy, visual identity, UX/UI design, design systems, conversational interfaces, and digital products, and also builds its own proprietary conversational AI products (Winebot and Nomade). Engagements are project-based and customized to client needs, leveraging the proprietary 'Pensamiento Evolutivo' methodology.

Product overview

Zapiens is a strategic design studio operating since 2004 with offices in Madrid, Düsseldorf, and Bordeaux. The company offers integrated design services combining brand, business, and experience design. Their portfolio includes proprietary AI-powered products (Winebot and Nomade) alongside professional services including Experience Design (UX-UI, design systems), Brand Design (brand strategy, creative direction), Radical Ventures (startup acceleration), and Futures Design (speculative design, trend analysis). Their approach combines Perspectives (research), Experience Design, and Brand Design to create products and services that reimagine the future with positive impact.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Radical Ventures: A design kit program helping partners and startups launch new products and services with equity or partnership model.
• Winebot

Products and services

• Brand Design End-to-end brand design service covering brand strategy, visual identity, creative direction, brand platforms, messaging architecture, narrative design, 3D design, motion graphics, and content production for companies needing new-generation brand experiences.
• Experience Design Strategic product (UX-UI) and customer-centric service design offering covering UX strategy, product definition, design systems, experience design, Design Sprint, visual design, conversational design, AI agents, and quality assurance for digital product and service teams.
• Futures Design Speculative and futures design service offering utopian and dystopian visions of product categories through research, evolutionary thinking, scenario design, trend radar, and proprietary product design, for organizations focused on future-proofing and emerging technology integration.
• Perspectives (User Research) User research and customer insights service covering lean CX, human-centered design, guerrilla research, design challenges, customer experience maps, BI, AI-powered customer experience, and rapid prototyping across B2B and B2C contexts.
• Radical Ventures Startup accelerator-style program helping partners and startups launch new products and services through a design kit, co-labs, lean business canvas, economic modeling, product roadmap, and business intelligence, with equity or partnership model engagement.
• Winebot Proprietary conversational AI assistant that demystifies the wine world through natural language interaction, using artificial neural networks to learn user preferences and provide personalized wine recommendations based on consumption context, food pairings, and tasting history.
• Nomade Proprietary NLP-based conversational chatbot for digital nomads that helps with city immersion, work-life balance, and sustainable travel via search for accommodation and flights, calendar planning, and connections to local experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• BBVA Fintech Fantasy campaign created 'Tinder for businesses' connecting startups with investors
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Clint is GoodsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative agency partnership for YOOY project. Clint is Good provided motion design services to bring the brand to life, contributing to the dynamic visual identity and movement language of the natural lactoserum brand.
• ProgramsupportingTechnology or IntegrationDigital product development partner for YOOY. Program team contributed expertise in developing immersive product digital models and interactive digital experiences for the brand's online presence.
• TeteercksupportingTechnology or Integration3D modeling partner for YOOY. Teteerck contributed to defining 3D models for product visualization, creating detailed renders of the lactoserum bottles for marketing and digital use.
• Archidom StudiocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture partnership for THE I/O luxury fitness club. Archidom Studio co-designed the physical spaces of the club, working alongside Zapiens to create consistent brand experience across physical and digital touchpoints in the luxury fitness environment.
• Elephant PinksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative studio partnership for THE I/O video production and art direction. Elephant Pink provided creative direction for video content, including storyboard creation and on-set art direction during filming with approximately 20-person production team.
• El Corte Inglés (Grupo SICOR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company partnership for Sicor security app evolution. SICOR is the security service of El Corte Inglés with 20+ years experience. Zapiens reimagined their security app into a flexible, customizable digital ecosystem.
• Camera Technology ProviderssupportingTechnology or IntegrationData capture technology partners for Highlights project. Cameras installed in field towers track players and collect raw data during matches, which is then delivered to the Highlights app via API for analysis.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pentagram: Largest independent strategic design firm; partner-led, multi-disciplinary model spanning brand, digital, and product design. Operates as a direct competitor for premium brand and UX engagements.
• IDEO: Pioneering design and innovation consultancy combining strategy, brand, and experience design with human-centered research. Closely comparable hybrid offering at larger scale.
• Wolff Olins: Global strategic brand consultancy blending brand strategy, identity, and experience design. Highly comparable hybrid model serving enterprise clients on transformation programs.
• Landor & Fitch: Global brand design and consulting firm focused on brand strategy and identity, with growing experience design capabilities. Direct competitor for premium brand mandates.
• Frog (Capgemini Engineering): Strategic design and innovation consultancy integrating brand, product, and experience design. Comparable hybrid offering, now operating within a larger engineering parent.
• Mucho Studio: Madrid-based design studio working across brand identity and digital experiences. Direct Spanish-market competitor with comparable scale and strategic-design positioning.
• Folch: Barcelona-based branding and design studio combining brand strategy, identity, and digital. Closely comparable Iberian boutique competitor.
• Bendit: Spanish creative and strategic design agency operating across brand, content, and digital experience. Comparable Iberian agency peer.

Emerging players

• Domestic Data Streamers: Barcelona-based design studio specializing in data-driven and speculative design. Overlaps with Zapiens' Futures/Speculative Design offering but narrower in scope.

Broad incumbents

• Designworks (BMW Group): Strategic design consultancy as part of BMW Group, providing multi-disciplinary design services. Broader portfolio player comparable to Zapiens' integrated offering but corporately owned.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zapiensdesign
• Instagraminstagram.com/zapiensdesign
• Xx.com/zapiens_design

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 Zapiens