What Karten Design does

Karten Design (K:D) is a privately held product design and innovation consultancy founded in 1984 and headquartered in Marina Del Rey, California. The firm specializes exclusively in medical devices and digital health solutions, offering a vertically integrated service portfolio that spans design strategy, design research (including a proprietary Voice of the Ecosystem methodology), industrial design, digital design (apps and embedded interfaces), mechanical engineering, and visual design. Domain coverage is broad within healthcare: neuromodulation, catheter delivery systems, digital health hardware and apps, respiratory products, hearing aids, diagnostics, and clinician-facing digital tools.

The firm's revenue model is professional services: B2B, project-based design consulting engagements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based per project. The go-to-market is sales-led, leveraging direct client engagement and established relationships with hospitals, clinicians, academic institutions (USC, UCLA, UCI, Cedars-Sinai, Johns Hopkins), and accelerators, alongside thought-leadership channels including the Outsights quarterly newsletter, podcast appearances, and conference participation. Customer segments include both early-stage healthcare startups seeking commercialization support and established medical device OEMs (Starkey, Medtronic, Baxter, Boston Scientific, Hill-Rom, Halyard, Cardiac Science) requiring product redesign or line extension.

The firm's operational base is a single office in the Los Angeles area with a headcount of 11-50 employees, led by founder and CEO Stuart Karten and Director of Design Eric Olson (in role since 1996). Karten holds no external investment and is independently owned. Notable project outcomes include Vessix Vascular (sold to Boston Scientific for $425 million), Axonics (Nasdaq IPO AXNX in October 2018 raising $120 million, later acquired by Boston Scientific in 2024), the Starkey Livio AI hearing aid (TIME Magazine 100 Best Inventions 2019), and the Sonendo GentleWave G4 console. The firm has accumulated multiple industry awards (GOOD DESIGN 2017, A+D Museum Design Award 2021, CES TechX 2021) and has explored forward-looking concepts such as the Bathroom of the Future with Kohler.

Name

Karten Design

Legal name

Karten Design

Website

https://kartendesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Karten Design is a privately held product design and innovation consultancy founded in 1984 in Marina Del Rey, California, specializing exclusively in medical devices and digital health solutions for startup and enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Device Design Services

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (541420), Industrial Design Services (54142), Other Specialized Design Services (541490)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)

Keywords

• Medical device design
• Product design consultancy
• Industrial design services
• Digital health design
• Design research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Marina Del Rey

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. Design Consulting Services: B2B product design and innovation consultancy providing services to medical device and digital health companies. Revenue generated through project-based consulting engagements for design strategy, industrial design, mechanical engineering, digital design, and visual design services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Karten Design is a product design and innovation consultancy that partners with companies to build medical devices and digital health solutions. The firm delivers design strategy, design research, industrial design, mechanical engineering, digital design (apps and embedded interfaces), and visual design services to medical device manufacturers and healthcare startups. Its work spans neuromodulation systems, digital health products, catheter delivery systems, respiratory products, and clinician-facing digital tools.

Product overview

Karten Design (K:D) is a product design and innovation consultancy specializing in medical devices and digital health solutions. The company offers a comprehensive suite of design services spanning design strategy, design research, industrial design, digital design (apps and embedded interfaces), mechanical engineering, and visual design. Their service offerings include neuromodulation system design (clinician programmers, IPG charging systems, patient controllers), digital health product design (smart handhelds, wearables, hearing aids), catheter delivery systems, respiratory products (ventilators, masks), and clinician-facing digital tools (knowledge portals, mobile apps, dashboards, treatment planners). Karten Design has designed multiple notable medical products for clients including the Axonics Neuromodulation System, Sonendo GentleWave G4 Console, FastDetect SmartTest COVID system, MedVector Telemedicine Device, Starkey Livio AI Hearing Aid, Noopl iPhone hearing accessory, Vessix Renal Denervation System, Cardiac Science PowerHeart AED, Halyard Health ON-Q System, and Orthosonos Monitor. They have also explored forward-looking concepts such as the Bathroom of the Future as a health hub.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design Strategy Services
• Design Research Services
• Industrial Design Services
• Digital Design Services
• Mechanical Engineering Services
• Visual Design and Brand Identity Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Vessix sold to Boston Scientific for $425 million within 18 months of project kickoff
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FastDetect Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 February 2021Karten Design designed FastDetect's SmartTest, a high-speed RT-PCR COVID-19 testing device. The design enables consumer-level operation with automated swab-to-diagnosis workflow for up to 5 people in under 20 minutes.
• Axonics Modulation TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2018Karten Design worked with Axonics since its early stages of development, helping with clinician and patient research, designing the neuromodulation system and company product branding. The client went public in October 2018 and was later acquired by Boston Scientific in 2024.
• NooplcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKarten Design developed Noopl's corporate identity package and mobile app interface for their iPhone hearing accessory that uses AirPods Pro head tracking technology.
• SonendocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKarten Design designed the GentleWave G4 console with dynamic touchscreen UI for Sonendo's root canal procedure system, featuring sculptural surfaces and sophisticated finishes.
• StarkeycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKarten Design introduced functional innovation across Starkey's entire product line including the first touch-operated hearing aid and first made-for-iPhone hearing aid. Designed the Livio AI hearing aid.
• MedVectorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKarten Design designed MedVector's telemedicine device - a compact, ruggedized aluminum case that organizes all required equipment into a self-contained kit for clinical trial telemedicine.
• Bruin Biometrics (Orthosonos)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKarten Design designed the Orthosonos monitor system using sound waves to detect early stage osteoarthritis, with large touch screen and vivid interface for doctor-patient result viewing.
• Vessix VascularcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKarten Design created ground-up brand identity including company name, logo, and renal denervation system design. The system delivered treatment with push of single button. Vessix was sold to Boston Scientific for $425 million.
• Cardiac SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKarten Design designed the PowerHeart AED automated external defibrillator with foolproof interface for untrained bystander use in sudden cardiac arrest situations.
• Halyard HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKarten Design designed next-generation ON-Q pump for opioid-free pain management and created digital platform for patient follow-up during post-operative recovery.
• Children's Hospital Orange County (CHOC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKarten Design serves on boards and mentors at CHOC Children's Research Institute, participating in UC Irvine Wavemaker Design Thinker Collaborative to discuss creativity for clinical teams.
• USC Center for Body ComputingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKarten Design maintains relationship with USC for body computing research and innovation, including presentations at annual conferences on healthcare technology.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bresslergroup: A specialized product development and design consultancy with deep medical device and healthcare experience. Direct peer — same target client (medtech OEMs and startups), same service mix (industrial design, mechanical engineering, user research), and similar boutique scale.
• Worrell Design: A product design and innovation consultancy with a long-standing healthcare and medical device practice. Direct peer — comparable specialization in medical device UX/UI, industrial design, and human factors; similar mid-sized boutique firm profile.
• StarFish Medical: Specialized medical device design and manufacturing services firm based in Canada. Direct peer — purpose-built around medical device product development, offering industrial design, mechanical engineering, and regulatory support similar to Karten's value proposition.
• HS Design (HSD): A product design and development firm dedicated to medical devices and life sciences. Direct peer — same exclusive medical focus, similar mid-size scale, comparable human factors and industrial design offering for medtech clients.
• Farm Design: Product design and engineering firm with a strong medical device and consumer health practice. Direct peer — overlaps on medical product design, mechanical engineering, and human factors; similar boutique scale and project-based services model.
• Trig Innovation: A medical device design and development consultancy with industrial design, mechanical engineering, and human factors services. Direct peer — similar specialized medtech focus, comparable boutique firm scale, and overlapping client base of medtech startups and OEMs.

Broad incumbents

• IDEO: Pioneer global design and innovation firm with a substantial healthcare practice (IDEO U, Health & Wellness). Broad incumbent — much larger scale, broader service portfolio (strategy, digital, branding) but overlapping medical device design capabilities and similar B2B client base.
• Frog Design (Capgemini Invent): Global design and engineering firm, now part of Capgemini Invent, with a dedicated health and wellness practice. Broad incumbent — overlaps heavily on medical device and digital health design, with far greater scale and geographic reach than Karten.
• Smart Design: Global design consultancy with experience in medical devices, healthcare, and consumer products. Broad incumbent — comparable design-led methodology and medtech client work, but with broader industry coverage and significantly larger footprint.
• McKinsey Design (McKinsey & Company): The in-house design practice of McKinsey, including significant healthcare and medical device work via Leap by McKinsey. Broad incumbent — competes for the same enterprise medtech clients with a strategy-led, integrated approach that bundles design with consulting, but with vastly greater scale and resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StuartKarten
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/karten-design
• Instagraminstagram.com/karten_design

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Karten Design