Kale & Flax

What Kale & Flax does

Kale & Flax is a Louisville, Kentucky-based creative agency operating as a Kentucky LLC under founder Tarik Nally, with a remote-first team of 1-10 employees distributed across Louisville, Atlanta, Chicago, Wilmington, and Santo Domingo. The firm delivers brand identity design, website design and development, go-to-market strategy, digital strategy, design and creative services, innovation consulting, and political and movement campaign design, using conventional front-end technologies including HTML5, CSS3, Sass, JavaScript, PHP, WordPress custom themes, and React/Redux. Named deliverables include work for Zoom Cares, Microsoft Responsible A.I. Toolbox, Smartflyer, Studio Kremer Architects, Haymarket by Ashbourne Farms, Charles Booker for Senate, Discogs, Clover Learning, and Curio Learning, alongside a long tail of nonprofit and advocacy clients.

The firm is deliberately positioned as a 'non-agency agency' built on a human-centered, empathy-driven methodology, serving a horizontal mix of nonprofits and NGOs, startups, Fortune 5000 social-impact programs, and political campaigns across 27+ industries. Go-to-market is relationship-driven direct engagement rather than outbound sales, supported by case-study content marketing, organic social (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook), and community visibility through initiatives including the Small Thyme investment vehicle, Wild Accelerator (for underrepresented founders), TechAble Camp (disability inclusion in tech), and Work Four Days advocacy.

Revenue mechanics are project-based professional services with custom-quoted scope and no publicly disclosed pricing; no retainers, no public rate cards, and no external funding rounds have been disclosed. The firm reports 200+ projects shipped since 2016 and 290% growth since the 2020 shutdown, documented in the July 2023 'Make Good' Impact Report, which also cites 90,000+ organ donor registrations, $7.9M+ in client fundraising, and a Mental Health Flag flown in 12+ countries as outcomes attributable to client campaigns.

Name

Kale & Flax

Legal name

Kale & Flax LLC

Website

https://kaleandflax.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kale & Flax is a Louisville-based creative agency providing brand identity, web design and development, and digital strategy services primarily to nonprofits, startups, Fortune 5000 social-impact programs, and political campaigns using a human-centered, empathy-driven design approach.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Agency Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Graphic Design Services (54143), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Festival & Live Entertainment Brand Partnerships (MPAAAGAF), Customer, Marketing & Sales Consulting (BPAHACAG)

Keywords

• Brand identity design
• Website design development
• Creative agency services
• Digital strategy consulting
• Go-to-market strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Project-based creative services including brand identity, web design and development, digital strategy, and go-to-market campaigns for mission-driven organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kale & Flax is a global design and creative agency that delivers project-based services spanning brand identity design, custom website design and development, go-to-market strategy, digital strategy, innovation/design thinking consulting, and creative campaign work for mission-driven clients. Their work spans nonprofits, startups, Fortune 5000 enterprises, and political campaigns, applying a human-centered, empathy-driven methodology to translate complex missions into brand systems and digital experiences.

Product overview

Kale & Flax is a global design and creative agency offering project-based services rather than a unified software product. Their core offerings include Brand Identity Design (visual systems, typography, color palettes), Website Design & Development (UI/UX, custom development, WordPress/React implementations), Go-To-Market Strategy (positioning, audience segmentation, digital strategy), Design & Creative Services (graphic design, illustration, packaging, signage), Digital Strategy (social media, email, content strategy), Innovation Consulting (design thinking facilitation), and Campaign & Movement Design (political/social campaigns). The company also has a separate investment arm called Small Thyme for early-stage business investments. Services are delivered across diverse industries including nonprofits, startups, Fortune 5000s, political campaigns, architecture, agriculture, and hospitality. Since 2016, they have launched 200+ projects across 27+ industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kale & Flax: Global design and creative agency building websites, brand systems and experiences.

Products and services

• Brand Identity Design Comprehensive brand identity development including visual systems, typography, color palettes, and brand guidelines that represent organizational values and mission. Examples include Lens End Media (lens aperture motifs), Studio Kremer Architects (precision geometry), and Haymarket (botanical illustrations with serif typography).
• Website Design & Development
• Go-To-Market Strategy
• Design & Creative Services
• Digital Strategy
• Innovation Consulting
• Campaign & Movement Design

Quantifiable outcome

• 290% growth since 2020
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

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

• New2LouflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2018Co-founded Wild Accelerator, a non-profit 9-Week Micro-Accelerator for female founders, in partnership with New2Lou. The program supports idea-stage and early-stage entrepreneurs with weekly workshops, mentorship, and $25k in in-kind services plus $35k in loan funding upon completion.
• TechAble / Dr. ShareefcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2017Co-founded TechAble Camp with Dr. Shareef to help empower children with neuromuscular disabilities. TechAble is a one-day camp with workshops focusing on design and programming, teaching career skills in technology to young people with disabilities.
• Small ThymecoreOthersKale & Flax invests in cool, small businesses over at Small Thyme, supporting early-stage entrepreneurship.
• CommxnityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity impact amplification partnership through Commxnity organization.
• Work Four DaysminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to celebrate cultural shifts and advocate for four-day work week.
• Wild AcceleratorcoreOthersOriginally founded Wild Accelerator as a non-profit for underrepresented founders; now run by Story Louisville. The accelerator was the 12th city in the nation with a dedicated female accelerator program.
• Access VenturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Access Ventures (impact investment firm) on MobileServe project, with photography provided by their team.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Huge: Large digital experience agency offering design, technology, and strategy for enterprise clients. Overlaps Kale & Flax on UI/UX, web design/development, and digital strategy, but serves primarily Fortune 500 commercial clients.
• IDEO: Pioneering design and innovation consultancy with deep human-centered design methodology. Highly comparable on empathy-driven design thinking, innovation consulting, and nonprofit/enterprise client mix, but operates at a much larger scale.
• R/GA: Global digital creative agency offering brand, experience, and product innovation across enterprise clients. Overlaps Kale & Flax's digital design and go-to-market services but operates at far greater scale and with a technology/IP component.

Direct peers

• Pentagram: Largest independent design agency in the world, offering brand identity, digital design, and creative strategy across mission-driven and commercial clients. Closely comparable as a partner-led, non-traditional creative firm competing on craft and brand thinking rather than scale.
• Manual: Boutique creative agency focused on brand strategy, identity, and digital design for social-impact and consumer brands. Comparable size, mission-driven focus, and brand+website+campaign offering to Kale & Flax.
• Instrument: Independent creative and digital agency combining brand, experience design, and product/engineering for mission-driven and enterprise clients. Direct peer in digital creative, UX, and end-to-end experience work with a similar 'purpose + craft' orientation.
• Hyperakt: Boutique design agency specializing in brand identity and digital design for social impact, nonprofit, and cultural-institution clients. Nearly identical ICP (nonprofits, foundations, mission-driven brands) and similar empathy-led, design-forward positioning to Kale & Flax.
• Gin Lane / &Walsh: Independent design and brand strategy studio known for identity systems and digital experiences for purpose-driven and culturally relevant brands. Directly comparable in scale, philosophy, and visual-design orientation.

Emerging players

• Gundersen Partners: Boutique creative agency with a focus on social impact, nonprofit, and political campaign work. Comparable in client mix (cause-driven, political) and service offering (brand, digital, campaign) to Kale & Flax's political and nonprofit practice.
• Mekanic: Small mission-driven creative and digital agency serving nonprofits, social enterprises, and purpose-led brands with branding and web design. Comparable in size, target client segments, and empathy-led positioning to Kale & Flax.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kaleandflax
• Facebookfacebook.com/kaleandflax
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kale-&-flax
• Instagraminstagram.com/kaleandflax_

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 Kale & Flax