What 89grad does

89grad GmbH is a Swiss digital product development consultancy headquartered in Bern, founded in 2010 and operating as an owner-managed private limited company with approximately 20 employees. The firm operates under a three-phase engagement methodology branded INNOVATE-CREATE-SCALE, providing end-to-end services from ideation and design thinking through MVP development to industrialization, scaling, and market rollout. Its core technical scope spans both software (cloud platforms, web applications, iOS/Android wallets) and hardware (electronics, mechanics, embedded systems, custom locking systems), allowing it to deliver integrated hardware-software products such as the OMNI IoT connectivity platform built for myStromer AG. The firm maintains Swiss-based deployment options across cloud, Swiss data center, or on-premise architectures and supports iterative development through prototyping and A/B testing.

The company serves a horizontally diversified client base spanning startups, SMEs, large enterprises, tourism/hospitality, and government/defense buyers. Notable customers include Orell Füssli (digital Education Card wallet), myStromer AG (OMNI E-Bike IoT platform), Switzerland Tourism (MySwitzerland Pro B2B platform, Technology Radar), Switzerland Travel Centre (Digital Swiss Coupon Pass), the Swiss Army (CONNECTED event digital companion), Enotrac (Romonto rail monitoring), and PlaceB (custom self-storage locking systems). Revenue derives from project-based professional services engagements with published phase entry points of CHF 5,000 for INNOVATE (8 hours to 4 weeks) and CHF 8,000 for CREATE MVP development (2 weeks to 2 months), supplemented by Service Level Agreements for SCALE phase work.

Distribution is direct, via a Business Developer (Simon Lüthi) and the founders (CEO Ramun Hofmann, CTO Florian Baumgartner), with the firm additionally acting as a Miro Solution Partner for collaborative platform deployments. Marketing relies on a documented case-study portfolio, industry sponsorships (Python Summit, DjangoCon, ProductTank), and community engagement (Powercoders, Django Girls), with referrals driving mid-funnel demand. The firm has reported 300+ innovation and technology projects and 220+ customers cumulatively since founding, and has placed among Switzerland's most innovative SMEs for three consecutive years (14th in Top 150 Innovators 2025, 4th in Innovation Culture 2025, 23rd overall in Top 45 KMU 2026). In June 2024, 89grad spun out AIdvisors, a dedicated AI advisory practice targeting the Swiss hospitality sector.

Name

89grad

Legal name

89grad GmbH

Website

https://89grad.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

89grad GmbH is a Bern-based Swiss digital product development consultancy of about 20 employees, founded in 2010, that designs and builds integrated software and hardware products for startups, SMEs, enterprises, and government clients across the DACH region using its INNOVATE-CREATE-SCALE methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Product Development Services

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

UI/UX Engineering & Front-End Modernization (BPAEAFAH)

Keywords

• Digital product development
• Software engineering services
• IoT connectivity solutions
• Hardware engineering services
• Innovation consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services / Consulting: B2B consulting and development services for digital product creation, following the INNOVATE-CREATE-SCALE methodology. Pricing offered as project-based engagements starting at CHF 5,000 for innovation phase and CHF 8,000 for MVP development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

89grad is a Swiss digital product development consultancy that designs, builds, and scales software and hardware products for business clients. Its services follow a three-phase INNOVATE-CREATE-SCALE methodology covering customer insights and ideation, MVP development with agile software and hardware engineering, and technical scaling, industrialization, and market rollout. The company also provides IoT connectivity solutions, mobile wallet applications, cloud and on-premise deployment with Swiss data center hosting, and custom embedded systems including electronics, mechanics, and enclosures.

Product overview

89grad is a Swiss digital product development company offering services across the entire product lifecycle. The core offering is organized into three integrated phases: INNOVATE (customer insights, ideation, prototyping), CREATE (MVP development, iterative testing, agile build), and SCALE (technical scaling, automation, cloud operations, market rollout). The company develops both software and hardware solutions and supports clients from concept through to series production. All services are delivered under the 89grad brand through an interdisciplinary team of approximately 20 employees based in Bern, Switzerland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• INNOVATE Service Engagement Structured customer insights and needs-oriented idea development using design thinking, market analysis, and customer interviews to produce a tested prototype. Engagement duration is 8 hours to 4 weeks, starting from CHF 5,000, intended for startups, SMEs, and enterprises developing new digital products.
• CREATE Service Engagement Minimum Viable Product development based on validated prototypes, using iterative agile software and hardware development refined through user feedback. Engagement duration is 2 weeks to 2 months, starting from CHF 8,000, delivering a validated MVP for business clients.
• SCALE Service Engagement Technical scaling, product and process industrialization, and market rollout delivered as a managed engagement with defined Service Level Agreements. Includes cloud, Swiss data center, or on-premise deployment with customization, intended for organizations moving validated products into sustainable, market-ready operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ innovation and technology projects realized since 2010
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MirominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAs a Miro Solution Partner, 89grad helps customers maximize the potential of the Miro collaboration platform to enhance productivity and innovation capabilities across organizations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Zühlke: Swiss-headquartered product engineering and innovation consultancy with a similar full-lifecycle (ideation-to-scale) model and strong hardware-software integration heritage — the closest direct peer to 89grad's offer set.
• Liip: Swiss digital agency (~200+ staff) specializing in custom web, mobile and cloud product development for SMEs and enterprises — directly comparable on scope, Swiss base and open-source/DevOps engineering depth.
• Netcetera: Switzerland-based digital services company delivering software and IoT/embedded solutions to enterprise clients across the DACH region — comparable on Swiss premium positioning and cross-stack hardware/software delivery.
• Mimacom: Swiss-German digital consulting firm offering custom software development, cloud platforms and digital transformation services to enterprise clients across DACH — directly comparable mid-market digital engineering peer.
• Unic: Swiss IT consultancy with offices across Switzerland delivering custom software and digital product engineering to enterprise and government buyers — close match on geography and project-based delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Thoughtworks: Global product development consultancy with major Swiss presence; competes for the same enterprise digital-build mandates as 89grad but at vastly larger scale and with broader geographic delivery.
• IDEO: Global design and innovation consultancy whose INNOVATE-style design thinking, prototyping and venture work directly mirrors 89grad's front-end methodology, even though 89grad also executes the build phases in-house.
• Sopra Steria: Large European IT services group with deep Swiss government and enterprise footprint; competes for similar public-sector and large-enterprise digital transformation RFPs.

Regional players

• Netlight: Northern-European (Germany/Sweden-origin) management and technology consultancy active in the DACH region; comparable as a boutique strategy-plus-delivery peer serving enterprise transformation mandates.
• Adesso: Germany-headquartered IT services firm with strong DACH coverage in custom software development, IoT and industry-specific solutions — competes for the same German-speaking enterprise and government digital mandates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/89grad
• Facebookfacebook.com/89grad

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 89grad