Bould Design
Bould Design is a San Francisco-based industrial design consultancy founded in 1999 that provides industrial design, branding, packaging, visualization, and engineering support to hardware companies ranging from stealth startups to multinationals, including Nest, eero, Roku, GoPro, and Intuitive Surgical.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersMountain View, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Bould Design does
Bould Design is a San Francisco-based industrial design consultancy founded in 1999 by Fred Bould, operating from a 7,000-square-foot converted warehouse studio in the Bay Area. The firm provides professional design services spanning industrial design, branding and identity, packaging design, product visualization, and engineering support for hardware companies, with an in-house prototyping shop equipped with FDM and SLA 3D printers, CNC machines, and a full power-tool workspace. Its client base ranges from stealth-mode startups to diversified multinational corporations, and its public portfolio includes iconic mass-market products such as the Nest Learning Thermostat, eero mesh WiFi systems, Roku streaming players and audio, GoPro action cameras, the Intuitive Surgical da Vinci Xi system, Hunter Douglas PowerView, Yale Linus smart locks, and the Willow Go wearable breast pump, among roughly 50 named projects.
Bould generates revenue through professional services — project-based design consulting engagements typically initiated via direct business inquiry — and operates with a small partner-led team of approximately 8-10 named professionals across leadership, industrial design, and studio operations. The firm does not raise outside capital, has no disclosed parent company, and is founder/partner owned. Its go-to-market is sales-led and reputation-driven, relying on its award-winning portfolio (IDEA, Red Dot, IF Design, D&AD, Cooper Hewitt permanent collection, London Design Museum Design of the Year for the original Nest Thermostat), industry recognition, and client referrals rather than outbound marketing. Multiple enterprise clients have engaged Bould across multiple product generations (Roku across six generations, eero across consumer and professional lines, Nest across thermostat generations, GoPro across Hero 3/4/5), institutionalizing recurring design revenue. Recent work has diversified the portfolio into AI wearables (Friend AI Pendant), camera glasses (Waves), home robotics (Hello Robot Stretch 4), and energy systems (Enphase, Pila, Span), suggesting incremental vertical expansion while the firm maintains its core consumer electronics and smart home base.
Bould Design firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bould Design
- Legal name
- Bould Design
- Website
- https://bould.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Bould Design is a San Francisco-based industrial design consultancy founded in 1999 that provides industrial design, branding, packaging, visualization, and engineering support to hardware companies ranging from stealth startups to multinationals, including Nest, eero, Roku, GoPro, and Intuitive Surgical.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Bould Design is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mountain View
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bould Design business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Design Consulting Services: Bould Design is a professional design consultancy that earns revenue through client projects for industrial design, branding, packaging design, product visualization, and engineering support. Projects span conceptualization through production for hardware companies ranging from startups to multinational corporations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Bould Design product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bould Design is a San Francisco-based industrial design consultancy that provides end-to-end product design services including concept development, industrial design, prototyping, engineering support, branding and identity, packaging design, and product visualization. The studio partners with hardware companies ranging from stealth-mode startups to multinational corporations to bring highly functional, beautiful, and manufacturable products to market. They work hand-in-hand with client engineering teams to integrate complex technology stacks into elegant, user-centric product designs.
Product overview
Bould Design is a San Francisco-based industrial design studio offering professional design services including industrial design, branding and identity, packaging design, product visualization, and engineering support. The studio partners with hardware companies ranging from stealth startups to multinational corporations, applying their strategic design process focused on function, simplicity, quality, and character. Their portfolio encompasses over 50 client projects spanning consumer electronics (eero mesh WiFi systems, Roku streaming players, Nest products), smart home devices (Yale Linus smart locks, Hunter Douglas PowerView), wearables (Willow Go breast pump, Silvertree Reach, FI dog collar), healthcare (Visby diagnostic devices, Eargo packaging), robotics (Hello Robot Stretch 4, Vayu delivery vehicle, Suitable Technologies Beam), energy systems (Enphase, Pila battery, Span smart panels), and specialty products (Spout atmospheric water generator, Vestaboard, Coop smart chicken coop). Projects have received numerous design awards including Red Dot Product Design Awards, IDEA Awards, and IF Design Awards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Industrial Design Services Professional industrial design services including concept development, prototyping, visual design, and manufacturing support for hardware companies ranging from startups to multinational corporations.
- Branding and Identity Services Brand identity creation and brand strategy services that complement industrial design work, including word marks, logos, and visual identity systems.
- Packaging Design Services Product packaging design services focused on first impressions, product protection, and unboxing experience, with attention to shipping weight and accessory organization.
- Product Visualization Services Visualization and animation services including product imagery, renders, and animations for marketing, press, and investor materials.
- Engineering Support Services Mechanical and electrical engineering support for product development, working with trusted partners to address complex technical challenges alongside industrial design work.
Quantifiable outcome
- 40+ consecutive years of award-winning design work since founding
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Bould Design
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Bould Design technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Bould Design partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Bould Design competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- IDEO: Pioneering Palo Alto-based industrial design and innovation consultancy. Closest direct peer to Bould in terms of Bay Area presence, client caliber, and end-to-end design services across consumer electronics, healthcare, and smart home.
- Ammunition Group: San Francisco industrial design studio led by Robert Brunner. Direct competitor for premium consumer electronics and audio product work, with comparable marquee client base and award profile.
- Frog Design: Global industrial design and strategy firm with Bay Area heritage. Competes head-to-head for the same enterprise hardware clients across consumer electronics, automotive, and healthcare product design.
- RKS Design: California-based industrial design and psychology-driven consultancy. Competes for consumer electronics and healthcare design engagements with comparable boutique scale and end-to-end capabilities.
- fuseproject: Yves Béhar's San Francisco industrial design and branding studio. Competes directly across consumer electronics, wearables, and smart home categories with integrated design-plus-branding capabilities.
- NewDealDesign: San Francisco industrial design firm led by Gadi Amit. Direct peer with similar profile of designing connected consumer products, wearables, and healthcare devices for both startups and multinationals.
- Lunar Design: Long-established San Francisco industrial design consultancy serving enterprise hardware clients across consumer electronics, medical devices, and emerging technology — comparable boutique scale and Bay Area positioning.
- Whipsaw: San Jose-based industrial design studio founded by Dan Harden. Direct competitor for premium consumer electronics and IoT product design, with comparable award profile and Silicon Valley client base.
- Box Clever: San Francisco industrial design studio serving hardware startups and growth-stage companies. Direct peer with overlapping smart home, audio, and connected device portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- Teague: Seattle-based design and innovation consultancy with broader transportation and aerospace portfolio. Larger scale, broader industry footprint, and deeper resources than Bould, but competes for the same enterprise hardware design work.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Bould Design social profiles
Digital presenceBould Design financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bould Design leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Bould Design funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bould Design M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Bould Design
What does Bould Design do?
Bould Design is a San Francisco-based industrial design consultancy that provides end-to-end product design services including concept development, industrial design, prototyping, engineering support, branding and identity, packaging design, and product visualization. The studio partners with hardware companies ranging from stealth-mode startups to multinational corporations to bring highly functional, beautiful, and manufacturable products to market. They work hand-in-hand with client engineering teams to integrate complex technology stacks into elegant, user-centric product designs.
Is Bould Design a public or private company?
Bould Design is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bould Design founded?
Bould Design was founded in 1999. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Bould Design based?
Bould Design is headquartered in Mountain View, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bould Design make money?
One revenue line is on record: design Consulting Services.
Who are Bould Design's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are IDEO, Ammunition Group, Frog Design, RKS Design, fuseproject, NewDealDesign, Lunar Design, Whipsaw and Box Clever. Teague is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Bould Design have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bould Design.