Keepthinking
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
Keepthinking firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Keepthinking
- Legal name
- Keepthinking Ltd
- Website
- https://keepthinking.it
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Keepthinking industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Collections Management Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (519), Libraries and Archives (51921)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Asset Management (DAM) for Media/Creative (MPAHAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Ingest, Indexing & Proxy/Mezzanine Generation (MPAHAGAH), Rights, Access Control & Clearance for Archives (Permissions, Audit, Policy) (MPAHAGAL), Digital Archives, Libraries & Institutional Access Platforms (MPAJAMAJ), Digital Asset Management (DAM) (HDAEAGAE)
Keywords
Where Keepthinking is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Keepthinking business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Qi CMS Software Subscription: Ongoing subscription licensing for Qi Collections Management System with configurable features, API access, and support services. Typically multi-year contracts with cultural institutions.
- Digital Design and Development Services: Project-based professional services including branding, design, information architecture, wireframes, development, accessibility implementation, and data migration for cultural institutions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Custom enterprise pricing based on institution size and requirements |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels9 records
Keepthinking product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Keepthinking builds and licenses Qi, a web-based content and collections management system that enables cultural institutions to manage, publish, and preserve their collections, archives, and websites from a single integrated platform with REST APIs and pre-built DAM integrations. The company also delivers project-based digital design, branding, UX/UI, information architecture, development, accessibility implementation, and data migration services to museums, galleries, archives, universities, and corporate heritage organisations.
Product overview
Keepthinking offers a unified product platform anchored by Qi, a web-based collections management system trusted by over 60 cultural institutions worldwide. Qi serves as the core platform combining CMS, DAM, and archival database capabilities in a single integrated system for managing collections, archives, libraries, and websites simultaneously. The platform is complemented by Art UK Tagger, a crowd-sourcing tagging tool for public art collections. Keepthinking also provides associated services including digital design, branding, information architecture, development, and accessibility implementation across their client projects.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Qi: Qi is a web-based, fully customisable content and collections management system trusted by over 60 organisations worldwide. It enables teams to manage, share, and preserve collections with confidence.
Products and services
- Qi Collections Management System (CMS) Web-based, fully customisable content and collections management system trusted by over 60 organisations worldwide, integrating CMS, DAM, and archival database capabilities in a single platform for managing collections, archives, libraries, and public-facing websites. Targeted at museums, galleries, archives, university collections, and corporate heritage organisations.
- Art UK Tagger Crowd-sourcing tagging platform that enables users to tag artworks with descriptive words to improve searchability by subject matter within Art UK's public collection of over 300,000 artworks.
- Digital Design and Development Services Project-based professional services including branding, design, information architecture, wireframes, development, accessibility implementation, and data migration for cultural institutions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 70% increase in website users for Asia Art Archive within first three months of launch
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Keepthinking
Customer profileNamed customers23 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Keepthinking technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration14 records
AI capability1 record
Feature8 records
Keepthinking partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional.
- PreservicacoreStrategic integration between Qi CMS and Preservica digital preservation platform enabling two-way synchronisation. Qi retrieves low-resolution assets from Preservica while pushing metadata updates back, creating cohesive digital ecosystem for cultural institutions requiring both active collections management and long-term digital preservation.
- NetXcoreDAM integration streamlining workflows for museums. Qi automatically pulls proxy images from NetX and connects to correct CMS records, while metadata is automatically synced between systems. Joint solution developed through special project collaboration with SFMOMA.
- Orange LogiccoreStandardised DAM integration framework connecting Qi CMS with Orange Logic digital asset management system for museums requiring combined CMS and DAM capabilities.
- Luna ImagingcoreStandardised DAM integration connecting Qi CMS with Luna Imaging for visual collection management and asset distribution.
- Adobe Experience ManagercoreIntegration between Qi CMS and Adobe Experience Manager enabling enterprise-level digital experience management combined with collections management.
- ResourceSpacecoreOpen-source DAM integration connecting Qi CMS with ResourceSpace for flexible digital asset management options.
- OpenAssetcoreDAM integration between Qi CMS and OpenAsset for marketing and creative asset management in cultural institutions.
- Micrographics DataregionalRegional reseller partnership in Singapore representing Keepthinking and Qi CMS in Southeast Asia market. Provides local sales, support, and customer engagement for cultural institutions in the region.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Keepthinking competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gallery Systems: Gallery Systems is the leading provider of TMS (The Museum System), a collections management platform used by major museums worldwide. It is a direct competitor to Keepthinking's Qi CMS in the museum collections management vertical, with overlapping customer segments (art and history museums) and similar subscription + services revenue models.
- Axiell Group: Axiell provides EMu, a museum and archive collections management system, alongside library and school solutions. EMu is one of the most widely deployed museum CMS platforms globally and competes directly with Qi for the same enterprise museum and archive customers.
- System Simulation (Vernon CMS): System Simulation Ltd provides Vernon CMS, a UK-developed collections management system widely used by museums and heritage institutions. It is a direct peer with a comparable product, customer base, and UK heritage, competing for similar museum contracts.
- Adlib Information Systems: Adlib provides archive, library, and museum information systems primarily serving European cultural and corporate heritage institutions. Its archive and collections management products overlap directly with Qi's archive and CMS modules for the same cultural-institution customers.
- Lucidea: Lucidea offers Argus, Cuadra, and other CMS products purpose-built for museums, libraries, and archives. It competes head-to-head with Qi in collections management for cultural and corporate heritage clients with similar subscription-based delivery.
- PastPerfect Software: PastPerfect provides collections management software targeted primarily at small and mid-sized museums, particularly in the US. It competes with Qi for the same museum customer base, though typically at smaller institution scale.
Emerging players
- CollectiveAccess: CollectiveAccess is an open-source collections management and cataloging platform used by museums, archives, and humanities projects. It overlaps with Qi's core functionality for cultural institutions, particularly for budget-conscious and academic users.
- ArchivesSpace: ArchivesSpace is an open-source archives management application developed by Lyrasis for archives and special collections. It addresses part of Qi's archival functionality, serving similar academic and cultural archive customers.
- ResourceSpace: ResourceSpace is an open-source digital asset management platform commonly used by museums, charities, and NGOs. It is both a Qi integration partner and a partial functional competitor for DAM-led cultural-institution use cases.
Broad incumbents
- OCLC: OCLC operates WorldCat, CONTENTdm, and other library/archive information services serving tens of thousands of libraries and cultural institutions globally. It is a broad incumbent in the same cultural-heritage information management space that Keepthinking serves with Qi.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks2 records
Key highlights8 records
Customer concentration
Keepthinking social profiles
Digital presenceKeepthinking compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Keepthinking financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Keepthinking leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Keepthinking funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Keepthinking 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 Keepthinking
What does Keepthinking do?
Keepthinking builds and licenses Qi, a web-based content and collections management system that enables cultural institutions to manage, publish, and preserve their collections, archives, and websites from a single integrated platform with REST APIs and pre-built DAM integrations. The company also delivers project-based digital design, branding, UX/UI, information architecture, development, accessibility implementation, and data migration services to museums, galleries, archives, universities, and corporate heritage organisations.
Is Keepthinking a public or private company?
Keepthinking is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Keepthinking founded?
Keepthinking was founded in 2002. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Keepthinking based?
Keepthinking is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Keepthinking make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Qi CMS Software Subscription is the primary driver. The others are digital Design and Development Services.
Who are Keepthinking's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gallery Systems, Axiell Group, System Simulation (Vernon CMS), Adlib Information Systems, Lucidea and PastPerfect Software. Emerging players are CollectiveAccess, ArchivesSpace and ResourceSpace. OCLC is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Keepthinking have an API?
Yes. Qi uses REST API, a widely adopted standard that allows secure communication between systems using simple HTTPS requests and structured formats (JSON), making it easy to retrieve, create, or update records. Combined with Elasticsearch indexing, the API supports advanced querying and filtering, enabling collections data to be surfaced across websites, mobile apps, or other institutional systems. Qi also integrates with Linked Open Data (LOD) authorities such as AAT, Geonames, VIAF, Wikidata, and the Library of Congress, ensuring metadata remains consistent and compatible. Developer documentation is at Not specified.
What industry is Keepthinking in?
Keepthinking's product category is Collections Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAHAGAB, Digital Asset Management (DAM) for Media/Creative, with a secondary code of MPAHAGAH, Ingest, Indexing & Proxy/Mezzanine Generation. Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7370.