Agulhas
Agulhas is a London-based, employee-owned research and strategy consultancy founded in 2003 that delivers monitoring, evaluation, strategy, and learning services to bilateral donors, multilaterals, development banks, and foundations across global international development challenges.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Agulhas does
Agulhas Applied Knowledge Ltd. is a London-headquartered research and strategy consultancy founded in 2003 that delivers monitoring and evaluation, strategy and policy advisory, and knowledge and learning services to international development clients. The firm operates from canal-side offices in London and serves a global client base including bilateral donors (notably the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and ICAI), multilateral organisations (MOPAN, UN agencies, Council of Europe), development banks (African Development Bank), and climate finance institutions (Green Climate Fund), with project footprints spanning Africa, Asia, South America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.
The firm's service portfolio is organised around three core offerings — Monitoring and Evaluation, Strategy and Policy, and Knowledge and Learning — delivered across four thematic expertise areas: Conflict, Crises and Fragility; Climate Change and Environment; Economic Development and Inclusion; and Justice, Equity and Inclusion. Methodological specialisms include theory-based evaluation, outcome harvesting, and realist reviews. The firm has developed an internal AI Policy for Research & Evaluation, aligned with the UK Government AI Playbook and OECD AI Principles, governing the use of AI for automated transcription, AI-assisted literature reviews via retrieval-augmented generation, and structured data analysis, always under human oversight.
Agulhas generates revenue through project-based professional consulting engagements procured via direct commissions and competitive tender processes with institutional clients, typically structured as multi-year contracts. The firm is employee-owned through an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) since December 2020, is B-Corp certified, and holds Cyber Essentials Plus, GDPR, Modern Slavery Act, and Living Wage Employer accreditations. The firm operates with a small, senior-heavy team structure and pursues a sales-led go-to-market based on direct institutional relationships and specialised thematic and methodological expertise rather than scale or product distribution.
Agulhas firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Agulhas
- Legal name
- Agulhas Applied Knowledge Ltd.
- Website
- https://agulhas.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Agulhas is a London-based, employee-owned research and strategy consultancy founded in 2003 that delivers monitoring, evaluation, strategy, and learning services to bilateral donors, multilaterals, development banks, and foundations across global international development challenges.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Agulhas industry classification
Industry- Product category
- International Development Consulting
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Donor Coordination, Monitoring & Evaluation (MEL) Programs (BPADABAN)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Official Development Assistance (ODA) Program Management (BPADAOAC)
Keywords
Where Agulhas is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Agulhas business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Research and Strategy Consultancy Services: Agulhas generates revenue through providing professional consulting services including monitoring and evaluation, strategy and policy advisory, and knowledge and learning services to international development clients. Services are delivered through project-based engagements with governments, multilateral organizations, development banks, and civil society.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Project-based professional consulting services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Agulhas product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Agulhas is a research and strategy consultancy that delivers Monitoring and Evaluation, Strategy and Policy advisory, and Knowledge and Learning services to donors, UN agencies, governments, development banks, civil society, and foundations. Engagements cover programme evaluation, institutional assessment, evidence reviews, and capacity development across thematic areas including conflict and fragility, climate and environment, economic development, and justice and inclusion.
Product overview
Agulhas Applied Knowledge is a research and strategy consultancy offering a portfolio of professional services focused on international development and global challenges. The core service offerings include Monitoring and Evaluation, Strategy and Policy advisory, and Knowledge and Learning services. These services are delivered across four thematic expertise areas: Conflict/Crises/Fragility, Climate Change/Environment, Economic Development/Inclusion, and Justice/Equity/Inclusion. The company operates as a consultancy rather than a software product company, providing bespoke evaluation, research, and advisory services to donors, UN agencies, governments, development banks, corporations, civil society, and foundations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Monitoring and Evaluation Comprehensive monitoring and evaluation services for international development programmes, including process evaluations, theory-based designs, and outcome harvesting methodologies. Delivered to donors, UN agencies, governments, development banks, and foundations.
- Strategy and Policy Strategic advisory and policy development services supporting clients in navigating complex global challenges and institutional reform.
- Knowledge and Learning Knowledge management, organisational learning, and capacity development services to strengthen institutional effectiveness and evidence-based decision making.
- Conflict, Crises and Fragility Expertise Specialised expertise in evaluating and advising on programmes addressing conflict, humanitarian crises, and fragile states.
- Climate Change and Environment Expertise Expertise in climate change mitigation, environmental sustainability, and climate-resilient development programming.
- Economic Development and Inclusion Expertise Specialised knowledge in economic growth, trade, private sector development, and inclusive economic policies.
- Justice, Equity and Inclusion Expertise Expertise in promoting equity, justice, human rights, and social inclusion in development programming.
Quantifiable outcome
- Produced 25+ evaluation reports for ICAI; Supported African Development Bank ADER since 2018; Completed MOPAN assessments of 31+ multilateral organisations
Companies that use Agulhas
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Agulhas technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature1 record
Agulhas partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)corePrimary government client commissioning monitoring, evaluation, and strategic advisory services across UK development programmes. Long-standing relationship with multiple project engagements.
- ICAI (Independent Commission for Aid Impact)coreLeads consortium providing support services to ICAI, the UK's independent aid watchdog. Responsible for quality assurance and delivery of evaluation reviews on UK aid effectiveness.
- MOPAN (Multilateral Organisation Performance Assessment Network)coreService provider for MOPAN assessments of multilateral organisations, conducting rigorous assessments of organisational performance, effectiveness, and comparative advantage.
- Council of EuropemajorContracted to conduct synthesis evaluations of Council of Europe evaluations covering human rights, democracy, and rule of law programmes across member states.
- African Development BankcoreSupporting development of the Annual Development Effectiveness Review (ADER) since 2018, the Bank's flagship results report assessing contribution to sustainable development across Africa.
- Green Climate FundmajorPartnered with GCF and ILO to produce realist review on just transition towards low emission, climate resilient societies in developing countries.
- British High Commission TanzaniamajorUndertaking evaluation of UK sustainable growth and investment partnerships in Tanzania, examining 'whole of government' approach across multiple development levers.
- The Canopy LabminorPartner consultancy specialising in systems thinking, providing strategic consulting, research and evaluations. Partnered on Tanzania sustainable growth evaluation.
- EarthlyminorEnvironmental partner for carbon mitigation. Agulhas invests in Earthly's verified nature-based solutions for carbon sequestration, biodiversity restoration, and community benefits to mitigate unavoidable emissions from international business travel.
- UN Global CompactcoreSignatory participant committed to UN principles on human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption, aligning organisational operations with global sustainability standards.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Agulhas competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- CEPA: UK-based economic and policy advisory firm with a strong international development practice. Directly comparable on strategy, policy, and evaluation work for institutional clients.
- IMC Worldwide: International development consultancy delivering monitoring, evaluation, and infrastructure/economic development advisory. Overlaps with Agulhas's strategy, MEL, and economic development services.
- Itad: UK-based specialist monitoring, evaluation, and learning consultancy serving bilateral donors, multilaterals, and foundations. Closely comparable to Agulhas in size, MEL focus, and donor client base.
- Bannock Consulting: Small UK-based development economics and strategy consultancy. Comparable in size, UK base, and donor advisory focus, particularly on economic development and inclusion themes.
- Oxford Policy Management: Evidence and policy advisory firm working across international development with governments and multilaterals. Directly comparable on policy advisory, evaluation, and donor-facing work.
- Integrity: International development advisory firm delivering monitoring, evaluation, learning, and research across fragile and conflict-affected states. Overlaps directly with Agulhas's MEL and fragility practices.
Broad incumbents
- DAI: Global development consultancy offering advisory, implementation, and evaluation services. Competes with Agulhas on MEL and policy work for bilateral and multilateral donors at greater scale.
- Palladium: Large global consulting firm with deep international development practice spanning MEL, strategy, and implementation. A broader incumbent that overlaps with Agulhas on donor advisory and evaluation mandates.
- Mott MacDonald: Global engineering, management, and development consultancy. Competes with Agulhas on donor advisory, evaluation, and strategy work through its international development division.
- Tetra Tech International Development: International arm of Tetra Tech providing consulting and engineering services across development sectors. Overlaps with Agulhas on evaluation, climate, and economic development mandates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Agulhas social profiles
Digital presenceAgulhas compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
Agulhas financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Agulhas leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Agulhas funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Agulhas 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 Agulhas
What does Agulhas do?
Agulhas is a research and strategy consultancy that delivers Monitoring and Evaluation, Strategy and Policy advisory, and Knowledge and Learning services to donors, UN agencies, governments, development banks, civil society, and foundations. Engagements cover programme evaluation, institutional assessment, evidence reviews, and capacity development across thematic areas including conflict and fragility, climate and environment, economic development, and justice and inclusion.
Is Agulhas a public or private company?
Agulhas is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Agulhas founded?
Agulhas was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Agulhas based?
Agulhas is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Agulhas make money?
One revenue line is on record: research and Strategy Consultancy Services.
Who are Agulhas's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CEPA, IMC Worldwide, Itad, Bannock Consulting, Oxford Policy Management and Integrity. Broad incumbents are DAI, Palladium, Mott MacDonald and Tetra Tech International Development.
Does Agulhas have an API?
No public API is recorded for Agulhas.
What industry is Agulhas in?
Agulhas's product category is International Development Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADABAN, Donor Coordination, Monitoring & Evaluation (MEL) Programs, with a secondary code of BPADAOAC, Official Development Assistance (ODA) Program Management. Its SIC code is 8742.