Imagine Deliver

What Imagine Deliver does

Imagine Deliver is a Minneapolis-based strategy and design consulting firm founded in 2017 by CEO Kate Downing Khaled. The firm partners with government agencies, philanthropic foundations, healthcare systems, and business leaders to redesign civic systems, modernize public services, and build cross-sector coalitions addressing complex social challenges such as wealth gaps, addiction recovery, food access, and housing. Their work is organized around the proprietary Considerate Design™ methodology, which integrates neuroscience, sensory design, and organizational psychology to translate end-user insight into actionable strategy, supported by the User as Designer® and Coalition Action Model™ frameworks.

The firm's service portfolio spans strategy development, service innovation and modernization, cross-sector partnership design, pilot testing, research and system insight, stakeholder engagement, and leadership alignment. Engagement-based multi-year contracts form the core revenue model, supplemented by Leadership Studio space rentals and the Friday Exchange invitation-only convening program. Imagine Deliver is developing Imagine Commons, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit platform for coalition collaboration, representing a forward expansion from fee-for-service consulting into software-enabled ecosystem infrastructure.

The firm operates with a small team (1-10 employees) drawing on cross-sector expertise spanning former corporate executives, policy advisors, designers, and researchers. Notable client engagements include McKnight Foundation's GroundBreak Coalition (200+ organizations), Metropolitan Council, City of St. Paul, Hennepin Healthcare, UnitedHealth Group, Ford Foundation, and multiple Minnesota-based foundations. The firm has been recognized as a top B Corporation globally for six consecutive years and was featured on the Winter 2025 cover of Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Name

Imagine Deliver

Legal name

Imagine Deliver

Website

https://imaginedeliver.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Imagine Deliver is a Minneapolis-based strategy and design consulting firm that partners with government, philanthropy, healthcare, and business leaders to redesign civic systems and build cross-sector coalitions using its proprietary Considerate Design™ methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Event Strategy & Experience Design (BPAFAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Leadership Assessment, 360 Feedback & Development Planning (EDABAAAK), Brand Activations & Experiential Campaign Design (MPAAAGAA)

Keywords

• Strategy consulting services
• Human-centered design
• Civic systems transformation
• Cross-sector coalition building
• Service design consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Strategy, service design, and systems innovation consulting engagements with government, philanthropic and business leaders. Engagements include strategic planning, program design, organizational analysis, and implementation support.
2. Leadership Studio Space Rental: Rental of the Leadership Studio space for strategy sprints, workshops, offsites, and convenings. The anti-office space is designed for cross-sector collaboration and can be rented for various events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Imagine Deliver is a strategy and design consulting firm that partners with government, philanthropy, and business leaders to redesign complex civic systems. The firm delivers engagement-based professional services including strategy development, service innovation and modernization, cross-sector partnership design, pilot testing, research and system insight, user and stakeholder engagement, and leadership and team alignment. All engagements are anchored in the firm's proprietary Considerate Design™ methodology.

Product overview

Imagine Deliver is a strategy and design consulting firm, not a software product company. Their offerings center on professional services built around their proprietary Considerate Design™ methodology, which integrates neuroscience, sensory design, and organizational psychology. The core product is their consulting practice, which includes services such as Strategy Development, Service Innovation, Cross-Sector Partnership Development, Pilot Testing, Research, User/Stakeholder Engagement, and Leadership Alignment. Supporting their methodology are proprietary frameworks including User as Designer® and Coalition Action Model™. They also operate a physical Leadership Studio space for workshops and retreats, and are developing Imagine Commons, a nonprofit open-source platform for coalition collaboration. Friday Exchange is their monthly cross-sector leadership convening program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Imagine Commons: An independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit launching soon to support coalitions and ecosystems in streamlining collaboration and working collectively on challenges that matter most. A tech-forward, open-source hub providing efficient access to proven community-rooted solutions.

Products and services

• Strategy Development Services Strategic planning services that help organizations define a direction resilient to rapid change by using scenario modeling to pressure-test strategies against real-world conditions. Targeted at government, philanthropic, and business leaders.
• Service Innovation and Modernization Redesign of civic services to reduce complexity, streamline operations, and increase usability by mapping current service models and identifying friction points. For public agencies and civic organizations.
• Cross-Sector Partnership Development Services that help leaders structure multi-organization efforts that innovate together, make shared decisions, and deliver coordinated action at scale across sectors.
• Pilot Testing and Future Readiness Facilitation of structured testing through small-scale trials to reveal how ideas perform in real conditions before committing resources.
• Research and System Insight Research services that clarify patterns, pressure points, and opportunities through landscape scans, trend analysis, and measurement framework design.
• User and Stakeholder Perspectives Engagement services that surface user perspectives through design team facilitation, pop-up engagement in real settings, and insight process development.
• Leadership and Team Alignment Services to help leadership teams define expectations, strengthen collaboration, and accelerate progress through facilitated working sessions and executive advising.
• Leadership Studio Space Rental Rental of the Leadership Studio space for strategy sprints, coalition-building workshops, leadership offsites, and retreats. Designed as a live prototype for cross-sector collaboration work.
• Friday Exchange Program Monthly invitation-only sessions bringing together public, civic, philanthropic, and business leaders for strategy and innovation conversations that spark cross-sector collaboration.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% of Workforce Accelerator participants remained actively engaged one year after program completion
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GroundBreak CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026Ongoing collaboration to unlock potential of Minneapolis-St. Paul region through fundamental transformation of how financial, civic, corporate, philanthropic, and government institutions support local communities.
• Minneapolis FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Joint launch of The Water Project, a transformative initiative to position Minnesota's water as cornerstone of economic growth, rural prosperity, and natural resilience.
• Minnesota Office of Addiction and RecoverycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership to co-create year-one lift-off strategy for the newly established office to align and strengthen the continuum of care for substance use disorder across Minnesota.
• The Food GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022Partnership to explore strategies to reach people, listen deeply to their needs, and channel insights into innovative multi-year strategic direction for food access.
• McKnight FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2022McKnight Foundation convened 40+ leaders across public, private, and philanthropic sectors to close wealth gaps through the GroundBreak Coalition. They asked Imagine Deliver to join as strategy partner for engagement, strategy, and system design expertise.
• Metropolitan CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership to reimagine Twin Cities trail system with focus on ease of use and community connectivity, bringing together regional park leaders.
• Greater Twin Cities United WaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership to launch the Workforce Accelerator cohort experience, reframing philanthropy by centering community-led leaders through collaborative innovation and systems change.
• St. Paul Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership for three-year strategic planning process that prioritized listening to people throughout St. Paul, leading to elimination of late fees for 51,000+ residents.
• MSPWincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership to help a funder collaborative unite workforce development investors to explore innovation and drive system-wide change through six creative conversations.
• Juxtaposition ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for youth engagement, hosting six pop-up events throughout St. Paul to connect with young people for strategic planning work.
• SHAPESHIFTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinneapolis dance collective that leads movement exercises for client retreats and team building, helping teams tap into creativity and embodied wisdom.
• Hennepin HealthcarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare system partner for service design and system transformation initiatives.
• UnitedHealth GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor healthcare and financial services company partner for systems change initiatives.
• FordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFord Foundation partner for equity-centered design work and transformational impact initiatives.
• Headwaters FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner for community-driven design and systems change work.
• Bush FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner for systems change and community-driven strategy initiatives.
• University of MinnesotacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for research, workforce development, and systems change initiatives. Co-Founder Taqee Khaled is involved with multiple University of Minnesota advisory boards.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin CitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit partner for youth development and community engagement initiatives.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Bridgespan Group: Nonprofit and philanthropic strategy consulting firm focused on social sector strategy, organizational design, and impact. Closely comparable in client base (foundations and nonprofits) and engagement style (multi-year strategy work), though with a broader national scope.
• Blue State: Digital strategy, creative, and fundraising agency serving nonprofits, advocacy groups, and causes. Comparable as a mission-driven consultancy combining strategy, design, and digital execution for philanthropic and civic clients.
• Greater Good Studio: Design studio that partners with nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies to apply human-centered design to social challenges. Closely comparable in methodology (human-centered design), client mix, and civic/mission orientation.
• FSG: Social impact strategy consulting firm advising foundations, nonprofits, and corporations on strategy, evaluation, and collective impact initiatives. Directly comparable in serving philanthropic and cross-sector coalitions with strategic, systems-change engagements.
• Purpose: Social impact agency that builds movements, campaigns, and platforms for nonprofits, foundations, and progressive brands. Comparable as a strategy-plus-execution firm working at the intersection of civic engagement, philanthropy, and behavior change.

Broad incumbents

• Living Cities: Cross-sector collaborative of foundations, corporations, and cities working to close racial income and wealth gaps in urban areas. Comparable as a coalition-builder for systems change in housing, economic mobility, and community development—directly analogous to the GroundBreak Coalition model.
• IDEO: Globally recognized design and innovation consulting firm with a long-standing practice in human-centered design for civic, government, and social sector clients. Comparable as a design-led strategy consultancy using structured methodologies to drive systems change, though much larger and broader in scope than Imagine Deliver.
• Monitor Deloitte: Strategy consulting practice within Deloitte, originally Monitor Institute, focused on social sector strategy, philanthropy, and cross-sector collaboration. Comparable in serving foundations and cross-sector coalitions on systems-change strategy, though embedded in a much larger professional services firm.

Emerging players

• New Public: Design and research studio focused on improving public sector digital services and civic infrastructure. Comparable as a design-forward consultancy applying user-centered methods to government and civic systems.
• Code for America: Nonprofit that works with government to design and deliver digital services that serve people better. Comparable in applying design and technology methods to civic systems change, with an overlapping foundation and government client base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/imaginedelivermn
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imagine-deliver
• Instagraminstagram.com/imaginedeliver
• Xx.com/ImagineDeliver

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Imagine Deliver