MSA

What MSA does

MSA architecture + design is a privately held, woman-owned architecture and interior design firm founded in 1976 by Madeline Speer in New York City and now headquartered at 360 22nd Street, Suite 800, Oakland, California. The firm delivers full-service design from programming, site surveys, and space planning through design development, construction documentation, and construction administration, with additional interior design, FF&E specification, and permitting services. Its core technology backbone is Autodesk Revit, supported by proprietary internal workflows covering workset management, CAD cleanup, temporary dimensions configuration, and BIM best practices. The firm operates as Architect of Record for enterprise clients across five primary verticals: Workplace/Corporate, Retail, Healthcare/Science, Hospitality, and Industrial, with additional Specialty/Cultural work including historic renovations.

MSA generates revenue through professional service fees on a project-by-project basis, with no standard publicly disclosed pricing tiers. GTM is direct enterprise field sales, with projects sourced through long-standing client relationships, landlord and broker referrals, and industry reputation. Named anchor clients include Macy's (300+ projects over 25+ years), WeWork (130+ projects), Starbucks (124 projects), Pet Food Express (Architect of Record since 2017), DHL (25+ million sq ft of distribution/logistics space), LOOP convenience stores, UCSF, and SF General Hospital, among others. The firm is independently owned with no disclosed external private equity or venture backing, is recognized on multiple industry rankings including Interior Design Magazine Top 200 Giants and SF Business Times Top 25 Architecture Firms, and maintains a leadership team with tenures ranging from 7 to 23 years.

Name

MSA

Legal name

MSA architecture + design

Website

https://msasf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MSA architecture + design is a woman-owned, Oakland-based architecture and interior design firm delivering full-service design from concept through construction administration across workplace, retail, healthcare, hospitality, and industrial sectors for enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

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

Revenue model

1. Architectural Services: Full-service architecture and interior design firm providing services from concept design through construction administration. Revenue is generated through professional service fees for design, documentation, permitting, and project management on commercial, healthcare, retail, hospitality, and industrial projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

MSA architecture + design is a woman-owned B2B architecture and interior design firm providing full-service professional design from concept through construction administration. The firm serves enterprise clients across workplace/corporate, retail, hospitality, industrial, and healthcare/science sectors, delivering programming, site surveys, design development, construction documentation, and construction administration services. MSA acts as Architect of Record on national retail roll-outs, complex healthcare facilities, large-scale industrial/logistics projects, and tenant improvement programs.

Product overview

MSA architecture + design is an architecture and design firm offering comprehensive professional services rather than a software product company. Their service portfolio includes Architecture Services and Interior Design Services as core offerings, supported by specialized practice areas covering Workplace Design (commercial office and tenant improvements), Retail Design (stores and roll-outs), Hospitality Design (restaurants, fitness, hotels), Industrial Design (warehouses, distribution centers), and Specialty/Healthcare Design (medical facilities). Services encompass the full project lifecycle from Programming and Space Planning through Site Survey and Due Diligence, Design Development, Construction Documentation, and Construction Administration. The firm operates as Architect of Record for numerous high-profile clients including Macy's, WeWork, Pet Food Express, and various Bay Area commercial landlords.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architecture Services Full architectural services including design, construction documentation, and construction administration for commercial, residential, and institutional projects. Functions as Architect of Record on enterprise projects.
• Interior Design Services Interior design services including space planning, finish selection, furniture specification, and design development for workplace, retail, and hospitality environments.
• Workplace Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced energy costs by over $200,000 per year through emergency generator replacement project
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• JourneyTeamminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 23 October 2025JourneyTeam helped MSA Professional Services (a different MSA entity) redesign their intranet using Mosaic, a modern intranet solution based on SharePoint Online and Microsoft Viva. This partnership improved usability and reduced maintenance time by over 90%.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/p/CBOKnKWJ6RN
• Xx.com/MSAarchdesign
• Facebookfacebook.com/MSAarchdesign
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/msa-architecture-design

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 MSA