DesignSpark
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersBirchington, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
DesignSpark firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DesignSpark
- Legal name
- RS Components Ltd.
- Website
- https://rs-online.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DesignSpark industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Engineering Design Software
- NAICS
- Industrial Design Services (54142)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Developer Portals, SDKs & Documentation Platforms (BPAMADAG)
Keywords
Where DesignSpark is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Birchington
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
DesignSpark business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
DesignSpark product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DesignSpark is an online engineering and maker community created by RS Components that provides free CAD software, downloadable component libraries, technical design resources, and community forums for engineers, designers, and makers. It is operated as a free engagement and design-support platform tied to RS Group's industrial product distribution business across 32 countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- DesignSpark Community Platform Online engineering and maker community providing free CAD software tools, downloadable component libraries, technical resources, and community forums for engineers, designers, and makers worldwide. Operated by RS Components Ltd. as part of the RS Group industrial distribution platform.
- DesignSpark Free CAD Software Free downloadable CAD tools for electronics (PCB) and mechanical design, provided to engineers, makers, and designers at no cost as part of the DesignSpark platform.
Companies that use DesignSpark
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
DesignSpark technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
DesignSpark partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights3 records
DesignSpark competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GrabCAD: Engineer community and free CAD model library serving mechanical designers and manufacturers. Most direct competitor to DesignSpark's CAD library and community model, both targeting professional engineers for component and design reuse.
- TraceParts: Free 3D CAD model library and component data platform for engineers and designers. Directly comparable to DesignSpark's free CAD/engineering content offering, with similar industrial component-search use cases.
- Onshape (PTC): Cloud-native CAD platform with a free education-tier and a community of mechanical engineers and makers. Competes head-on with DesignSpark's free CAD software positioning for engineer/maker audiences.
- Tinkercad (Autodesk): Free browser-based 3D CAD and electronics-design tool from Autodesk aimed at makers, students, and hobbyists. Overlaps with DesignSpark's maker community and free-tool value proposition.
- 3D ContentCentral (Dassault Systèmes): Free downloadable 2D/3D CAD models and part libraries from Dassault Systèmes for SOLIDWORKS and other CAD users. Directly analogous to DesignSpark's free CAD library offering for industrial designers.
Emerging players
- Arduino Project Hub: Open community for sharing Arduino-based electronics and embedded projects and tutorials. Adjacent maker/embedded-design community that overlaps with DesignSpark's electronics-and-embedded design content niche.
- Thingiverse (Stratasys / MakerBot): Open community for sharing user-created 3D design files targeting makers and 3D-printing enthusiasts. Comparable in the maker-community and free-design-content layer that DesignSpark also serves.
Broad incumbents
- Mouser Electronics: Global authorized distributor of semiconductors and electronic components with extensive technical resources, reference designs, and an engineer-facing platform. Direct competitive analog to RS Group/DesignSpark on the industrial electronic-design buyer.
- Digi-Key Electronics: Major global electronic components distributor with a broad e-commerce platform, design resources, and reference designs. Comparable to RS Group in industrial distribution scale and overlap with DesignSpark's electronic-design audience.
- Autodesk Fusion 360: Autodesk's flagship 3D CAD/CAM/CAE platform with a free-tier for makers and startups. A well-funded incumbent that DesignSpark's free CAD community effectively competes against for engineering mindshare.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
DesignSpark social profiles
Digital presenceDesignSpark financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DesignSpark leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
DesignSpark funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DesignSpark 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 DesignSpark
What does DesignSpark do?
DesignSpark is an online engineering and maker community created by RS Components that provides free CAD software, downloadable component libraries, technical design resources, and community forums for engineers, designers, and makers. It is operated as a free engagement and design-support platform tied to RS Group's industrial product distribution business across 32 countries.
Is DesignSpark a public or private company?
DesignSpark is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was DesignSpark founded?
DesignSpark was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is DesignSpark based?
DesignSpark is headquartered in Birchington, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
Who are DesignSpark's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GrabCAD, TraceParts, Onshape (PTC), Tinkercad (Autodesk) and 3D ContentCentral (Dassault Systèmes). Emerging players are Arduino Project Hub and Thingiverse (Stratasys / MakerBot). Broad incumbents are Mouser Electronics, Digi-Key Electronics and Autodesk Fusion 360.
Does DesignSpark have an API?
No public API is recorded for DesignSpark.
What industry is DesignSpark in?
DesignSpark's product category is Engineering Design Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMADAG, Developer Portals, SDKs & Documentation Platforms. Its NAICS code is 54142 and its SIC code is 8700.