What Tenaka does

Tenaka is a privately-held human-centred design consulting firm headquartered in Randburg, Johannesburg, South Africa, with a stated founding date of 1999. The firm applies a design thinking methodology modified with an explicit Afro-centric lens to help enterprise clients improve both customer-facing experiences and internal employee experiences. Its methodology combines qualitative research techniques — affinity mapping, in-depth interviews, usability testing, customer journey mapping, persona development, value proposition design — packaged into a proprietary 10-step UX Process Map.

The company's product portfolio is organized into three service pillars: Employee Experience, User Experience, and Digital Experience consulting, supported by methodology tools (10-Step UX Process Guide), thought-leadership assets (Tribalshare blog, Great Minds Design Think Alike podcast hosted by owner Stuart McDougall), and a free online diagnostic called Market Blindspot that funnels prospects into the engagement pipeline. Delivery is direct to enterprise clients via project-based engagements rather than any SaaS or licensed product, and the firm operates without disclosed pricing, recurring SaaS revenue, or third-party software integrations.

Tenaka earns revenue through professional services fees on project engagements, likely with some retainer work for ongoing clients. Its go-to-market is sales-led, combining content marketing (blog, podcast, UX Guide), workshops, and direct outreach. The current client base spans South African enterprises across financial services (Nedbank, Nedbank Insurance, CaseWare, Discovery), automotive (Volkswagen), telecommunications (Vodacom), technology (Adapt IT), and B2B services (BUSA, Digicall, Offix Office Furniture). The firm is co-owned by Stuart McDougall and Martin Cheetham with no disclosed external investors, parent company, or venture capital backing; a 2021 'Sustainable Ocean Alliance' funding record appears inconsistent with the company's domain and is treated as data noise.

Name

Tenaka

Legal name

Tenaka

Website

https://tenaka.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tenaka is a Johannesburg-based human-centred design consultancy applying design thinking with an Afro-centric lens to help South African enterprises improve customer, employee, and digital experiences through project-based research, strategy, and UX services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design Consulting Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Employee Experience (EX) & Digital Experience Monitoring Support (BPAEAJAO)

Keywords

• Design thinking consulting
• User experience services
• Employee experience consulting
• Human-centred design
• Digital experience strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Randburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Project Services: Tenaka generates revenue through project-based consulting engagements focused on design thinking, user experience, employee experience, and digital experience transformation. Services include research, strategy, web design, web development, and workshops. Revenue is earned through project fees and likely retainers for ongoing client work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tenaka is a South African human-centred design thinking consultancy that delivers three core service pillars: Employee Experience, User Experience (UX), and Digital Experience consulting. The firm applies an Afro-centric design thinking methodology to conduct qualitative research, journey mapping, prototyping, usability testing, and digital platform design for enterprise clients. Services are delivered through project-based consulting engagements and workshops, supported by proprietary methods including a 10-Step UX Process Map and tools such as affinity mapping, value proposition design, and customer personas.

Product overview

Tenaka is a South African human-centred design thinking consultancy offering a unified service portfolio centred on experience design. The core offerings consist of three service pillars: Employee Experience, User Experience (UX), and Digital Experience services. These are supported by proprietary methodologies including a 10-step UX Process Guide and various design thinking methods (personas, journey mapping, affinity mapping, usability testing, in-depth interviews, value proposition design, and transcribing techniques). The company also produces thought leadership content through the 'Great Minds Design Think Alike' podcast and the 'Tribalshare' blog. A portfolio of case studies demonstrates work across banking, automotive, office furniture, and business association sectors. The overall offering is a consulting-led approach rather than a software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Great Minds Design Think Alike: A podcast series hosted by Tenaka exploring design thinking principles and methodologies through conversations with industry experts.

Products and services

• Employee Experience Services Human-centred design consulting services focused on improving the employee experience within organisations, including onboarding, workplace culture, and employee engagement, delivered through research, journey mapping, and design solutions.
• User Experience (UX) Services User experience design and research services applying design thinking methodology to create exceptional digital and physical product experiences for end users, including user research, journey mapping, usability testing, prototyping, and persona development.
• Digital Experience Services Consulting services focused on enhancing digital platforms and online interactions to improve user satisfaction and business outcomes, including web design, web development, and digital platform strategy.
• Design Thinking Workshops Educational workshops teaching Tenaka's design thinking approach, including learning about users, ideating solutions, and building/testing prototypes, for client teams and organisations seeking capability uplift.

Quantifiable outcome

• 460% productivity increase when employees feel listened to (Salesforce research cited in employee experience work)

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fjord (Accenture Song): Design and innovation arm of Accenture Song focused on human-centred experience design. Comparable to Tenaka in CX/EX methodology and enterprise client base, but embedded within a global systems integrator.
• Deloitte Digital: Global consulting practice offering digital customer and employee experience strategy and design. Comparable to Tenaka in serving enterprise CX/EX transformation needs, but as part of a Big Four advisory portfolio.
• McKinsey Design (McKinsey & Company): McKinsey's design practice applying human-centred design to enterprise strategy. Comparable to Tenaka in methodology (design thinking, customer research), but delivered as part of senior strategy consulting engagements.
• Designit (Wipro): Global design and innovation consultancy (now part of Wipro) focused on experience strategy and product design. Comparable to Tenaka as a specialist design thinking firm, but with global scale and technology delivery capability.
• IDEO: Pioneering global human-centred design and innovation consultancy. Directly comparable to Tenaka in applying design thinking to customer and employee experience, but operating at far greater scale and international reach.
• Frog Design (Capgemini Engineering): Global design and engineering consultancy (now part of Capgemini) specialising in product, brand, and experience design. Comparable to Tenaka as a design-led consultancy serving enterprise CX/EX needs, but with vastly larger delivery capacity.

Regional players

• Make (formerly Praekelt): South African digital product and design agency. Comparable to Tenaka as a regional UX and digital experience provider serving African enterprise clients, though with a stronger software engineering orientation.
• Formula D: South African experience design consultancy. The closest direct regional peer to Tenaka, applying human-centred design to African enterprise clients in financial services, telecoms, and public sector.

Emerging players

• Gloo (by Valu三): South African design and digital agency working with enterprise clients on brand, CX and digital platforms. Comparable to Tenaka in serving the South African enterprise market with design-led services, but at a more execution-focused stage.
• Livework: European service design consultancy specialising in CX/EX transformation. Comparable to Tenaka in human-centred service design methodology and enterprise client focus, though operating primarily in European markets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tenakastribe
• Facebookfacebook.com/tenakastribe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Tenaka