What Pilotfish does

Pilotfish is a privately held product design and development agency founded in 1999 (headquartered in Amsterdam with operating entities in Berlin, Munich, Taipei, and Lisbon) that provides end-to-end hardware development services for global MedTech, IoT, wearables, consumer electronics, and industrial clients. The firm's offering spans product strategy, industrial design, human factors engineering, UX/UI design, mechanical and electronic engineering, embedded firmware, validation and verification, regulatory and compliance support, and industrialization through to mass production. Its development methodology is a structured five-phase process (Opportunity & Product Definition → User/Market/Technical Risk Assessment → Concept Development & Engineering → Iterative Verification & Validation → Industrialization & Launch Readiness) executed under ISO 13485 and ISO 9001:2015-certified quality systems, with deep specialization in regulated medical device design (ISO 14971 risk management, IEC 62366 human factors, MDR/FDA pathways).

The company's core differentiator is a multidisciplinary team of roughly 40+ designers, engineers, and managers across Europe and Taiwan, supported by an EU-Taiwan manufacturing ecosystem that bridges European design expertise with Asian production scale. Notable client engagements span Bosch, 3M, Audi, BMW, LG, Zeiss, McKinsey, Hansaton, Harman Kardon, Ledvance, Teufel, Native Instruments, Tado, and a long tail of MedTech startups (e.g., ClearMind Biomedical's Neuroblade System, which received FDA clearance in 2024; CellAED portable defibrillator; Pranaq TipTraQ sleep apnea wearable, Red Dot Design Award 2023). Revenue is generated on a project-based professional services model with custom pricing tied to scope, complexity, and timeline; engagements typically run 9–18 months and may include pilot-to-mass-production manufacturing support (e.g., a 5,000-unit production run for Liion Power's Leo device scaling to 20,000+ units). Pilotfish is founder/management-controlled with no disclosed institutional investors, operating as Pilotfish Holding B.V. in the Netherlands.

Name

Pilotfish

Legal name

Pilotfish Holding B.V.

Website

https://pilotfish.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pilotfish is a privately held, ISO 13485-certified product design and engineering agency with offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, Munich, Taipei, and Lisbon, providing end-to-end hardware development services to global MedTech, IoT, wearables, and consumer electronics brands and startups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Design & Engineering Professional Services: B2B professional services engagement model providing end-to-end product development from concept through production. Services include product strategy, human factors engineering, UX/UI design, product design, validation & verification, compliance & regulatory support, and industrialization & manufacturing. Engagement models are flexible and tailored to project scope, complexity, and timeline, with full transparency on cost and deliverables.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pilotfish is a product design and hardware engineering consultancy that delivers end-to-end development of connected physical products, from opportunity definition and concept through prototyping, validation, regulatory compliance, and mass-production industrialization. Its service portfolio spans product strategy, industrial design, UX/UI design, human factors engineering, mechanical and electronic engineering, embedded firmware, validation and verification, and manufacturing scale-up, with ISO 13485 and ISO 9001:2015 certified processes. The firm serves MedTech, IoT/wearables, consumer electronics, automotive, and industrial clients across offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, Lisbon, and Taipei.

Product overview

Pilotfish is a Product Design & Development company offering end-to-end hardware development services from prototype to production across Europe and Taiwan. The company provides a comprehensive portfolio of services including Product Design, Human Factors Engineering, UX & UI Design, Validation & Verification, Compliance & Regulatory Support, Industrialisation & Manufacturing, and Product Strategy and Definition. Their services span multiple industry verticals including MedTech, HealthTech, AgriTech, Industrial, Wearables, and IoT. Notable client products include Leo battery life extender, TipTraQ sleep monitoring wearable, ThermalGlass AR thermal vision goggles, Neuroblade neurosurgical system, CellAED smart defibrillator, ANTELOPE EMS sportswear, COSMIQ+ dive computer, SpiroSphere spirometry device, UV Dry Box for hearing aids, tado° smart thermostat, and BIOLUX lighting control unit. The company operates across Berlin, Amsterdam, Taipei, and Lisbon with ISO 13485 and ISO 9001:2015 certified processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Product Design Services Industrial design, engineering, UX/UI, and prototyping services that transform complex ideas into manufacturable, production-ready solutions for global brands and startups.
• MedTech and ISO 13485 Medical Device Design ISO-certified medical device design covering human factors engineering (IEC 62366), mechanical engineering, electronics, embedded firmware, risk management (ISO 14971), and regulatory documentation for MDR/FDA certification.
• UX & UI Design Services Human-centered UX/UI design for connected products, interfaces, and digital ecosystems, including interaction design for companion apps and embedded product screens.
• Human Factors Engineering Services Integration of human factors, risk management, and engineering to ensure usability, safety, and certification readiness for medical and complex consumer products.
• Validation & Verification Services Testing and validation services ensuring products meet user needs, technical requirements, and regulatory expectations to reduce risk and confirm performance.
• Compliance & Regulatory Support Services From early identification of applicable standards through final certification support, aligning development with ISO, MDR, and FDA frameworks for market access.
• Industrialisation & Manufacturing Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 75+ products delivered across MedTech, consumer, and technology industries over 25+ years
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers42 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Scale indicators6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IDEO: Pioneering global design and innovation consultancy. Directly comparable to Pilotfish as a multidisciplinary product design and innovation firm serving enterprise clients across consumer electronics, healthcare, and IoT, though IDEO operates at significantly larger scale.
• Whipsaw: Industrial design and engineering consultancy with strong MedTech, consumer electronics, and IoT credentials. Comparable to Pilotfish in award-winning product design, mechanical/electrical engineering, and prototyping.
• Ammunition Group: Product design and brand strategy studio with deep MedTech, consumer electronics, and wearables experience. Directly comparable to Pilotfish across connected device design, UX, and brand-led product development.
• Bresslergroup: US-based product design and development consultancy specializing in MedTech and consumer products. Direct peer to Pilotfish in industrial design, mechanical/electrical engineering, human factors, and FDA/CE regulatory support.
• NewDealDesign: San Francisco product design studio known for category-defining consumer hardware and MedTech work. Comparable to Pilotfish in industrial design, mechanical engineering, and UX/UI for connected devices.
• Lunar Design: Long-established Silicon Valley product design and innovation firm. Comparable to Pilotfish in multidisciplinary hardware design, industrial design, and end-to-end product development services for enterprise clients.
• fuseproject (Yves Béhar): Award-winning design and branding firm with strong portfolio in consumer electronics, wearables, and connected health. Directly comparable to Pilotfish in award-winning industrial design and brand-driven product work.
• frog (Capgemini Invent): Global design and engineering consultancy acquired by Capgemini. Highly comparable to Pilotfish across industrial design, UX/UI, and connected product development for MedTech, automotive, and consumer electronics clients.

Broad incumbents

• Designworks (BMW Group): BMW-owned global design consultancy working across mobility, MedTech, and consumer products. Comparable to Pilotfish in multidisciplinary product and UX design, but operates as part of a much larger OEM ecosystem.
• Methods+Mastery (formerly McKinsey Design): Strategy-led design practice embedded within a global management consultancy. Comparable to Pilotfish as a design partner to enterprise clients (including overlapping clients like McKinsey), but with much broader service scope and scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pilotfishdesign
• Facebookfacebook.com/pilotfish
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pilotfish

Compliance7 records

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 Pilotfish