Great Apes
Great Apes is a Helsinki-based boutique digital design and development studio (founded 2009) that creates award-winning custom digital products and experiences for organizations, operating as a subsidiary of Finnish consulting firm HiQ with a second office in Göteborg, Sweden.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersHelsinki, Finland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Great Apes does
Great Apes is a privately held digital design and development studio founded in 2009 and headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, with a second office in Göteborg, Sweden. The studio creates digital products and experiences — including websites, applications, and interactive digital solutions — for organizations that require custom, award-caliber design and development work. Its service offering is delivered as end-to-end design and technology engagements rather than as discrete software products, spanning concept through execution.
The studio operates a project-based professional services model, generating revenue through custom client engagements. It is ISO 27001 certified, signaling adherence to international information security management standards, and it has accumulated recognition across 14+ major international design awards including Webby Awards, D&AD, Red Dot Design Award (with two Best of the Best), European Design Awards, FWA, IxDA, and Grand One. Marketing and client acquisition are conducted through the company website, Instagram, and LinkedIn, supported by a named business development contact (Juuso Pihamaa).
Great Apes functions as a subsidiary within the HiQ group, a Finnish technology and consulting company, which provides corporate affiliation and potential cross-sell reach. The studio is small (11-50 employees) and self-positions as a boutique operation ("the little studio that could"), targeting clients seeking premium design craft rather than mass-market digital production. No public pricing, named customer logos, or disclosed financials are available.
Great Apes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Great Apes
- Legal name
- Great Apes
- Website
- https://greatapes.fi
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Great Apes is a Helsinki-based boutique digital design and development studio (founded 2009) that creates award-winning custom digital products and experiences for organizations, operating as a subsidiary of Finnish consulting firm HiQ with a second office in Göteborg, Sweden.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Great Apes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Design Services
- NAICS
- Graphic Design Services (541430), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Activation/Experiential Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAO)
Keywords
Where Great Apes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Helsinki
- HQ country
- Finland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Great Apes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Design and Development Services: The studio provides custom design and development services for digital products and experiences, likely on a project-based or contract basis. As a boutique studio, revenue is generated through professional services engagements with clients seeking award-winning digital product development.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Great Apes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Great Apes is a design and development studio that creates custom digital products and experiences for client organizations. Service offerings span design and development work, delivered through project-based engagements. The studio is ISO-certified and self-describes as a boutique operation focused on craft and award-winning execution at the intersection of design and technology.
Product overview
Great Apes is a design and development studio that creates award-winning digital products and experiences. The studio offers services across design and technology, organized under three main areas: Services (design/development services), Work (portfolio of completed projects), and Insights (thought leadership). The company functions as a single unified offering rather than a platform with distinct product modules — clients engage with Great Apes for end-to-end design and development services rather than purchasing discrete software products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Digital Product Design and Development Services Custom design and development of digital products and experiences (websites, applications, interactive digital solutions) for client organizations seeking award-caliber craft execution.
Companies that use Great Apes
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Great Apes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Great Apes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- HiQparent_companyGreat Apes is a part of HiQ, a larger company/organization. This appears to be an ownership or corporate affiliation relationship where HiQ is the parent company of the Great Apes studio.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Great Apes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ustwo: Boutique digital product studio with award-winning design and development capabilities, operating across London, New York, and other hubs. Comparable to Great Apes in craft-led positioning, multi-disciplinary digital product work, and emphasis on premium brand-driven engagements.
- Work & Co: Premium digital product agency known for end-to-end design and development of award-winning digital experiences for major brands. Direct comparable in business model (project-based professional services), positioning (craft over scale), and client profile (large enterprise brands).
- Active Theory: Award-winning digital experience studio specializing in immersive web experiences, interactive design, and cutting-edge front-end development. Directly comparable to Great Apes in craft-driven digital product work and award recognition across Webby, FWA, and Awwwards-tier competitions.
- Instrument: Independent digital creative and engineering agency focused on brand, experience design, and product development for forward-thinking brands. Comparable in boutique positioning, craft emphasis, and digital product service offering.
- Fantasy Interactive: Boutique digital experience design and engineering agency with strong award pedigree (FWA, Awwwards, Webby). Closely comparable to Great Apes in size, positioning, service offering (digital product design + development), and emphasis on craft-driven premium engagements.
- Huge Inc. Global digital experience agency delivering strategy, design, and technology for enterprise brands. Comparable in offering (custom digital product design and development) and target market, though larger in scale than Great Apes.
Broad incumbents
- Frog Design (frog): Iconic global design and innovation firm offering industrial, digital, and brand design services. Comparable in craft-led heritage and award recognition, but much broader in scope and significantly larger in headcount and geographic footprint.
- R/GA: Large global agency combining design, technology, and consulting for major brand transformations. Overlaps with Great Apes in digital product and experience design but operates at significantly greater scale across broader marketing and innovation services.
- Pentagram: Distinguished design firm operating across brand, digital, and product design with a partner-led model. Comparable in prestige positioning and award-winning output, though broader in design scope and more brand-design focused than Great Apes' digital product emphasis.
Emerging players
- Resn: New Zealand-based boutique digital studio known for highly crafted interactive web experiences and extensive FWA/Awwwards recognition. Comparable to Great Apes in boutique scale, craft emphasis, and award-driven positioning, though with a stronger interactive-experiences niche.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Great Apes social profiles
Digital presenceGreat Apes compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Great Apes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Great Apes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Great Apes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Great Apes 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 Great Apes
What does Great Apes do?
Great Apes is a design and development studio that creates custom digital products and experiences for client organizations. Service offerings span design and development work, delivered through project-based engagements. The studio is ISO-certified and self-describes as a boutique operation focused on craft and award-winning execution at the intersection of design and technology.
Is Great Apes a public or private company?
Great Apes is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Great Apes founded?
Great Apes was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Great Apes based?
Great Apes is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, in the Europe region.
How does Great Apes make money?
One revenue line is on record: design and Development Services.
Who are Great Apes's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ustwo, Work & Co, Active Theory, Instrument, Fantasy Interactive and Huge Inc.. Broad incumbents are Frog Design (frog), R/GA and Pentagram. Resn is listed as an emerging player.
Does Great Apes have an API?
No public API is recorded for Great Apes.
What industry is Great Apes in?
Great Apes's product category is Digital Design Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAAAD, Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX), with a secondary code of MPAAAAAO, Activation/Experiential Creative Agencies. Its NAICS code is 541430.