Aphaia
Aphaia is a London-based boutique regulation consultancy, founded in 2009, providing outsourced Data Protection Officer services, telecoms policy advisory, and AI ethics / EU AI Act compliance to tech companies, online retailers, and legal teams across the EEA, UK, US, and Australia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Aphaia does
Aphaia is a London-based regulation and corporate social responsibility consultancy founded in 2009, specializing in outsourced Data Protection Officer (DPO) services for technology companies, online retailers, and legal operations teams. Its core offering is a subscription-based DPO-as-a-Service product, complemented by project-based compliance assessments (DPO Projects), a dedicated Telecoms Regulation Policy practice, and an AI Ethics advisory line that addresses governance and EU AI Act readiness for clients building or deploying AI systems. The firm also operates tiered enhancements — DPO+ and Super DPO — that extend the base DPO subscription with additional capabilities.
Aphaia operates as a boutique professional services firm with 1–10 employees, multilingual delivery across English, Spanish, and Dutch, and active service coverage in the EEA, United Kingdom, United States, and Australia. Its leadership team combines regulatory and technical depth: Managing Partner Dr Boštjan Makarovič brings ICT law and telecoms policy expertise, while Partner Cristina Contero Almagro holds an MSc in Big Data Analytics and AI, supporting the firm's positioning at the data-protection / AI-governance intersection. The firm holds CIPP/E certification and combines legal, data science, and ethics capabilities in a single delivery model.
The firm's revenue mechanics are primarily professional-services based: recurring DPO subscriptions, project fees for compliance assessments, and higher-value policy and AI-ethics engagements. Aphaia reports 60+ clients across the tech and online-retail segments and has built credibility through Ethics Board and Ethics Committee roles in EU Horizon 2020 research projects (X5GON, DIH4CPS, ICU4COVID). The firm is privately held, bootstrapped, and has not disclosed external funding rounds, indicating a self-funded growth model oriented around partner-led delivery rather than scale-driven hiring.
Aphaia firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aphaia
- Legal name
- Aphaia
- Website
- https://aphaia.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Aphaia is a London-based boutique regulation consultancy, founded in 2009, providing outsourced Data Protection Officer services, telecoms policy advisory, and AI ethics / EU AI Act compliance to tech companies, online retailers, and legal teams across the EEA, UK, US, and Australia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aphaia industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Privacy and Regulatory Consultancy
- akta.pro primary industry
- Privacy Governance & Consent Management (HDADAIAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Privacy Management (Consent, DSAR, RoPA) (HDADAFAH)
Keywords
Where Aphaia is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Aphaia business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Outsourced DPO Services: Recurring subscription-based Data Protection Officer services providing ongoing compliance support, GDPR implementation, and privacy governance for technology and retail businesses. Services include compliance audits, gap analysis, compliance roadmaps, and ongoing advisory support.
- DPO Projects: Project-based data protection assessments and compliance roadmap development for startups and legal operations teams. One-time assessments to evaluate current business model, data processing practices, and policies against GDPR requirements.
- Telecom Regulatory Consultancy: Specialized advisory services for telecoms policy and regulation, including network infrastructure access and sharing, licensing and authorisation regimes.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Aphaia product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aphaia is a regulation and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) consultancy that provides outsourced Data Protection Officer (DPO) services, data protection and privacy advisory, and telecom regulatory consultancy. It serves technology companies, online retailers, and legal/operations teams across the EEA, UK, US, and Australia through senior practitioner-led engagements.
Product overview
Aphaia is a professional services firm providing outsourced Data Protection Officer (DPO) services and privacy compliance consultancy. The company operates as a unified service offering rather than a software platform, with core services including DPO as a Service (ongoing dedicated DPO support), DPO Projects (time-bound compliance assessments and roadmaps), and Telecoms Regulation Policy consultancy. The firm has developed enhanced service tiers branded as DPO+ and Super DPO, which expand into AI governance, US state privacy laws, and digital services regulation. A specialty AI Ethics practice provides guidance on EU AI Act compliance and ethics board participation. Services are delivered by a team of ICT regulation and data privacy professionals to tech companies, online retailers, and multinational businesses across the EEA, UK, US, and Australia.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Outsourced Data Protection Officer (DPO) Services Statutory and outsourced Data Protection Officer services for organizations processing personal data, fulfilling GDPR Article 37 DPO designation requirements. Targeted at technology firms, online retailers, and legal/operations teams lacking in-house privacy leadership across the EEA, UK, US, and Australia.
- Data Protection & Privacy Consultancy Advisory services covering GDPR, ePrivacy, and broader privacy program design, gap assessments, and ongoing compliance support for technology and e-commerce organizations.
- Telecom Regulatory Consultancy Regulatory advisory for telecom operators and digital service providers covering sector-specific obligations, data retention, lawful intercept, and consumer rights compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Advisory CSR strategy, program design, and reporting advisory for corporate clients seeking to address stakeholder, investor, and supply-chain ESG expectations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Resolved hundreds of data protection and privacy compliance issues for clients
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Aphaia
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Aphaia technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Aphaia partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- X5GONcoreAphaia provided regulatory support for X5GON, an H2020 AI-based educational venture conceived by UCL and other top European universities. This partnership demonstrates Aphaia's capabilities in AI ethics and regulatory compliance for academic and research-focused AI projects.
- DIH4CPS (Digital Innovation Hubs for Cyber-Physical Systems)coreAphaia is part of the Ethics Board of DIH4CPS, an Innovation Action creating an interdisciplinary network of Digital Innovation Hubs and solutions providers, connecting regional clusters with pan-European expert pools.
- ICU4COVIDminorAphaia participates as a member of the Ethics Committee of ICU4COVID, a Cyber-Physical System for Telemedicine and Intensive Care providing medicine solutions to respond to COVID-19 and other infectious disease outbreaks.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Aphaia competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Privacy Compliance Hub: Privacy consultancy and outsourced DPO provider for UK and international businesses — directly competitive with Aphaia's subscription DPO and project-based compliance roadmap engagements.
- Securys: UK privacy and data protection consultancy providing outsourced DPO, GDPR advisory, and information security services to technology and enterprise clients — directly overlapping Aphaia's core DPO-as-a-Service offering.
- DPO Centre: UK-based outsourced Data Protection Officer and GDPR compliance services firm — a near-identical service model to Aphaia, serving SMEs and tech companies with subscription DPO retainers, making it the closest direct competitor.
- Opti Privacy: Boutique UK data protection and privacy consultancy offering outsourced DPO and GDPR services — comparable in size and specialization to Aphaia, targeting similar UK/EU tech and online business segments.
Broad incumbents
- Bird & Bird: International law firm with one of the strongest TMT and data protection practices in Europe — competes with Aphaia for higher-end privacy mandates and DPO roles at multinational and regulated-industry clients.
- TrustArc: Privacy compliance and risk management platform offering technology plus professional services for GDPR, CCPA, and global privacy programs — broader incumbent that bundles software with the kind of advisory Aphaia sells standalone.
- OneTrust: Large-scale privacy, security, and governance software platform automating consent, DSAR, RoPA, and DPO workflows — represents the tech-enabled, scaled alternative that competes with Aphaia's services-led approach across overlapping enterprise buyers.
- RSM UK: Mid-market-focused audit, tax, and consulting firm with a data protection and privacy advisory offering — competes with Aphaia for outsourced DPO and compliance mandates in mid-market and SME segments across regulated industries.
- BigID: Data intelligence platform for data privacy, security, and governance — competes for the same enterprise privacy budgets as Aphaia but via technology-led data discovery and DSAR automation rather than bespoke DPO services.
- Bristows LLP: UK law firm with a leading technology, media, and data protection practice serving tech and life sciences clients — competes with Aphaia on privacy mandates, particularly those touching AI and telecoms regulation.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Aphaia social profiles
Digital presenceAphaia financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aphaia leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Aphaia funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aphaia 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 Aphaia
What does Aphaia do?
Aphaia is a regulation and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) consultancy that provides outsourced Data Protection Officer (DPO) services, data protection and privacy advisory, and telecom regulatory consultancy. It serves technology companies, online retailers, and legal/operations teams across the EEA, UK, US, and Australia through senior practitioner-led engagements.
Is Aphaia a public or private company?
Aphaia is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Aphaia founded?
Aphaia was founded in 2009. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Aphaia based?
Aphaia is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Aphaia make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Outsourced DPO Services are the primary driver. The others are DPO Projects and telecom Regulatory Consultancy.
Who are Aphaia's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Privacy Compliance Hub, Securys, DPO Centre and Opti Privacy. Broad incumbents are Bird & Bird, TrustArc, OneTrust, RSM UK, BigID and Bristows LLP.
Does Aphaia have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aphaia.
What industry is Aphaia in?
Aphaia's product category is Privacy and Regulatory Consultancy. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDADAIAI, Privacy Governance & Consent Management, with a secondary code of HDADAFAH, Privacy Management (Consent, DSAR, RoPA).