What smartive does

smartive AG is a Swiss digital agency founded in 2012, headquartered in Zurich with branch offices in St. Gallen and Chur, serving primarily Swiss enterprises, mid-market firms, SMBs, foundations, and cultural institutions. Its core offering spans six service lines: Experience Design, Website Development, Platform Development, App Development, Artificial Intelligence, and Tech Support. The company has delivered approximately 52 projects for a stated base of 51 customers, with anchor engagements including Migros (Migusto App with 8,000+ recipes, Migipedia with 300,000 active users, a 100,000-employee Social Intranet, and a Supply Chain PWA), Vontobel, ZWEI Wealth, EW Buchs, Frontify, and LearnFox.

The agency's technical stack centers on Next.js and React (35+ Next.js projects over 7 years), supplemented by React Native for cross-platform mobile (35% code sharing between iOS, Android, and web on Migros work), Flutter, GraphQL APIs, PostgreSQL, Elasticsearch, Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud infrastructure on Google Cloud Platform and AWS Frankfurt. Differentiated technical work includes a model-first development methodology, optimistic UI update patterns achieving sub-0.3-second Elasticsearch response times, accessibility-first widget components built on Radix UI, and a custom PDF annotation layer using a C-based game engine. AI capabilities are delivered as a service layer (chatbots, vector search, generative UI, AI agents) rather than as a proprietary product. The firm has accumulated 56 award mentions across Swiss programs including Best of Swiss Web, Swiss Leadership Awards, EHI, and Best of Swiss Apps.

smartive operates as a professional services agency with project-based and multi-year contract engagements, quote-based pricing with no public tiers, and direct sales as the sole go-to-market motion via its website, phone (+41 44 552 55 99), and Calendly booking. Distribution is entirely direct with no reseller or channel partners. The firm markets itself through a content and podcast ecosystem (the "Auch bei New Work wird geweint" New Work podcast on Spotify and Apple, plus an in-house magazine on Next.js, AI, and New Work), LinkedIn, Instagram, and SEO-optimized own-site presence rather than paid acquisition. The team operates under a self-organized New Work model that the agency both practices internally and offers to clients as advisory work. Legal entity is smartive AG, a privately held Swiss Aktiengesellschaft with no disclosed external investors, no funding rounds, and no parent company.

Name

smartive

Legal name

smartive AG

Website

https://smartive.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

smartive AG is a Swiss digital agency (founded 2012, Zurich) offering experience design, web/app/platform development, AI solutions, and tech support to Swiss enterprises, financial institutions, SMBs, and cultural organizations, anchored by long-running enterprise clients like Migros.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Agency Services

NAICS

Graphic Design Services (541430), Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

Keywords

• Digital agency services
• Web development
• Mobile app development
• Customer experience design
• AI solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services: smartive operates as a digital agency generating revenue exclusively through professional services engagements. These include customer experience design, website development, platform development, app development, artificial intelligence solutions, and technical support. Revenue is project-based and service-contract driven.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

smartive is a Swiss digital agency that designs, develops, and supports custom digital products for business clients. Its offering spans Experience Design, Website Development, Platform Development, App Development, Artificial Intelligence solutions, and ongoing Tech Support, delivered through project-based professional services engagements. Revenue is generated exclusively through custom, quote-based service contracts rather than packaged software products.

Product overview

smartive AG is a digital agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of digital services rather than a unified product platform. Their core service offerings include Experience Design, Website Development, Platform Development, App Development, Artificial Intelligence, and Tech Support. These services are delivered through client projects where smartive acts as a strategic and technical partner, building custom digital solutions. The agency has specialized expertise in Next.js development, React and React Native applications, Flutter cross-platform apps, cloud infrastructure (Google Cloud, AWS), and AI-powered solutions including chatbots, vector search, and generative AI interfaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Experience Design

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000 employees connected via Migros social intranet with sub-0.3s response times
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability8 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• getONEdone Foundation (Liechtenstein)minorStrategic or Co-development Partnersmartive built a digital platform for getONEdone, a Liechtenstein foundation enabling participation in UN Sustainable Development Goals challenges. The partnership involved full-stack development including Next.js with TypeScript, GraphQL API, PostgreSQL database, Prismic headless CMS, Google Cloud Platform deployment via GitLab CI/CD and Terraform.
• Optimatik AGminorStrategic or Co-development Partnersmartive supported Optimatik AG in migrating their Energy Business Portal from on-premise to SaaS on Google Cloud Platform using Kubernetes, Docker, automated CI/CD pipelines, PostgreSQL (Cloud SQL), and MongoDB Atlas.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Unic: Unic is a Swiss digital agency with offices in Zurich, Bern, and Lausanne, delivering web platforms, e-commerce, and digital transformation. Comparable size and Swiss enterprise targeting to smartive.
• Bitforge: Bitforge is a Swiss software and digital agency focused on custom web applications, mobile apps, and cloud solutions. Overlaps with smartive's app development and platform engineering services.
• Ginetta: Ginetta is a Zurich-based digital product studio specializing in design and engineering of web platforms, with comparable Next.js/React stack and enterprise Swiss client base. Direct overlap in services, tech stack, and target customers.
• Zeix: Zeix is a Zurich-based digital agency focused on user-centered design and web development for Swiss enterprises and public-sector clients. Overlaps with smartive on UX design, web platforms, and accessibility-first delivery.
• Iquality: Iquality is a Swiss digital agency offering web development, e-commerce, and platform engineering. Comparable size and target market (Swiss mid-market and enterprise) to smartive.
• Liip: Liip is a leading Swiss digital agency with offices in Zurich, Bern, Lausanne, and St. Gallen, offering web, mobile, and platform development for enterprise clients. It directly competes with smartive for the same Swiss enterprise Next.js/React mandates.
• The Link: The Link is a Zurich-based digital agency specializing in platform and web development with strong engineering culture. Competes with smartive for similar Swiss enterprise web platform mandates.
• Sidestudio: Sidestudio is a Zurich-based boutique digital studio building web platforms and brand experiences for Swiss organizations. Direct overlap in Next.js/React delivery and Swiss mid-market/enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• Netlight: Netlight is a Nordic-origin management and technology consultancy with a Zurich presence, delivering digital platforms and transformation work for European enterprises. Competes with smartive for senior engineering talent and enterprise mandates.
• Adnovum: Adnovum is a larger Swiss IT services firm with software engineering, identity, and security offerings to enterprise clients including banks and insurers. Overlaps with smartive's platform and tech-support work but operates at greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@smartive
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smartive-ag
• Instagraminstagram.com/smartive_ch
• Xx.com/smartive_ch
• Facebookfacebook.com/smartive.ch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 smartive