SDLI

What SDLI does

SDLI, legally INNOVATION HOUSE, SL and commercially known as 'SDLI - Society of Innovation', is a Barcelona-based innovation consulting firm founded in 2012 that helps enterprises embed innovation into their operating models through customized professional services engagements. The firm's core offerings span six consulting lines - Innovation Strategies, Trend and User Research, Open Innovation, Digitization of Innovation, Social and Sustainable Innovation, and Innovative Brand - delivered alongside a productized Intrapreneurship training suite (Innovation Bootcamp, Agents Course, Experimentation Lab, full Intrapreneurship Program), an AI-applied innovation service line, and the HealthTech Radar knowledge platform. Methodologies include Design Thinking, Lean Startup, Agile Scrum, Future Thinking, and user-centered design, with no proprietary technology platform - the firm sells expertise and co-creation rather than software.

The client base is heavily skewed toward pharmaceutical and healthcare enterprises (Sanofi, Novartis, Bayer, Chiesi, Esteve, Almirall, Hospital Clinic, Vida Caixa) and public sector organizations (Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona City Council, Port of Tarragona), with additional consumer and industrial clients including Mango, Damm, HP, Bimbo, and Borges. The 2018 merger with Connociam expanded the firm's consulting breadth and contributed additional team members to a current headcount of 11-50 (12+ named professionals). Revenue is generated through quote-based, customized consulting projects under multi-year contract cadences, distributed via direct enterprise sales outreach, referrals, and ecosystem partnerships - notably a core partnership with Barcelona Health Hub. The firm operates primarily in Spain with broader European market scope, invests in thought leadership through a Substack newsletter, Spotify podcast, blog, and social channels, and has no disclosed institutional funding or external shareholders.

Name

SDLI

Legal name

INNOVATION HOUSE, SL

Website

https://sdli.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SDLI is a Barcelona-based innovation consulting firm that helps enterprises - primarily pharmaceutical, healthcare, and public sector clients - embed innovation through Design Thinking, Lean Startup, and open innovation methodologies delivered as customized multi-year consulting engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Innovation, Product & R&D Consulting (BPAHACAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital & Technology Transformation Consulting (BPAHACAH)

Keywords

• Innovation consulting
• Corporate strategy
• Open innovation
• Design thinking
• Intrapreneurship training

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Innovation Consulting Services: Professional services revenue generated through customized innovation consulting projects. Services include corporate innovation strategy, trend research, open innovation programs, digitization of innovation processes, social and sustainable innovation initiatives, and intrapreneurship programs. Revenue appears to be project-based with engagements adapted to specific client needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

SDLI is an innovation consulting agency that transforms organizations through customized innovation projects spanning corporate and innovation strategy, open innovation programs, trend and user research, digitization of innovation, social and sustainable innovation, and brand innovation. The firm delivers these services through methodologies such as Design Thinking, Lean Startup, Agile Scrum, and Future Thinking, with a particular specialization in the healthcare sector and a multidisciplinary team referred to as 'Mindshakers'. It also runs intrapreneurship training programs and an AI-augmented innovation offering.

Product overview

SDLI (Sociedad de la Innovación / Society of Innovation) is an innovation agency that transforms organizations through innovation and strategic change. The company offers a portfolio of consulting services organized around six core offerings: Innovation Strategies (corporate and innovation strategy consulting), Trend and User Research (user-centered research methodologies), Open Innovation (co-creation, ecosystems, and startup collaboration), Digitization of Innovation (digital tools and SaaS solutions), Social and Sustainable Innovation (sustainability and circular economy consulting), and Innovative Brand (brand positioning and employer branding). SDLI also provides specialized training programs through its Intrapreneurship line (Innovation Bootcamp, Innovation Agents Course, Experimentation Lab, and comprehensive Intrapreneurship Program), as well as AI-powered Innovation with AI services. The company specializes in the health sector with dedicated Health Innovation consulting and operates the HealthTech Radar as a knowledge platform tracking digital health trends and startups. The portfolio is delivered through customized consulting engagements rather than standalone software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Innovation Strategies Consulting Corporate and innovation strategy services that help organizations make innovation part of their DNA, including maturity diagnosis, strategic models, action planning, and new business models development.
• Trend and User Research User research services including design sprints, agile innovation cycles, co-creation programs, user experience analysis, and market research through focus groups and ethnographies.
• Open Innovation Open innovation consulting including co-creation programs, innovation ecosystems, corporate venturing with startups, and open innovation platforms for R&D.
• Digitization of Innovation Digital tools and SaaS solutions for innovation management, user-based solutions, prototype development and validation, and customized digital solutions development.
• Social and Sustainable Innovation Social and sustainable innovation services including sustainability diagnosis, circular innovation, SDG-aligned innovation, public innovation, and quadruple helix innovation.
• Innovative Brand Brand innovation services including brand purpose design, value proposition development, brand and product positioning, employer branding, and omnichannel strategies.
• Innovation with AI Services AI-powered innovation consulting including 8-session practical innovation cycles applying AI tools, impact training, and custom AI-based application development.
• Health Innovation Health sector innovation services including corporate innovation strategy, trend and user research, open innovation projects, and digitization development for healthcare organizations.
• Innovation Bootcamp 100% practical express program where innovation teams solve real business challenges using Design Thinking methodology.
• Innovation Agents Course 8-session practical training program covering Design Thinking and Lean Startup methodologies for innovation teams.
• Experimentation Lab 2-month project acceleration program applying Lean Startup methodology with MVP development and real-environment testing.
• Intrapreneurship Program Comprehensive service guiding teams through complete innovation process including Future Thinking, Design Thinking, Lean Startup, Scrum, and Canvan methodologies.
• HealthTech Radar Health sector innovation radar providing latest news and insights on prevention, diagnostic tools, digital patient, health management, sector trends, and startups.

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies with high intrapreneurial activity are 83% more likely to increase their revenues (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor study)

Named customers21 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ConnociamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018SDLI and Connociam merged in 2018 to form SDLI - Society of Innovation, a benchmark in consulting for strategic change and user-centered innovation. The merger combined expertise to strengthen the company's position in the innovation consulting market.
• Barcelona Health HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDLI is a partner of Barcelona Health Hub, an innovation ecosystem focused on digital health. The partnership enables collaboration with healthcare centers, health departments, pharmaceutical laboratories, and insurers. SDLI participates in Hub events and initiatives, contributing to the broader healthcare innovation community in Barcelona.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fjord (Accenture): Design and innovation arm of Accenture delivering service design, product innovation and digital transformation to the world's largest enterprises. Overlaps with SDLI's innovation/digital strategy work but at much greater scale and as part of a broader portfolio.
• McKinsey & Company: Global management consulting incumbent with dedicated practices on innovation, digital strategy and transformation (e.g., QuantumBlack, McKinsey Design). Competes with SDLI for enterprise innovation mandates but at vastly larger scale and with broader offerings.

Direct peers

• Frog Design (Capgemini Invent): Design-led innovation consultancy now part of Capgemini Invent, serving global enterprises on innovation strategy, digital transformation and brand experience. Directly comparable service portfolio to SDLI including research, strategy and co-creation, but scaled globally through Capgemini.
• IDEO: Global design and innovation consultancy built on Design Thinking, human-centered design and corporate innovation work. Comparable to SDLI in methodology (Design Thinking/Lean Startup), service mix (strategy + co-creation), and enterprise client base; differs in scale and global footprint.
• Institute for the Future (IFTF): Nonprofit foresight and innovation research firm specializing in future thinking, trend research and long-horizon strategy for enterprises and governments. Comparable to SDLI's 'Future Thinking' and trend/user research practice and similar thought-leadership-driven GTM.
• Board of Innovation: Belgium-headquartered boutique innovation consultancy offering corporate innovation strategy, intrapreneurship programs, open innovation and AI-driven innovation services. Closest direct peer to SDLI in size, methodology stack, and enterprise customer profile.

Others

• HYPE Innovation: Provider of innovation management software (idea management, open innovation platforms) used by enterprises to digitize their innovation process. Complementary to SDLI's 'Digitization of Innovation' service line; an enabling technology partner rather than a direct consultant competitor.
• Singularity University: Education and innovation ecosystem organization running executive programs, corporate innovation workshops and thought-leadership content on exponential/AI-driven change. Adjacent to SDLI's intrapreneurship training and 'Innovation with AI' offering, more ecosystem than direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Kairos Future: Swedish innovation and foresight consultancy helping organizations with strategy, innovation management and future studies. Comparable to SDLI in Future Thinking and trend-research offerings and in serving public and enterprise clients across Europe.
• Opinno: Spanish/Iberian innovation consultancy offering open innovation, corporate venture and digital transformation programs to enterprises and public institutions. Comparable to SDLI in geography, target segments (large corporates and public administration) and service mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sdli_innovation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sdli-innovationagency
• Instagraminstagram.com/sdli_innovationagency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 SDLI