Artlinco

What Artlinco does

Artlinco A/S is a privately held, founder-led innovation and product development consultancy headquartered in Horsens, Denmark. Founded in 2001 by Søren Xerxes Frahm, the firm operates as a full-service 'innovation house' that functions as an external development department for enterprise clients, delivering projects from initial market and user insight through to engineered, branded, and production-ready products. Artlinco reports having completed more than 430 projects across 20+ years for clients including VELUX, Nestlé, Honda, LINAK, GEA, raaco, Black Iron Horse, and TAGARNO, spanning industrial machinery, consumer products, healthcare, automotive, and public-sector accounts.

Its core delivery is organized around the proprietary Artlinco Innovation System (AIS), a three-phase methodology of Insight, Innovation, and Implementation, and the Artlinco Insight Model (AIM), a user-research framework built on approximately 35,000 surveyed Northern European users and developed in academic collaboration with Prof. Christian Jantzen at Aalborg University. The firm combines industrial designers, civil and mechanical engineers, a sustainability specialist, and a datamining-focused development assistant, supported by a network of manufacturers, suppliers, and patent professionals. Service lines include product and industrial design, branding, packaging, service design, prototyping, digital development, AR/VR visualization, and emerging offerings in IoT, AI-based analytics, and ecodesign advisory.

Artlinco generates revenue through custom, quote-based, project-priced professional services engagements, typically multi-year in cadence, running 10–12 projects concurrently. Go-to-market is sales-led, direct enterprise engagement, reinforced by a portfolio of iF Design Awards, German Design Awards, and Danish Design Award nominations and a Bisnode 'AAA Highest Creditworthiness' certification. The company has no external funding, no subsidiaries, and no acquisitions on record; it remains founder-owned and operationally independent.

Name

Artlinco

Legal name

Artlinco A/S

Website

https://artlinco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Artlinco is a Danish innovation and product development consultancy founded in 2001, serving enterprise clients with end-to-end design, engineering, branding, and prototyping services via its proprietary three-phase AIS methodology and AIM user-research model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Product Design & Innovation Consulting

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (54142), Graphic Design Services (541430), Engineering Services (54133)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Application Development (Web/Mobile/Desktop) (BPAEAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD), AI/ML Engineering & Model Development Services (BPAEAHAF)

Keywords

• Product design consulting
• Innovation management
• Industrial design services
• Strategic design
• User research

Headquarters

HQ city

Horsens

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Innovation & Development Consulting: Professional services revenue generated through consulting and execution of development and innovation projects. The company provides services including project management, analysis, design, construction, prototyping, packaging, graphic design, service & customer experience design, manuals, sales material, coordination with production staff, suppliers, patent professionals and additional organization. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements with enterprise clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Artlinco operates as a full-service innovation house providing strategic innovation and product development services to enterprise clients. Using their proprietary Artlinco Innovation System (AIS) methodology—structured around Insight, Innovation, and Implementation phases—they deliver user research, industrial design, engineering, prototyping, branding, and digital development services, functioning as an external development department for clients across diverse industries.

Product overview

Artlinco is a full-service innovation house providing strategic innovation and product development services rather than a traditional software product company. Their core offering consists of three integrated service phases—Insight (customer, market and competitor research), Innovation (product, service, communication, packaging design and digital development), and Implementation (calculations, construction, testing, technical documentation and marketing). They operate the Artlinco Innovation System (AIS) as their proprietary methodology and the Artlinco Insight Model (AIM) for user research. Their services are delivered across multiple domains including industrial design, engineering, branding, sustainability, and digital development, with specific project examples including TAGARNO T50 digital microscopes, Black Iron Horse electric cargo bikes, and various consumer products for clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Insight Services (User, Market & Competitor Research) Research and insight services including user research using the Artlinco Insight Model (AIM), market analysis, competitor analysis, and target audience profiling for enterprise clients seeking evidence-based product development foundations.
• Innovation Services (Product, Service & Communication Design) Design and innovation services including product design, service design, packaging design, graphic design, branding & strategy, and digital development (AR/VR, sensors, IoT, AI integration) for enterprise clients.
• Implementation Services (Engineering, Prototyping & Production Coordination) Engineering and implementation services including calculations, construction, testing, technical documentation, prototyping, manuals, sales material, and coordination with manufacturers, suppliers and patent professionals for enterprise clients.
• Sustainability & Ecodesign Consulting Sustainability advisory services integrating ecodesign principles, material selection (e.g., recycled Danish plastic), and compliance with environmental regulations into product development for clients pursuing green and digital transitions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of companies using design in their strategy experience positive impact on bottom line
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Aalborg University (Prof. Christian Jantzen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration for the development of the Artlinco Insight Model (AIM). Prof. Christian Jantzen's specialization in psychology, culture, emotions and design contributed to the research-based user profiling methodology.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pentagram: Independent design consultancy with practices across brand identity, product, and digital design. Comparable on creative/brand design work Artlinco performs for clients like Nestlé, though Pentagram focuses more on brand than physical product development.
• IDEO: Global design and innovation consultancy that pioneered design thinking. Directly comparable to Artlinco's full-service innovation model but operates at significantly larger scale with global delivery capability and a broader brand strategy offering.
• Designworks (BMW Group): Strategic design consultancy owned by BMW Group, providing industrial design, mobility, and brand experience work. Comparable to Artlinco's industrial design core but backed by an automotive OEM and operating globally.
• Teague: Design and innovation consultancy specializing in industrial and physical product design, with strong engineering and digital capabilities. Comparable to Artlinco's industrial design + engineering model, though larger and more US-centric.
• Frog (frogdesign): Global design and engineering consultancy part of Capgemini Invent, providing industrial design, product innovation, and digital services. Comparable to Artlinco's end-to-end product development approach but with deeper engineering scale and global reach.

Direct peers

• Ammunition Group: Independent product design and brand strategy firm with proprietary methodologies for product development. Directly comparable to Artlinco's innovation-house positioning and AIS/AIM-style structured methodology.
• Smart Design: Product design and innovation consultancy with engineering and brand capabilities. Closely comparable to Artlinco's product development model, working with consumer and industrial clients from insight through implementation.
• Designit: Nordic-origin design and innovation consultancy, now part of Wipro, offering strategy, design, and technology services. Comparable to Artlinco's innovation-house model with similar Scandinavian roots and enterprise client base.
• Lunar Design: Nordic-headquartered product design and innovation consultancy combining industrial design, user research, and brand strategy. Closely comparable to Artlinco on geographic base, methodology, and target client profile.

Emerging players

• Experientia: UX and human-centered design consultancy with experience in user research and product innovation for healthcare and industrial clients. Comparable to Artlinco's AIM-style user research approach and cross-industry application.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artlinco-as
• Facebookfacebook.com/artlinco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Artlinco