Thinkpublic
Thinkpublic is a London-based service design consultancy founded in 2004 that delivers co-design, user research, and regenerative design projects to UK public-sector bodies, charities, and mission-led organisations, and operates the Sound Asleep Club sleep-wellbeing subscription social enterprise.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Thinkpublic does
Thinkpublic is a London-headquartered, founder-led service design agency founded in 2004 by Deborah Szebeko and registered as a private limited company in England (Company No. 05100456). The firm delivers co-design, user research, service design, and regenerative design services to UK public-sector bodies, charities, and mission-led organisations — including NHS trusts, Sport England, the Design Council, NESTA, Mind, RSPCA, YoungMinds, and Alzheimer's Society — alongside selected commercial engagements such as a US-market digital health coaching programme with AstraZeneca. Its core offering is fee-for-service consulting rather than software, with engagements typically structured as research, prototyping, and implementation support; training workshops and programmes (e.g. the Positive Experiences Collective with Sport England and the National Lottery) form a secondary revenue stream.
Beyond consulting, Thinkpublic has developed two branded offerings: the Sound Asleep Club, a subscription-based virtual sleep and holistic wellbeing social enterprise launched in November 2020 that delivers live online classes and on-demand content; and Design with Gaia, a regenerative design card deck and digital tool launched in 2021 that distils nature-based principles into a co-design methodology. Distribution is primarily direct and referral-driven within the UK public and charity ecosystem, augmented by content marketing (blog, newsletter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Vimeo), occasional events (e.g. Design Council Design For Planet Festival), and Sound Asleep Club's self-serve subscription platform. The firm has won the Design Week Awards Service Design category and the Core77 Health & Wellbeing Design Awards 2021, and operates with a headcount of 1-10 employees.
Thinkpublic firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Thinkpublic
- Legal name
- thinkpublic limited
- Website
- https://thinkpublic.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Thinkpublic is a London-based service design consultancy founded in 2004 that delivers co-design, user research, and regenerative design projects to UK public-sector bodies, charities, and mission-led organisations, and operates the Sound Asleep Club sleep-wellbeing subscription social enterprise.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Thinkpublic is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Thinkpublic business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Consulting and Project Services: Fee-for-service consulting engagements with public sector and mission-led organisations for service design, co-design, and social innovation projects. Projects are typically long-term engagements involving research, prototyping, and implementation support.
- Training and Workshops: Creative and service design training workshops delivered to clients and the broader design community, including programmes like the Positive Experiences Collective with Sport England and the National Lottery.
- Social Enterprise Development: Development and launch of social enterprises such as the Sound Asleep Club, which uses a subscription model for holistic wellbeing and sleep classes. The Sound Asleep Club operates on a pay-monthly subscription model alongside pay-as-you-go offerings.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Thinkpublic product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Thinkpublic is a social design agency that provides service design, co-design, user research, regenerative design, and strategy/enterprise services to public sector bodies and mission-led organisations in the UK and beyond. The company engages communities and stakeholders through ethnographic research, prototyping, and storytelling to design and launch new services and social ventures. In addition to consulting, it operates the Sound Asleep Club subscription-based virtual sleep/wellbeing service and sells the Design with Gaia regenerative design card deck and digital tool.
Product overview
Thinkpublic is a service design agency offering a portfolio of interconnected design services rather than a unified software product. Their core offerings include User Research & Engagement, Service Design, Regenerative Design, and Strategy & Enterprise services. The company has also developed two named offerings: Design with Gaia (a physical and digital card deck tool for regenerative design practice) and Sound Asleep Club (a virtual holistic wellbeing and sleep service). These offerings are delivered through collaborative co-design approaches, workshops, training programmes, and immersive events for public sector and mission-led organisations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sound Asleep Club: A virtual sleep club and social enterprise offering live online holistic wellbeing and sleep classes, plus on-demand video library. Launched November 2020 to support people with sleep and mental wellbeing, particularly NHS frontline workers during COVID-19.
- Design with Gaia
Products and services
- Sound Asleep Club Virtual sleep and wellbeing subscription service offering live online bedtime classes, on-demand video library, and holistic practices (breathwork, sound meditation, yoga, qigong, mindfulness, journaling) for individuals experiencing anxiety, stress and sleeplessness; available via pay-monthly subscriptions and pay-as-you-go.
- Design with Gaia Regenerative design card deck and digital tool that incorporates wisdom from natural cycles and systems to help individuals and organisations reconnect with nature and embed regenerative principles into their design practice; used in workshops and training with public sector and mission-led clients.
- User Research & Engagement Services Service design consultancy offering user research and engagement, ethnographic research and films, stakeholder mapping, horizon scanning, insight and opportunity mapping, and immersive experiences and events for public sector and mission-led organisations.
- Service Design Collaborative and creative approach to designing, prototyping and developing new services and products, including product and service design, creative strategy, co-design, concept development, service blueprinting, and prototype testing, delivered to public sector and mission-led organisations.
- Regenerative Design Regenerative design practice that moves beyond human-centric design to co-design for planetary health, drawing inspiration from nature to create sustainable solutions, including systems thinking, co-design for planetary health, and nature connection workshops for organisations.
- Strategy & Enterprise Consulting support for creating and launching new services and social enterprises, including proposition development, feasibility studies, business planning, revenue stream creation, branding, marketing, communication, and film production for mission-led organisations.
- Programmes & Training Creative and service design training workshops, programmes, and mentorship offerings (such as the Positive Experiences Collective with Sport England and the National Lottery) delivered to individuals and organisations to build capabilities in co-design and regenerative practices.
Quantifiable outcome
- Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England was reported by Sport England as one of their most successful programme launches
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Thinkpublic
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Thinkpublic technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Thinkpublic partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Design CouncilcoreOngoing collaboration on systems change and design thinking initiatives. thinkpublic founder Deborah Szebeko appeared in the Design Council's Characteristics of Changemakers series discussing the role of Designer and Maker in public service system change. Partnership on Design For Planet Festival and systemic design framework work.
- Sport EnglandcoreMulti-year partnership supporting co-creation and launch of Physical Literacy Consensus Statement for England. Currently collaborating on the Positive Experiences Collective with support from Sport England and the National Lottery, implementing Patchwork Programme, Listening Circles, and Annual Gathering over two years.
- Carers UKminorPartnership to roll out Sound Asleep Club services to carers across the UK, ensuring they have easy access to mental health and wellbeing support.
- Sound Asleep Clubcorethinkpublic co-designed and developed the concept of the virtual sleep club to help people deal with anxiety, stress and sleeplessness. The Sound Asleep Club was launched in November 2020 as a social enterprise providing live online bedtime classes, on-demand videos and holistic wellbeing products.
- AstraZenecaminorCo-development of a digital coaching service for cardiovascular medication adherence targeting the US market. Project involved user research, co-design, and prototype development for behaviour change content supporting patients recovering from heart attacks.
- DigitasLBiminorAgency partner working with AstraZeneca on the digital health coaching service project for medication adherence post-heart attack.
- Guy's and St Thomas' CharityminorCo-design of a small grants scheme for lower-band NHS Community Services staff to improve reach and engagement with staff who traditionally do not apply for funding.
- Performing MedicineminorBusiness model evolution and strategy engagement for healthcare training consultancy, including developing updated vision, value proposition, and service offerings.
- Design with GaiacoreCreative collaboration to develop and test the Design with Gaia card deck and digital tool for regenerative design practice. The tool incorporates wisdom from natural cycles and systems to help reconnect people with nature and ancient wisdom.
- Greater London AuthorityminorClient organisation that has benefited from regenerative design workshops using the Design with Gaia approach.
- The Cancer Awareness TrustminorService design partnership with Professor Sir Chris Evans's Cancer Awareness Trust, helping take their vision for cancer awareness and support services to the next level.
- Cavernoma SocietyminorPartnership to provide Sound Asleep Club services to people living with rare forms of brain cancer, supporting their mental health and sleep.
- Exeter City FC Community TrustminorPartnership to reach out to football fans and communities wanting help to unwind their minds before bed through Sound Asleep Club services.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Thinkpublic competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Snook: A UK service design agency rooted in public-sector and social-innovation work, including with charities and government bodies. Snook shares thinkpublic's mission-led positioning and small-team service design model.
- ustwo: A UK-headquartered digital product and service design studio that has a dedicated social-impact arm (ustwo studios). It overlaps with thinkpublic on co-design, public-sector innovation, and health/wellbeing work.
- LiveWork: A long-standing UK service design consultancy with a comparable focus on public-sector transformation and co-design. LiveWork is the closest direct peer to thinkpublic, serving similarly mission-led and government clients in the UK.
- Engine Service Design: Engine's dedicated service design practice delivers co-design and customer-experience transformation for UK public sector and enterprise clients, putting it in direct competition for similar briefs as thinkpublic.
- Made by Many: A UK digital service design and innovation consultancy working with public sector and mission-led organisations. Comparable to thinkpublic in scale, methodology and target clients.
Broad incumbents
- IDEO: The most globally recognised design consultancy, offering human-centred and service design at much greater scale. IDEO is a broad incumbent competing for the same conceptual work as thinkpublic but with a vastly larger footprint.
- Frog Design: A global design and innovation firm (part of Capgemini Invent) delivering service design and customer experience across industries. Operates as a broad incumbent competing for high-end transformation mandates.
- Designit: A Wipro-owned global strategic design firm offering service design, brand and innovation across sectors. It is a broad incumbent that competes for the same category of transformation work as thinkpublic.
- Method (now Globant Studio): Globant's design-led digital transformation arm, offering service design and innovation at significant scale. Acts as a broad incumbent versus thinkpublic in enterprise customer-experience work.
Others
- Koopid (and related regenerative-design studios): Adjacent experience-design and digital transformation vendors serving healthcare and public-sector clients. Useful as ecosystem comparables rather than direct competitors to thinkpublic's niche.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Thinkpublic social profiles
Digital presenceThinkpublic financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Thinkpublic leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Thinkpublic funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Thinkpublic 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 Thinkpublic
What does Thinkpublic do?
Thinkpublic is a social design agency that provides service design, co-design, user research, regenerative design, and strategy/enterprise services to public sector bodies and mission-led organisations in the UK and beyond. The company engages communities and stakeholders through ethnographic research, prototyping, and storytelling to design and launch new services and social ventures. In addition to consulting, it operates the Sound Asleep Club subscription-based virtual sleep/wellbeing service and sells the Design with Gaia regenerative design card deck and digital tool.
Is Thinkpublic a public or private company?
Thinkpublic is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Thinkpublic founded?
Thinkpublic was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Thinkpublic based?
Thinkpublic is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Thinkpublic make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Consulting and Project Services are the primary driver. The others are training and Workshops and social Enterprise Development.
Who are Thinkpublic's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Snook, ustwo, LiveWork, Engine Service Design and Made by Many. Broad incumbents are IDEO, Frog Design, Designit and Method (now Globant Studio). Koopid (and related regenerative-design studios) is listed as an others.
Does Thinkpublic have an API?
No public API is recorded for Thinkpublic.