What Superflux does

Superflux is a London-based speculative design studio founded in 2009 by Anab Jain and Jon Ardern that operates as a professional services firm converting future uncertainty into present-day organizational and policy choices through immersive installations, design fiction, and experiential futures. Its core offering is bespoke commissioned work for museums, government agencies, foundations, and large corporations, delivered through a small multidisciplinary team (11–50 employees) combining design researchers, filmmakers, prototypers, and writers based at Somerset House Studios in London. Core technical capabilities span physical prototyping (including sub-surface laser-etched crystal specimens and modular exhibition systems), CGI film production using game engines and green screen, AI-driven speculative artworks, predictive risk-modeling installations (e.g., maritime risk scoring with HiLo, safety incident prediction via "The Elucidation Engine"), and visitor-facing scanning/knowledge-retrieval devices built in collaboration with partners such as Marshmallow Laser Feast. Notable products include "The Vault of Life" (a 375 sqm, 2,400-specimen installation at Dubai's Museum of the Future), "SAFE" (a 10-work safer-futures exhibition for Lloyd's Register Foundation), "Action Speaks" (a modular IKEA/INGKA climate exhibition deployed at New York Climate Week 2023 and 2024), "Nobody Told Me Rivers Dream" (2025 AI-driven ecological intelligence work), and "The Craftocene" (2026 solo exhibition at Weltmuseum Vienna).

The studio's revenue model is project-based commissioning with undisclosed pricing, supplemented by public and philanthropic grants (Nominet Trust £50,000 in 2013, EU Horizon 2020 in 2020, National Lottery Community Fund in 2020). Customer segments split across museums and cultural institutions (Museum of the Future Dubai, MoMA), foundations and research organizations (Lloyd's Register Foundation, Earth Commission, Forum for the Future), large enterprises (INGKA Group/IKEA), and government/policy bodies (UK Policy Lab and Defra Futures). Go-to-market is reputation-driven direct sales with no self-serve, marketplace, or retail channels; visibility is generated through exhibitions, industry awards (Dezeen Awards 2021 Design Studio of the Year), TED-scale keynote platforms, and earned media in outlets including BBC Radio 4 and the Financial Times. The firm is privately held by its two co-founders with no disclosed equity investors.

Name

Superflux

Legal name

Superflux

Website

https://superflux.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Superflux is a London-based speculative design studio founded in 2009 that creates immersive installations and experiential futures for museums, government bodies, foundations, and large corporations such as IKEA, Museum of the Future Dubai, and Lloyd's Register Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Speculative Design Services

NAICS

Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

akta.pro primary industry

Simulation, Scenario & Serious Games Design (EDAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Speculative design
• Experiential futures
• Immersive installations
• Design-led foresight
• Critical sensemaking

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commissioned Projects: Superflux creates bespoke commissioned installations and experiences for museums, foundations, government agencies, and corporations. Projects include large-scale immersive exhibitions like 'The Vault of Life' for Museum of the Future, climate-focused installations for INGKA Group, and speculative design works for various commissioners.
2. Research Grants and Fellowships: The studio receives funding from trusts and foundations for social-tech ventures and research projects. Examples include Nominet Trust funding for IoTA project and EU Horizon 2020 grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Superflux is a London-based speculative design studio that creates commissioned immersive installations, experiential futures, and design-led foresight projects for museums, foundations, government agencies, and large corporations. Each engagement is a bespoke project that translates future uncertainty into tangible, present-day choices through physical prototyping, film, digital simulations, and AI-driven artistic explorations.

Product overview

Superflux is a London-based speculative design studio offering a unified portfolio of design services centered on translating future uncertainty into present day choices. The core offering spans speculative design, experiential futures, and immersive installations, working across societal, technological, and infrastructural scales. The studio's major works include 'The Vault of Life' (interactive genetic archive installation for Museum of the Future, Dubai), 'SAFE: A Collection of Works Exploring Safer Futures' (10-project exhibition commissioned by Lloyd's Register Foundation), 'Dynamic Genetics vs. Mann' (speculative court case exploring biotech futures), and 'Nobody Told Me Rivers Dream' (AI exploration of ecological intelligence). Additional offerings include workshops, talks, and research initiatives. The studio is led by co-founders Anab Jain and Jon Ardern (both Royal Designers for Industry) and has received recognition including Dezeen Awards 2021 'Design Studio of the Year'.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Speculative Design Services End-to-end speculative design service that translates future uncertainty into present-day choices through commissioned immersive installations, experiential futures, and design-led foresight work for museums, foundations, government agencies, and large corporations.
• Workshops and Talks Studio-run workshops, talks, and speaking engagements that share speculative design and futures methodologies with client teams, institutions, and public audiences.
• Research + Innovation Ongoing research initiatives including collaborations with universities, EU Horizon 2020 grants, and internal research programmes exploring futures methodologies and ecological AI.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Earth CommissionmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Superflux designed a digital triptych artwork accompanying Earth Commission's landmark report 'A Just World on a Safe Planet', narrating possible evolution towards a collective future. The collaboration visualizes complex scientific findings for broader audiences.
• INGKA Group (IKEA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023INGKA Group (IKEA) invited Superflux to help conceive and create 'Action Speaks' - a modular, circular and fully adaptable exhibition for New York Climate Week 2023 and 2024. The exhibition invites business leaders and the public to experience positive climate action. This is an ongoing collaboration for climate-focused public installations.
• Policy Lab and Defra FuturesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Superflux was commissioned by Policy Lab and Defra Futures to explore the question of how to transform freshwater systems 20 years from now, resulting in 'The Ecological Intelligence Agency' - the first iteration of the studio's ongoing speculations into Ecological AI.
• Museum of the Future (Dubai Future Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Superflux was commissioned by the Museum of the Future, Dubai to create 'The Vault of Life' - an enormous interactive installation featuring 2,400 crystal specimen jars cataloguing Earth's biodiversity. The museum is part of Dubai Future Foundation, a government entity driving future innovation. Superflux led creative concept, exhibit design, and overall content development for this major 375sqm installation.
• Lloyd's Register FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Superflux was commissioned by Lloyd's Register Foundation to create the SAFE exhibition at Somerset House - a collection of 10 speculative futures projects responding to 10 LRF-supported research projects on topics from food scarcity and water infrastructure to big data and automation. The foundation funds engineering and safety research globally.
• Somerset House StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Superflux operates from Somerset House Studios, a contemporary workspace for artists, designers, and makers in London. Somerset House provides the studio's physical home and hosts exhibitions of their work. The studio has exhibited multiple projects at Somerset House including SAFE and The Craftocene.
• Forum for the FuturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Superflux partnered with Forum for the Future to develop IoTA (Internet of Things Academy) - a social-tech venture exploring how people can experiment with IoT technology and data in inventive ways. Forum for the Future provided expertise in sustainable development and systems thinking.
• Royal College of Art (Design Interactions Research)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Superflux worked with RCA's Design Interactions Research department on the 'Blueprints for the Unknown' project - a research initiative exploring synthetic biology's impact on society through practice-based design research, part of the EU-funded Studiolab program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Marshmallow Laser Feast: Marshmallow Laser Feast produces immersive, multi-sensory installations and experiences, often for cultural institutions and global brands. They have directly collaborated with Superflux (e.g., the scanning device for 'The Vault of Life'), indicating close overlap in methodology and clientele.
• Tellart: Tellart is a design studio that creates experiential installations and interactive futures for museums, brands, and cultural institutions. Highly comparable to Superflux in combining speculative/experiential design with immersive physical installations for enterprise and museum clients.
• United Visual Artists (UVA): UVA creates large-scale immersive installations at the intersection of art, design, and technology, often exploring perception and futures. They overlap with Superflux in working with cultural institutions and brands on site-specific experiential work.
• Random International: Random International is known for large-scale immersive and interactive installations (e.g., 'Rain Room'). Comparable to Superflux in producing museum-grade experiential installations that engage audiences with technology-driven futures themes.
• Near Future Laboratory: Near Future Laboratory is a design-led futures consultancy practicing design fiction and critical design. Directly comparable to Superflux in offering speculative design services and methodologies to enterprise and institutional clients.
• Jason Bruges Studio: Jason Bruges Studio designs permanent and temporary installations that fuse art, architecture, and technology for cultural and commercial clients. Comparable in scale, project-based commissioned model, and museum/brand client base.

Broad incumbents

• IDEO: IDEO is a global design consultancy with speculative and futures design capabilities within a much broader service portfolio. Comparable in applying design thinking to futures work, though IDEO serves a wider range of commercial and institutional clients at greater scale.
• frog (part of Capgemini Engineering): frog is a global design and innovation firm with a futures and speculative design practice embedded within broader design and engineering services. Less specialized than Superflux but overlaps on foresight, speculative narratives, and design-led innovation for enterprise.
• Arup Foresight + Innovation: Arup's Foresight team offers futures and strategic design services as part of a global engineering and design consultancy. Broader in scope than Superflux but competes for speculative design and foresight engagements with government and enterprise clients.

Emerging players

• Future Today Institute: Future Today Institute is a foresight and strategic consulting firm producing annual trend reports and advisory work for enterprise and government. Comparable in futures-themed advisory but lighter on the immersive installation and design-fiction execution Superflux specializes in.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/superflux
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/superflux

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Superflux