What Linked By Air does

Linked By Air is a Brooklyn-based design and technology studio founded in 2006, operating with 1-10 employees from its DUMBO office at 45 Main Street. The studio conceives, designs, and engineers bespoke digital platforms, identities, and integrated experiences for cultural institutions, arts organizations, music labels, foundations, and educational bodies. Engagements span strategy, user experience, interaction and visual design, and full-stack software development, delivered as project-based professional services rather than a single unified SaaS product.

The studio's notable technical outputs include Smithsonian Hi (browser-based real-time image recognition deployed across three Smithsonian museums without requiring app downloads), The Shed website (a mobile-first platform integrated with Tessitura for ticketing and memberships, generating 72% of ticket sales and 81% of membership sales online), the Amant digital ecosystem (a variable mathematical fleuron identity system spanning physical signage, wayfinding, and digital screens), the ROC Nation distribution platform (music distribution to 200+ streaming services with unified analytics, social media intelligence, and automated royalty payouts launched in 2025), and Economy CMS, a proprietary modular content management system used across client builds. Underlying technology is primarily Drupal-based with custom integrations into client systems (Smithsonian Collections Management System, Tessitura) and edge-based computer vision.

Revenue is generated entirely through professional services fees determined through direct consultation based on project scope; no public pricing exists and go-to-market is sales-led via the portfolio website, sector referrals, and direct outreach. The studio markets through its website portfolio, LinkedIn, Instagram, and a Mailchimp newsletter. Customer mix is concentrated in arts and culture (Smithsonian, Whitney, MoMA PS1, The Shed, Amant, Museo Jumex, Brooklyn Public Library), music/entertainment (ROC Nation), and education (Yale, Columbia), with operating geographies spanning the USA, UK, Australia, Mexico, Croatia, Netherlands, and Southern Africa despite the single Brooklyn headquarters.

Name

Linked By Air

Legal name

Linked by Air

Website

https://linkedbyair.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brooklyn-based design and technology studio (1-10 employees) that conceives and builds bespoke digital platforms, identities, and integrated experiences for cultural institutions, museums, music labels, and arts foundations, including Smithsonian Hi and the ROC Nation distribution platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

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. Design and Engineering Services: Professional services revenue from designing and building digital platforms, websites, identities, signage systems, and integrated experiences for cultural institutions, foundations, and organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Linked by Air is a design and technology studio that conceives, designs, and engineers bespoke digital platforms, websites, identity systems, digital signage, mobile guides, and integrated experiences for cultural institutions, music labels, foundations, and educational organizations. The studio combines strategy, UX design, interaction and visual design, and full-stack software development under one team to deliver end-to-end digital ecosystems that connect organizations with audiences online, onsite, and over time.

Product overview

Linked by Air is a design and technology studio that creates digital platforms and integrated experiences for cultural institutions, arts organizations, and creative enterprises. The company operates as a project-based studio rather than offering a single unified product; instead, it delivers bespoke websites, mobile applications, and digital ecosystems tailored to each client. Key named products include ROC Nation distribution (a music distribution platform with streaming analytics and social intelligence), Smithsonian Hi (a mobile museum guide with browser-based image recognition), The Shed Website Platform (ticketing and membership system), Amant Digital Ecosystem (arts campus website with mathematical identity system), The Book of HOV (digital library guide), and Economy CMS (their internal content management system). The studio also developed the Bug app, a musical instrument application that translates visual input into music.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ROC Nation distribution A music and video distribution platform that unifies streaming analytics, social media intelligence, and automated revenue sharing in real-time. Distributes music and video to 200+ streaming platforms and provides artists and labels with analytics dashboards, social insights, and collaborative royalty splits. Built for ROC Nation and artists distributed by the label.
• Smithsonian Hi An award-winning mobile museum guide that uses browser-based image recognition to connect visitors with artists and curators. No app download is required; visitors access hi.si.edu via web browser and scan artworks to receive multimedia content. Launched at the Hirshhorn Museum and expanded to additional Smithsonian sites including the National Museum of African Art and the National Museum of African American History and Culture. W3 Award winner.
• The Shed website platform Mobile-first website platform for The Shed performance and exhibition venue, handling ticketing, membership sales, and visitor experience features including on-site mode, audio guides, on-demand video, and digital publishing stream. Integrated with Tessitura for ticketing and membership. Processed 72% of ticket sales and 81% of membership sales online.
• Amant digital ecosystem Integrated digital ecosystem for the Amant arts campus in Brooklyn including website, digital signage, wayfinding, merchandise graphics, and a content management system that generates the variable mathematical fleuron identity system powering both digital and physical applications.
• The Book of HOV Webby-winning digital guide for JAY-Z's Brooklyn Public Library takeover, turning the branch into a cultural destination and drawing 600,000+ visitors in three months.
• Economy CMS

Quantifiable outcome

• 72% of ticket sales and 81% of membership sales processed through The Shed website
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ROC NationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConceived, designed, and built the ROC Nation distribution platform - a complete music distribution and artist career platform unifying streaming analytics, social media intelligence, and automated revenue sharing.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Big Spaceship: Brooklyn-based digital creative and engineering studio with cultural-sector work and a comparable integrated design-plus-technology model.
• Area 17: Brooklyn/New York design and engineering studio delivering digital products, brand systems, and interactive experiences for cultural and commercial clients — directly comparable in scale, location, and integrated strategy-design-engineering model.
• Instrument: Portland/remote design and technology studio building digital platforms, brand systems, and integrated experiences for cultural and commercial clients — comparable integrated studio model.
• Code and Theory: Large digital product and design agency working across publishing, culture, and commerce with end-to-end strategy, design, and engineering — overlapping Linked by Air's cultural-sector platform work at a larger scale.
• Second Story: Atlanta-based interactive design studio building immersive digital and physical experiences for museums, cultural institutions, and brand environments — directly comparable cultural-sector experiential practice.
• Bluecadet: Philadelphia-based design and technology studio that builds digital experiences for museums, cultural institutions, and brands — a closely matched peer to Linked by Air's cultural-institution digital platform practice.
• C&G Partners: New York design firm specializing in wayfinding, identity, and digital experiences for cultural institutions, museums, and public-realm clients — a direct match on cultural-sector design and signage work.
• Hot Studio (acquired by Facebook): Now-defunct Brooklyn/NYC design and technology studio that built digital experiences for cultural and media clients; historically a direct peer to Linked by Air's model in the same Brooklyn ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Pentagram: Largest independent design partnership, with deep cultural-institution and identity work — broader incumbent with overlapping cultural-sector clients but lighter on software engineering.
• R/GA: Global digital agency with experience strategy, design, and engineering capabilities serving brand and cultural clients — a much larger incumbent that competes for the same enterprise RFPs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/linkedbyair
• Instagraminstagram.com/linkedbyair

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Linked By Air