Design without Borders
Design without Borders Africa is a Kampala, Uganda-based for-profit organization founded in 2001 that works to improve economic and social outcomes for people in poor and middle-income nations through its design-focused practice.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersKampala, Uganda
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Design without Borders does
Design without Borders, legally registered as Design without Borders Africa, is a for-profit private company headquartered in Kampala, Uganda, founded in 2001 with 11-50 employees. Per its own public description, the company works to help people in poor and middle-income nations live better lives by contributing to their economic and social growth. The plural framing of the mission and the 'Africa' suffix in the legal entity name imply an operating scope beyond the Ugandan headquarters, although the source material does not enumerate specific country footprints, beneficiary programs, or operating subsidiaries.
The company maintains a web presence at designwithoutborders.com on a frontend that appears to use a Next.js image-delivery stack, but the source material discloses no product portfolio, service catalog, technology platform, intellectual property, or delivery model. Headcount is reported in the 11-50 range, positioning the firm as a small-to-mid-sized organization. There is no evidence of proprietary software, design tooling, platform infrastructure, or data assets beyond the marketing website.
No management team, funding rounds, customer roster, partnership network, pricing structure, or revenue figures are disclosed in the source data. The combination of for-profit status paired with a development-sector mission statement suggests a business model that may blend commercial design services with donor, multilateral, or grant-funded development work, though this characterization is not directly evidenced in the inputs. The remainder of this assessment reflects the resulting information deficit.
Design without Borders firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Design without Borders
- Legal name
- Design without Borders Africa
- Website
- https://designwithoutborders.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Design without Borders Africa is a Kampala, Uganda-based for-profit organization founded in 2001 that works to improve economic and social outcomes for people in poor and middle-income nations through its design-focused practice.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Design without Borders industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Impact Design Consulting
- NAICS
- Interior Design Services (541410), Interior Design Services (54141)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH), Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)
Keywords
Where Design without Borders is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kampala
- HQ country
- Uganda
- HQ region
- Africa
Markets served
Design without Borders business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D
Design without Borders product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Design without Borders is a Kampala, Uganda-based organization (legal name: Design without Borders Africa) that applies design practices to support economic and social development in poor and middle-income nations. Its work centers on contributing to the livelihoods of communities in the Global South through design-driven social impact projects.
Product overview
Based on the source data available, Design without Borders Africa appears to be an organization with a web presence. The source content is extremely limited, containing only a homepage with a company logo and URL. No specific products, services, or offerings are detailed in the available source material. A full assessment of the product and service portfolio cannot be provided with the current information.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Design without Borders
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Design without Borders technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Design without Borders partnerships and signals
Strategic signalExpansion highlights1 record
Design without Borders competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- IDEO.org: Nonprofit design firm applying human-centered design to poverty challenges in Africa and beyond — directly comparable social-mission design service model and target beneficiary base.
- Architects Without Borders: Network of architects providing pro bono and low-fee design services to communities in need — directly comparable humanitarian architecture mandate and project-based delivery model.
- Open Architecture Collaborative: Nonprofit successor to Architecture for Humanity mobilizing design solutions for underserved communities globally — directly comparable mission and operating model to Design without Borders.
- Article 25: International design and development charity using architecture to improve health, education and livelihoods in low-income countries — directly comparable social-impact design model and target markets.
- MASS Design Group: Architecture and design firm using built environment work to advance health, education, and social equity — directly comparable mission, model, and service offering to Design without Borders.
Broad incumbents
- Impact Hub Network: Global network of social innovation hubs supporting impact-driven enterprises including design organizations — broader incumbent operating in the social enterprise space with overlapping partner and funding relationships.
Emerging players
- Engineers Without Borders International: Network of engineering-focused organizations delivering infrastructure projects in developing countries — adjacent peer that competes for similar donor funding and partner relationships.
Regional players
- Shelter Associates: India-based design NGO delivering sanitation and shelter design for low-income communities — regional peer with comparable development-sector design model serving similar populations.
- Ubuntu Design Group: African-rooted architecture and design firm with social development focus — regional peer with comparable East African presence and development-sector clientele.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Design without Borders social profiles
Digital presenceDesign without Borders financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Design without Borders leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Design without Borders funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Design without Borders 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 Design without Borders
What does Design without Borders do?
Design without Borders is a Kampala, Uganda-based organization (legal name: Design without Borders Africa) that applies design practices to support economic and social development in poor and middle-income nations. Its work centers on contributing to the livelihoods of communities in the Global South through design-driven social impact projects.
When was Design without Borders founded?
Design without Borders was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Design without Borders based?
Design without Borders is headquartered in Kampala, Uganda, in the Africa region.
Who are Design without Borders's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are IDEO.org, Architects Without Borders, Open Architecture Collaborative, Article 25 and MASS Design Group. Impact Hub Network is listed as a broad incumbent. Engineers Without Borders International is listed as an emerging player. Regional players are Shelter Associates and Ubuntu Design Group.
Does Design without Borders have an API?
No public API is recorded for Design without Borders.
What industry is Design without Borders in?
Design without Borders's product category is Social Impact Design Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAB, Interior Design Services, with a secondary code of BPADAGAH, Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights. Its NAICS code is 541410 and its SIC code is 8711.