TinkerLabs

What TinkerLabs does

TinkerLabs is a Mumbai-based Behaviour Design consulting and training firm founded in 2013 by Ankur Grover (BITS Pilani, MBA from INSEAD, TEDx speaker, HBR-published co-author). The company applies a proprietary methodology that fuses Design Thinking with Behavioural Science, formalised in its Behaviour Design Codex, a curated library of over 300 behavioural economics principles, and operationalised through structured tools such as the As-is Map, Need State Map, and Irrationality Diagnosis framework. All engagements follow a four-phase iterative process (Immerse & Empathise, Diagnose & Define, Ideate & Prototype, Test & Iterate) and rely on an Extreme User Research method that derives insights from small, purposive samples.

The firm monetises through two core service lines. Behaviour Design Consulting delivers behavioural audits (3-5 weeks), idea concepts (5-8 weeks), and co-created solutions (8-12 weeks) for clients facing adoption, adherence, or differentiation challenges. Design Thinking Training ranges from 90-minute introductory sessions to 1-2 day workshops and 3-12 month Innovation Programs. The client base spans Fortune 500 multinationals (HP, Microsoft, Gap Inc., Swiggy, Sony, HSBC, Accenture), large Indian conglomerates (Tata Trusts, Flipkart, Titan, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Hindalco), international development agencies (USAID, GIZ, UNFPA, KHPT, SHOPS Plus), and academic institutions (IIM Udaipur). The firm is bootstrapped, privately held, and founder-led, with no disclosed external investment or parent company.

Distribution is consultative and content-driven: inbound enterprise inquiries route through the website, while thought leadership (blog, case studies, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram) and the firm's Government of India Smart City award (2020) and HBR case study support top-of-funnel credibility. Pricing is custom quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The 8-person core team includes Heads of Behaviour Design, Corporate Practice, Social Impact Practice, and Trainings & Workshops, plus Visual Designer and Design Researcher roles, and the company also operates The Tinker Studio, a self-initiated experimentation lab exploring novel behaviour design challenges.

Name

TinkerLabs

Legal name

TinkerLabs

Website

https://tinkerlabs.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TinkerLabs is a Mumbai-based Behaviour Design consulting and training firm founded in 2013 that combines Design Thinking and Behavioural Science to help enterprises, social impact organisations, and academic institutions solve user adoption, adherence, and product differentiation challenges through structured sprints and training programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Andheri

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Behavioural Science Consulting: Engagements ranging from 3-5 week behavioural audits to 8-12 week co-created solution delivery. Services include behavioural insights, idea concepts, and user-tested low-fidelity prototypes.
2. Design Thinking Training: Three training offerings: Quick Intro (90-120 mins), Workshop (1-2 days), and Innovation Programs (3-6-12 months). Training delivered to corporate teams and academic institutions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TinkerLabs is a Behaviour Design consulting and training firm based in Mumbai, India. It combines Design Thinking with Behavioural Science to help organizations solve human behavior problems. The firm offers consulting engagements, training programs, and proprietary frameworks such as the Behaviour Design Codex, the As-is Map, the Need State Map, the Irrationality Diagnosis, the Extreme User Research Method, and The Tinker Studio.

Product overview

TinkerLabs is a Behaviour Design consulting and training firm that combines Design Thinking with Behavioural Science to help organizations solve human problems. The company offers two core service lines: Behaviour Design Consulting (spanning 3-5 week behavioural audits, 5-8 week idea concept development, and 8-12 week co-created solutions) and Design Thinking Training (from 90-minute Quick Intro sessions to 3-12 month Innovation Programs). All engagements are underpinned by the company's proprietary Behaviour Design Codex framework. The company also maintains an innovation lab called The Tinker Studio for self-initiated experiments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Behaviour Design Consulting Consulting service that combines Design Thinking with Behavioural Science to help organizations solve human behaviour problems.
• Design Thinking Training Training programs for organizations focused on Design Thinking methodologies.
• The Behaviour Design Codex Proprietary framework developed by TinkerLabs combining Design Thinking and Behavioural Science into a structured methodology for addressing human behaviour challenges.
• The Tinker Studio TinkerLabs' branded studio offering that operationalizes the firm's Behaviour Design methodology through consulting engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65% drop in reporting time for Hindalco operations teams
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and key.

• Cosmos Co-op BankminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Galgal app partnered with Cosmos Co-op Bank in 2024 after receiving $1 million funding in 2023. TinkerLabs helped design Galgal's features for millennial and Gen Z users.
• BlueOrchardkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023TinkerLabs partnered with BlueOrchard's InsuResilience Investment Fund (IIF) to deliver Design Thinking x Behavioural Science training and co-creation workshops with insurance companies across Asia, Africa & Latin America. The partnership aimed to shift CX mindset from process to people among BlueOrchard portfolio companies.
• NIMHANSkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020KHPT partnered with TinkerLabs for TB testing adoption project; NIMHANS report published documenting interventions piloted and evaluated from 2022-24. Interventions created for case finding and case holding among vulnerable TB populations.
• USAIDkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019USAID funded the SHOPS Plus project through which TinkerLabs conducted 6-month sprint to improve condom adoption among unmarried youth. Based on project insights, USAID funded PHSI to introduce Asia's most economically priced ultra-thin condom piloted in Assam.
• ABT AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Implementing partner for the SHOPS Plus project focused on understanding and improving condom adoption behaviour among unmarried youth in India.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Livework: Service design consultancy with projects across private and public sectors. Comparable to TinkerLabs for the service-experience and journey-design portion of engagements, especially BFSI and civic-impact work.
• ideas42: US-based nonprofit that applies behavioural science to design social programmes and products. Conceptually the closest analytical peer given TinkerLabs' core 'Behaviour Design' (behavioural science + design thinking) positioning.
• IDEO: Pioneering design and innovation consultancy that originated much of the design-thinking vocabulary TinkerLabs operates in. Directly comparable: similar human-centred methodology, Fortune 500 client mix, and project-based consulting + training offerings.
• frog (Capgemini Engineering): Global design and innovation consultancy with overlapping service lines in product, service, and experience design. Comparable to TinkerLabs on consultative methodology, enterprise clients, and human-centred / behavioural approaches.
• Behaviorally (formerly PRS): Behavioural science-led research and design firm serving CPG, retail, and brand clients. Comparable to TinkerLabs' behavioural-audit and product-design work, especially the path-to-purchase and adoption problems.
• The Behavioral Insights Team: UK-origin behavioural science consultancy applying nudge and behavioural-economics methods to government and enterprise programmes. Comparable to TinkerLabs' behavioural-audit methodology and public-sector / social-impact work.
• Think Design: India-based product and design strategy consultancy serving enterprise clients across BFSI, consumer, and digital. Closest geographic peer to TinkerLabs with overlapping design-strategy methodology and Indian enterprise client base.

Emerging players

• Humu: Behaviour-change company using behavioural science and AI to drive organizational change. Conceptually comparable to TinkerLabs' Behaviour Design thesis but with a more productized / SaaS-style delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Digital (Doblin): Innovation arm within one of the Big Four, overlapping with TinkerLabs' behavioural and innovation engagements for Fortune 500 clients. Operates as part of a much broader consulting portfolio.
• McKinsey & Company (McKinsey Design): Global strategy leader with a dedicated design practice serving the same enterprise CXOs that engage TinkerLabs. Competes for adjacent innovation and design-strategy mandates with substantially greater bench depth and brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@tinkerlabsenablinginnovati962
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tinkerlabs
• Instagraminstagram.com/tinker_labs
• Xx.com/tinkerlabs
• Facebookfacebook.com/tinkerlabs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 TinkerLabs