Aura

What Aura does

Aura Cultura is a Mexico City-based strategic consulting firm specializing in art, culture, and the creative economy. Founded in 2014 as Aura Consultoría Cultural S.C. and operating from the Hipódromo Condesa neighborhood, the firm functions as a boutique consultancy with approximately six to nine core team members, including co-founders Luis Vargas-Santiago (a full-time UNAM researcher) and Isabel Gil (Director of Cultural Relations and Head of Arts at the British Council since 2022), plus Executive Director Andrea Villers. Aura delivers strategic consulting, cultural policy research, curatorial development, public program design, evaluation, and digital transformation services to cultural institutions, government cultural agencies, corporate foundations, and international cooperation organizations across Mexico and Latin America.

The firm's service portfolio spans the full value chain of cultural projects—from diagnosis and strategic planning to content development, production, and communication. Aura has developed proprietary digital assets including the Backbone cloud platform for museum collection management, the USO.mx digital marketplace for art (launched during the COVID-19 pandemic), award-winning mobile applications for exhibitions at MUAC, and custom websites for institutions such as the Museo Frida Kahlo and the Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil. Digital products are positioned as client-specific consulting deliverables rather than standalone technology offerings, and Aura does not present itself as a technology company.

The business model is professional services on a project-by-project basis with custom, non-disclosed pricing. The go-to-market is sales-led and partnership-driven: Aura acquires engagements through direct institutional relationships, competitive bidding against other consultancies, and channels through international cooperation bodies (BID, British Council, GIZ, Goethe Institut, UN Women, CICR) that commission regional programs in Latin America. Named clients include the Inter-American Development Bank, British Council, Fundación FEMSA, Museo del Prado, ICRC, Open Society Foundations, the Canadian Embassy in Mexico, and Mexican federal and state cultural agencies. The firm is privately held, bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, and operates exclusively from Mexico City without disclosed subsidiaries.

Name

Aura

Legal name

Aura Consultoría Cultural S.C.

Website

https://auracultura.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aura Cultura is a Mexico City-based boutique consulting firm specializing in art, culture, and creative economy strategy, serving museums, government agencies, corporate foundations, and international organizations across Latin America since 2014.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Consulting Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Graphic Design Services (54143), Advertising Agencies (54181)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Creative Concepting & Campaign Development (BPAFAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD), Graphic Design & Visual Content Production (BPAFAIAC), Event Production & Technical Services (AV, Lighting, Staging) (BPAFAGAB)

Keywords

• Cultural consulting services
• Creative economy consulting
• Cultural policy development
• Museum digital platforms
• Arts strategy advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Mexico City

HQ country

Mexico

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services: Aura generates revenue through project-based consulting engagements for cultural institutions, government agencies, foundations, and international organizations. Services include strategic planning, cultural policy development, research, evaluation, curatorial work, and digital transformation projects for the cultural sector.
2. Research and Publication Services: Conducting research studies, policy analyses, and publications commissioned by international organizations, embassies, and cultural institutions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aura is a boutique strategic consultancy specializing in art, culture, and the creative economy. The firm designs and delivers projects along the entire cultural value chain — diagnosis, conceptualization, strategic planning, content development, production, and communication — for cultural institutions, government agencies, foundations, and international organizations across Mexico and Latin America. Complementary digital offerings include the Backbone museum collection platform, the USO.mx art and culture marketplace, and custom mobile and web applications.

Product overview

AURA is a strategic consulting firm specialized in art, culture and creative economy that develops projects throughout the entire value chain from diagnosis, conceptualization, strategic planning, content development, production and communication. The company's offerings include strategic consulting services as its core product, complemented by proprietary digital platforms including Backbone (cloud-based museum collection management), USO.mx (digital marketplace for art and culture), and mobile applications for museum exhibitions. Additional services include exhibition curation, museum mediation programs, cultural policy development, and website development for cultural institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AURA Strategic Consulting End-to-end strategic consulting services for cultural institutions, government agencies, foundations, and international organizations, covering diagnosis, conceptualization, strategic planning, content development, production, and communication in the art, culture, and creative economy sectors.
• Backbone Cloud-based platform specialized in the management, preservation, and dissemination of artistic collections, documentary archives, and databases, with outputs across desktop, mobile, VR, and AR. Optimizes internal museum operations and generates machine-learning outputs.
• USO.mx Digital brand and marketplace for art and culture providing access to artworks, limited editions by artists, museum store products, and artistic and educational experiences, launched during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• App móvil Anish Kapoor Mobile application for the Anish Kapoor exhibition 'Arqueología: Biología' at MUAC, featuring three playful interactive experiences around color, form, and space, plus trivia about the exhibition pieces. Winner of the a! Diseño award for best app.
• App móvil Reverberaciones Multimedia application for the MUAC exhibition 'Reverberaciones: arte y sonido en las colecciones del Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo', containing exhibition themes, audio guides, videos, and interactive elements.
• Momento.MX Interactive web documentary featuring stories of a new generation of young creatives in Mexico, mapping creative industries and exploring multiple voices, collectivities, spheres, and transitions of creative practices.
• Website Development Services for Cultural Institutions Custom website development services for museums and cultural institutions, including new site builds, content presentation of collections and programming, and platform updates for clients such as Museo de Arte Carrillo Gil, Museo Frida Kahlo, Patronato MUAC, SOMA, and Cobertizo.
• Museum Mediation Service — Proyecto Pinta la Revolución Comprehensive museum mediation project developed for the 'Pinta la Revolución. Arte Moderno mexicano (1910-1950)' exhibition at MPBA and Philadelphia Museum of Art, including innovative graphic code development serving as pedagogical cartography.

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration on BID Artepreneurship program - a regional study to design a training and accompaniment program for artists and visual arts ecosystem agents in Latin America and the Caribbean, with initial pilot in Paraguay. Reviewed 51 training programs, analyzed 33 sector studies, conducted 15 interviews.
• Comité Internacional de la Cruz Roja (CICR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Commission for the 'Tejer memoria' exhibition - an itinerant exhibition on disappeared persons traveling through El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Aura handled general coordination, curatorial work, and museographic design.
• Fundación FEMSAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration on strategy design to strengthen the cultural sector through alliances and long-term cooperation schemes, building on learnings from Mondiacult 2022 Forum.
• GIZ (Sociedad Alemana de Cooperación Internacional)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Production of videos and podcasts on sustainable urban development, featuring cooperation between GIZ Mexico and Mexican government agencies.
• Embajada de Canadá en MéxicocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Study of the Mexican editorial sector for Canadian publishers, including economic analysis, agent mapping, and recommendations for market entry.
• Museo del PradocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaboration on 'Museos en la transformación digital' - development of content and tutoring for an online course on digital innovation in international museum sector, commissioned by BID.
• Centro Cultural España en MéxicosupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Consulting services for diagnosis of cultural initiative with circular economy approach at Mercado de Jamaica, Mexico City, in collaboration with Habitajes: Centro de Estudios y Acciones sobre el Espacio Público, A.C.
• Secretaría de Cultura de MéxicocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaboration in designing and implementing the Forum on Public-Private Alliances in Culture (Mondiacult 2022), working with multiple institutional partners.
• CAF - Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina y el CaribesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-organization of the Forum on Public-Private Alliances in Culture at Mondiacult 2022.
• Secretaría de Cultura de Nuevo LeónsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-organization of the Forum on Public-Private Alliances in Culture at Mondiacult 2022.
• British Council MéxicocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Research project to map and compare cultural policies in Latin America and the Caribbean, serving as reference for Mondiacult 2022. Analyzed experiences in 10 countries with 146 case study cards.
• British CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Collaboration on Creative Policy Programme with Secretaría de Economía del Estado de Puebla, working with UNIT from UK on service design methodology.
• Goethe InstitutcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Qualitative evaluation methodology development for Flash Act, an inter-institutional scenic program linking art, science, and technology.
• CobertizosupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Image design, website development, and digital marketing campaign for the Cobertizo artistic residency program in the State of Mexico.
• British Council MéxicocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Collaboration on 'Innovación para la cultura' - a participatory public innovation program in Jalisco. AURA worked with STBY from the UK in designing methodology, implementing participatory sessions, and drafting a roadmap for the creative economy.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Musealia: Spanish-based company that designs, produces, and operates traveling exhibitions and museum experiences for international cultural institutions — directly comparable to Aura's exhibition development and museographic work for projects like Tejer memoria (ICRC) and MUAC exhibitions.
• AEA Consulting: New York-based consulting firm advising cultural institutions, foundations, and creative-economy clients on strategy, planning, and program design. Closely comparable to Aura's combination of cultural strategy, research, and program-management services for major institutions and funders.
• Lord Cultural Resources: Toronto-headquartered global cultural planning and management consultancy that advises museums, governments, and cultural organizations on strategy, audience development, and facility planning — directly comparable to Aura's strategic consulting for museums and cultural institutions in Latin America.
• LaPlaca Cohen: New York-based cultural strategy firm that helps cultural and arts organizations with branding, audience strategy, and creative-economy advisory — comparable to Aura's brand strategy, audience development, and cultural-policy consulting work.
• Traction: Arts, culture, and entertainment marketing and strategy agency working with cultural institutions, performing-arts organizations, and creative brands — comparable to Aura's project-based strategic and creative services for museums and cultural-sector clients.

Regional players

• Cultural Planning Pty Ltd: Australian cultural planning consultancy that advises cities, governments, and cultural organizations on cultural strategy, planning, and policy — comparable service offering to Aura, but primarily operating in the Asia-Pacific region rather than Latin America.

Others

• British Council: UK's international organization for cultural relations that has commissioned Aura for multiple cultural-policy and innovation programs — included as a key ecosystem partner/funding intermediary, not a direct competitor, that shapes the demand landscape for Aura's services.

Emerging players

• Big Spaceship: Independent digital creative agency in New York that builds digital experiences, platforms, and brand programs for cultural and arts clients — partially comparable to Aura's Backbone platform, museum apps, and USO.mx digital marketplace capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/auracultura
• Instagraminstagram.com/auracultura

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Aura