Card79
Card79 is a boutique San Francisco design consultancy founded in 2014 that specializes in industrial design, UX, and human-machine interaction for clients in neurotechnology, robotics, and intelligent interfaces. The 14-person studio delivers project-based product design for tier-1 clients including Neuralink, Nike, and Prophetic.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, California, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Card79 does
Card79 is a boutique B2B design consultancy founded in 2014 by Afshin Mehin and headquartered at 3435 Cesar Chavez St in San Francisco. The studio specializes in human-machine interface design at the intersection of robotics, neurotechnology, and intelligent interfaces, with a deliberate focus on what the company describes as "uncharted territories" where products do not yet exist in market. Card79 delivers integrated industrial design, UX/HRI (human-robot interaction), motion design, wearable ergonomics, anthropometric fit studies, and software prototyping under a single multidisciplinary team, and uses AI-assisted development tools (Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot) internally to accelerate workflows. Its portfolio includes the Neuralink R1 surgical robot and N1 wearable, the Sentante teleoperated endovascular robot, the Rapid Robotics Rapid Machine Operator, the Noon smart home lighting system, the Sepura Home compost appliance, Prophetic's Halo lucid dreaming wearable, and exploratory work for Nike smart glasses and Tier 1 automotive supplier SL.
The business model is project-based professional services with selective, high-touch engagements: Card79 describes working with "a small number of partners at a time," and all new business is routed through [email protected]. Revenue mechanics are anchored in long-cycle deep engagements (e.g., a 3-year Sentante collaboration, 58 prototypes for Neuralink's wearable, 92 design iterations for Rapid Robotics) rather than volume-based transactions. The studio has no published pricing, no productized offering, and no channel or reseller network; its demand generation is driven by thought leadership, conference participation (SXSW, IEEE Ro-Man, SF Design Week), earned media (WIRED, Fast Company), and a public-facing design experiment initiative called Coevolve. The firm is privately held, founder-led, reports no external funding rounds, and operates with a stated headcount of 14 employees, with open roles for Industrial Designer and Studio Technologist indicating measured, organic scaling.
Card79 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Card79
- Legal name
- Card79
- Website
- https://card79.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Card79 is a boutique San Francisco design consultancy founded in 2014 that specializes in industrial design, UX, and human-machine interaction for clients in neurotechnology, robotics, and intelligent interfaces. The 14-person studio delivers project-based product design for tier-1 clients including Neuralink, Nike, and Prophetic.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Card79 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco, California
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Card79 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Design Consulting and Professional Services: Card79 generates revenue by providing paid design and innovation consulting services to client organizations. Services include industrial design, UX/UI design, motion design, brand strategy, hardware-software integration design, and research. Engagements range from early concept exploration through production-intent design. The company describes its model as working with a small number of partners at a time, indicating project-based, high-touch engagements rather than volume-based transactions.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels10 records
Card79 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Card79 is a boutique design studio that co-designs the hardware and software of human-machine interface products for clients in neurotechnology, robotics, and intelligent interfaces. Engagements span industrial design, UX/HRI design, motion design, wearable and implantable device ergonomics, software prototyping, and brand strategy — taking projects from early concept exploration through production-intent design. The studio works selectively with a small number of partner organizations at a time, delivering senior-led, multidisciplinary teams under one roof.
Product overview
Card79 is a San Francisco-based design studio offering industrial design, UX/UI, and product development services. Rather than a unified software product, they deliver client-specific project work across robotics, neurotechnology, wearables, and smart home categories. Their portfolio includes Neuralink Robot and Wearable, Sentante (surgical robotics), Rapid Robotics (manufacturing automation), Noon (smart lighting), Sepura Home (sustainable kitchen appliance), Prophetic (lucid dreaming wearable), and the Coevolve research initiative on human-robot collaboration. They also created the Kintsugi Upgrades NFT collection and provide specialized services in neurotech device design, robotics deployment, and motion design.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Coevolve: A design experiment initiative exploring how AI and robotics can enhance human lives, with case studies on factory collaboration, elderly care, and city living.
Products and services
- Neurotech Design Services
- Robotics Design Services
- Coevolve Design Experiment Initiative
Quantifiable outcome
- 58 wearable prototypes developed for Neuralink wearable design program
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Card79
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Card79 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Card79 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators11 records
Card79 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- IDEO: Globally renowned product design and innovation consultancy with a similar multidisciplinary practice spanning industrial design, UX, and emerging technology. IDEO is the most-established peer in the same 'design at the intersection of humans and technology' positioning that Card79 occupies.
- Gadi Amit / NewDealDesign: Boutique product design studio specializing in wearables and consumer hardware, with strong reputation in the neurotech-adjacent category Card79 also serves.
- Teague: Design consultancy with deep roots in physical-digital product design, transportation, and emerging technology. Comparable in combining industrial design with systems thinking for ambitious enterprise clients.
- Lunar Design: Silicon Valley design and innovation consultancy with a similar mix of industrial design, UX, and strategy engagements. Comparable client profile across consumer electronics and connected devices.
- Whipsaw: San Francisco-based industrial design studio with deep experience in consumer electronics, medical devices, and IoT. Overlaps with Card79 in designing hardware-software integrated products for ambitious technology clients.
- Huge: Digital product and experience design agency covering UX, brand, and integrated digital-physical experiences. Overlaps with Card79 on UX/UI and motion design work for connected product clients such as Noon.
- frog (frog design): Industrial design and innovation firm (now part of Capgemini Engineering) that serves a similar mix of consumer tech, mobility, and healthcare clients. frog's hardware-software integrated approach and category-defining product work make it Card79's closest scaled peer.
- NewDealDesign: San Francisco product design firm known for wearable and consumer technology work (Fitbit, Google hardware). Comparable in boutique scale, geography, and emphasis on emerging-tech industrial design.
- Ammunition Group: Boutique industrial design firm founded by Robert Brunner (formerly Apple), serving consumer technology and hardware clients with a focus on premium product design and brand. Comparable in studio size and high-touch consulting model.
- Bould Design: Boutique industrial design firm serving consumer electronics and hardware startups from California. Comparable in studio scale, geographic focus, and high-touch client engagement model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Card79 social profiles
Digital presenceCard79 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Card79 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Card79 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Card79 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 Card79
What does Card79 do?
Card79 is a boutique design studio that co-designs the hardware and software of human-machine interface products for clients in neurotechnology, robotics, and intelligent interfaces. Engagements span industrial design, UX/HRI design, motion design, wearable and implantable device ergonomics, software prototyping, and brand strategy — taking projects from early concept exploration through production-intent design. The studio works selectively with a small number of partner organizations at a time, delivering senior-led, multidisciplinary teams under one roof.
Is Card79 a public or private company?
Card79 is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Card79 founded?
Card79 was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Card79 based?
Card79 is headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States, in the North America region.
How does Card79 make money?
One revenue line is on record: design Consulting and Professional Services.
Who are Card79's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are IDEO, Gadi Amit / NewDealDesign, Teague, Lunar Design, Whipsaw, Huge, frog (frog design), NewDealDesign, Ammunition Group and Bould Design.
Does Card79 have an API?
No public API is recorded for Card79.