Dark Horse Workspaces

What Dark Horse Workspaces does

Dark Horse Workspaces GmbH is a Berlin-based consulting and design firm founded in 2012 that helps organizations develop and implement new work environments supporting hybrid and agile work models. The company serves large enterprises, government ministries, and growth-stage companies primarily in German-speaking markets, with a reference portfolio of more than 35 named clients spanning aviation (Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Industry Solutions), healthcare technology (Siemens Healthineers), household appliances (BSH), specialty glass (SCHOTT), media (Der Spiegel), gaming (Kolibri Games), professional services (PwC), social insurance (AOK, Deutsche Rentenversicherung), social services (Diakonie), and federal ministries (BMZ).

The firm's core IP is a user-centered, three-phase methodology — Vision + Guidance, Transformation + Beteiligung, and Planung + Design — codified in its proprietary New Workspace Playbook (originally published by Murmann Verlag in 2018, updated in 2023). This methodology is operationalized through a tiered engagement model: Format X (2-hour webinar, 4-12 persons), Format S (2-day Mini Sprint for up to 300 sqm), Format M (2-6 week Design First), and Format L (fully customized multi-month process). Supporting artifacts include downloadable boards, templates, a 1:50 scale building kit, work diaries, and a co-developed modular room-divider system (Supergrid with Lufthansa Industry Solutions). No proprietary software platform is offered; technology use is limited to standard digital tools (Calendly, MailChimp, online surveys, digital prototypes).

Revenue is generated almost entirely through professional services engagements, with pricing custom-quoted per scope and no public rate cards. Distribution is exclusively direct, via enterprise field sales with advisory-led discovery calls, Calendly bookings, phone, and email outreach. Secondary revenue comes from sales of the Playbook book through Murmann Verlag and free downloadable toolkits that function as a marketing funnel rather than a meaningful revenue line. The company is privately held by its management team (Managing Director Erkan Karakoç) with no disclosed external investors, and became a fully integrated member of the broader Dark Horse GmbH corporate group in December 2022.

Name

Dark Horse Workspaces

Legal name

Dark Horse Workspaces GmbH

Website

https://darkhorseworkspaces.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dark Horse Workspaces GmbH is a Berlin-based consulting and design firm founded in 2012 that helps large enterprises, government agencies, and growth-stage companies design and implement hybrid work environments using its proprietary New Workspace Playbook methodology, delivered through tiered engagement formats from webinars to full custom processes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Advisory Services: Professional services revenue from New Work consulting, organizational change guidance, and workspace strategy development. Engagements range from initial vision development through to implementation support.
2. Workspace Design Services: Interior design, space planning, lighting and acoustic design, procurement support, and construction supervision services for new or renovated workspaces.
3. Workshop and Training Formats: Structured engagement formats including 2-hour webinars (Format X), 2-day Mini Sprints (Format S), 2-6 week Design First programs (Format M), and custom long-term engagements (Format L).
4. New Workspace Playbook: Sale of the published playbook book on New Work and workspace design, available through Murmann Verlag. Also includes companion materials and templates for download.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dark Horse Workspaces is a Berlin-based workspace design consultancy founded in 2012 that helps organizations redesign how they work through New Work consulting, workspace transformation, and hybrid-work strategy. The firm delivers its services via a proprietary three-phase methodology (Vision + Guidance, Transformation + Participation, Planning + Design) packaged into modular engagement formats of varying size and depth, targeted at enterprises, public-sector bodies, and startups.

Product overview

Dark Horse Workspaces is a consulting and design studio founded in 2012 and based in Berlin, Germany, that helps organizations design and implement new work environments. Its service portfolio centers on the New Workspace Playbook — a published practice book providing a structured framework for user-centered workspace development — and four scalable engagement formats: Format X (Webinar, a 2-hour intro session), Format S (Mini Sprint, a 2-day workshop for up to 300 sqm), Format M (Design First, a 2–6 week focused design concept delivery), and Format L (Prozess auf Maß, a fully customized end-to-end process from vision through execution). All formats are supported by a free downloadable template-kit of boards, templates, a scale-model Baukasten, work diaries, and factsheets. The company operates a three-phase methodology: Vision & Guidance, Transformation & Participation, and Planning & Design, covering hybrid work, agile work, desk sharing, interior design, lighting and acoustics, and construction management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• New Workspace Playbook: A methodology playbook published by Dark Horse Workspaces documenting their process for designing new workspace environments.

Products and services

• Format X (Webinar)
• Format S (Mini Sprint)
• Format M (Design First)
• Format L (Custom Process)
• New Workspace Playbook

Quantifiable outcome

• Teams report closer collaboration and stronger connections despite hybrid work arrangements (Siemens Healthineers case)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• hdg ArchitektenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm collaborating on specific projects such as the Schott Digital Lab. Partnership appears project-based rather than formal strategic alliance.
• Dauphin HumanDesign GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJointly developed DAUPHIN WORKHEART concept - furniture settings for hybrid work environments combining individual focus work, collaborative teamwork, and social exchange spaces. Product launched July 2023.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dark-horse-workspaces

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Dark Horse Workspaces