Haas@Work - UC Berkeley's Innovation Agency

What Haas@Work - UC Berkeley's Innovation Agency does

Haas@Work is an academic innovation agency operating within UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, founded in 2009 and staffed by approximately 8 program personnel plus rotating MBA student teams. It is not a standalone company but a program unit of a public university (University of California, Berkeley), and revenue is not commercially disclosed. The program offers four core service lines: (1) the MBA Innovation Agency (Haas@Work class) — four-month student-faculty consulting engagements with client organizations; (2) Student-Powered Services — ad-hoc access to Haas students for ethnography, foresight work, and design sprints; (3) the Executive Roundtable — an advisory board with year-round innovation-focused activities; and (4) Custom Learning & Workshops — faculty-led master classes, design sprints, and offsites delivered at Berkeley or onsite at client locations. The underlying methodology is design thinking developed and taught by Haas faculty, with no disclosed AI/ML or software platform components.

The business model is professional services, monetized through enterprise engagement fees, executive roundtable memberships, and custom workshop pricing, though no pricing is publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales via direct outreach to organizations seeking innovation consulting, talent access, and executive development. The customer base exceeds 40 enterprise organizations spanning healthcare (Abbott, Genentech, Blue Cross California), technology (Adobe, Cisco, HP, Intel, SAP, Juniper, Huawei, Konica Minolta), financial services (Wells Fargo, Visa, Charles Schwab, US Bank, PayPal, Blackhawk Network), consumer goods (Clorox, GAP, McDonald's, J.M. Smucker, Peet's Coffee), automotive (Ford, Nissan), industrial/chemicals (Dow, BASF, Siemens), and other sectors (Li-Ning, Panasonic, Virgin America, Oakland Athletics, PG&E, Gore, Safeway, StubHub, VF Corporation, Orange, Gracenote, Del Monte, Diamond Foods, Bio-Rad). Marketing relies on UC Berkeley Haas institutional channels — website, LinkedIn (2,500+ followers), Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Name

Haas@Work - UC Berkeley's Innovation Agency

Legal name

Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley

Website

https://haasatwork.berkeley.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2026

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Haas@Work is UC Berkeley Haas School of Business's innovation agency, offering four-month MBA student-faculty consulting engagements, ad-hoc student-powered design and ethnography services, executive roundtables, and custom workshops to enterprise organizations applying design thinking methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Innovation, Product & R&D Consulting (BPAHACAM)

Keywords

• Innovation consulting
• Design thinking training
• Management consulting
• Executive education
• MBA consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Innovation Agency Engagements: Organizations partner with MBA student teams for four-month innovation consultancy engagements through the Haas@Work class program
2. Custom Workshops & Training: Custom-designed master classes, workshops, design sprints, and offsites run by Haas faculty, delivered at Berkeley or onsite at client locations
3. Student-Powered Services: Roster of Haas students available for ad-hoc ethnography, foresight work, and design sprints engagements with partner organizations
4. Executive Roundtable Membership: Roundtable and advisory board participation with formal and informal innovation-focused activities throughout the year

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Haas@Work is the MBA Innovation Agency of UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, pairing teams of MBA students and faculty with client organizations for four-month innovation consultancy engagements through the Haas@Work class. It complements these engagements with student-powered services (ethnography, foresight, design sprints), an Executive Roundtable advisory program, and custom faculty-led workshops and offsites focused on design thinking and innovation. Services are sold to enterprise organizations seeking hands-on innovation support and access to MBA talent.

Product overview

Haas@Work is an innovation agency at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business that offers a portfolio of educational and consulting services focused on design thinking, creativity, and innovation. The core offerings include the MBA Innovation Agency (a four-month student-faculty consulting engagement), Student-Powered Services (ad-hoc ethnography, foresight, and design sprint talent), an Executive Roundtable (advisory board and learning activities), and Custom Learning & Workshops (faculty-led master classes and offsites). These services work together to help organizations develop hands-on innovation capabilities and lead change.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MBA Innovation Agency (Haas@Work) A four-month innovation consultancy engagement where a team of MBA students and Haas faculty work directly with a client organization to unlock new insights and ideas on its innovation challenges.
• Student-Powered Services Ad-hoc access to a roster of Haas MBA students available for short-duration engagements including ethnography research, foresight work, and design sprints for partner organizations.
• Executive Roundtable An advisory board and roundtable program for executives, providing participation in formal and informal innovation-focused activities throughout the year to build leadership in innovation.
• Custom Learning & Workshops Custom-designed master classes, workshops, design sprints, and offsites delivered by Haas faculty, available at the Berkeley campus or onsite/offsite at the client's location.

Named customers24 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Abbott Diabetes CareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization receiving innovation consulting services through the Haas@Work MBA Innovation Agency program. Students and faculty work with company teams on innovation projects.
• AccentureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional services firm that has partnered with Berkeley Haas Design Thinking program for innovation engagements and student projects.
• AdobeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology company partnered with Haas for design thinking and innovation consulting projects through the MBA Innovation Agency.
• Bio-RadminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLife sciences company engaged with Haas for innovation consulting and design thinking methodology applications.
• Blackhawk NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPayments company partnered with Berkeley Haas for innovation agency projects and student consulting engagements.
• Blue Cross CaliforniaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare insurance provider engaged with Haas for design thinking and innovation consulting services.
• CloroxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsumer goods company partnered with Haas Innovation Agency for innovation consulting projects.
• CiscominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology networking company partnered with Berkeley Haas for innovation and design thinking engagements.
• Del MonteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood and agriculture company engaged with Haas for innovation consulting through MBA student teams.
• DowminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaterials science company partnered with Haas Design Thinking program for innovation projects.
• HPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology hardware company engaged with Haas for innovation consulting and student project work.
• IntelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSemiconductor company partnered with Berkeley Haas for design thinking and innovation engagements.
• NissanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutomotive manufacturer engaged with Haas Innovation Agency for innovation consulting.
• PanasonicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerElectronics company partnered with Haas for design thinking methodology and innovation projects.
• PayPalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial technology company engaged with Haas for MBA student innovation projects.
• SAPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnterprise software company partnered with Berkeley Haas for innovation and design thinking engagements.
• SiemensminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial technology company engaged with Haas for innovation consulting projects.
• VisaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPayments technology company partnered with Haas Innovation Agency for consulting projects.
• Wells FargominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial services company engaged with Berkeley Haas for design thinking and innovation consulting.
• FordminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutomotive company partnered with Haas for MBA student innovation projects.
• GenentechminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiotechnology company engaged with Haas for innovation consulting through student teams.
• BASFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChemical company partnered with Berkeley Haas Design Thinking program for innovation engagements.
• Charles SchwabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial services firm engaged with Haas for innovation consulting and design thinking projects.
• GAPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRetail apparel company partnered with Haas for MBA student innovation projects.
• McDonald'sminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant chain engaged with Haas Innovation Agency for design thinking and innovation consulting.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Livework: A service design and innovation consultancy that helps organizations redesign services and build innovation capabilities. Comparable to Haas@Work in using design thinking and human-centered methods to deliver enterprise transformation projects.
• frog design: A global design and innovation consultancy (now part of Capgemini Engineering) that delivers design-led transformation, product innovation, and customer experience work. Directly competes for the same enterprise innovation consulting budgets as Haas@Work.
• Board of Innovation: A global corporate innovation consultancy that helps large organizations develop innovation strategies, run corporate venturing programs, and build innovation capabilities. Direct competition for enterprise design thinking and innovation mandates.
• Stanford d.school: The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University, a direct analog operating a design thinking program within a top business/engineering school. Offers executive education, workshops, and student-powered projects to enterprise clients, mirroring the Haas@Work model at Berkeley.
• Innosight: Founded by Harvard's Clayton Christensen, Innosight provides strategy and innovation consulting focused on growth, transformation, and disruption. Closely comparable in helping enterprises build innovation capabilities and develop new growth strategies.
• IDEO: The pioneer of design thinking consulting, providing innovation strategy, product design, and organizational transformation services to large enterprises. IDEO is the most established direct competitor for corporate design thinking and innovation engagements of the kind Haas@Work delivers.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company: The world's leading management consultancy, with dedicated design and innovation practices. Represents the broad incumbent competitive threat, with greater senior practitioner depth and global delivery infrastructure than Haas@Work's student-driven model.
• Accenture: Global professional services firm with a large innovation and design practice (Accenture Song). Already a partner of Haas@Work, it represents a broad incumbent competing for the same corporate innovation and design thinking budgets with deeper delivery resources.
• Doblin (Deloitte): Deloitte's human-centered innovation practice (acquired Doblin), offering innovation consulting as part of a much broader professional services portfolio. Competes with Haas@Work on enterprise innovation mandates while leveraging Deloitte's global scale and seniority.

Emerging players

• Strategyzer: A training and tools company focused on Business Model Canvas, Value Proposition Design, and innovation management. Adjacent to Haas@Work through shared design thinking / innovation training and capability-building offerings for enterprises.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BerkeleyHaas
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UCBerkeleyHaas
• Facebookfacebook.com/BerkeleyHaas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ucberkeleyhaasatwork
• Instagraminstagram.com/berkeleyhaas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Haas@Work - UC Berkeley's Innovation Agency