Springtime

What Springtime does

Springtime Design is a privately-held Amsterdam-based product design consultancy founded in 1995 by John Kock and Marcel Schreuder that specializes exclusively in sustainable urban mobility products, including e-bikes, scooters, cargo vehicles, light electric vehicles, strollers, and multimodal transit concepts. The studio operates across the full product development lifecycle through four service lines — Discovery (market and user research, opportunity mapping), Design (industrial design, concept development, 3D CAD, generative AI exploration), Brand Design (visual identity, brand books), and Delivery (design engineering, prototyping, supplier sourcing) — and serves enterprise clients (Nike, Heineken, Dell, Lyft, Dutch Rail/NS, Mobike, Stella, Mutsy) alongside early-stage mobility startups (Lemmo, adam.). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the studio occasionally structures compensation with startups as equity or royalty arrangements in lieu of cash fees, and in 2019 launched the Urban Mobility Lab (UML), a think/do tank vehicle for co-developing and spinning off sustainable mobility IP with external shareholders. Revenue is generated primarily through professional services fees with alternative equity/royalty upside on startup engagements; the firm is founder-owned with no disclosed external investment, subsidiaries, M&A, or public listing.

Name

Springtime

Legal name

Springtime Design

Website

https://springtime.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Springtime Design is an Amsterdam-based product design consultancy, founded in 1995, that specializes in sustainable urban mobility products including e-bikes, scooters, cargo vehicles, and strollers, serving global enterprise clients and early-stage mobility startups through a full Discovery-to-Delivery service model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Design Consulting Services: Fee-based design and innovation consulting services including Discovery (market research, ethnographic research, opportunity mapping), Design (industrial design, concept development, prototyping), and Delivery (manufacturing support, design engineering). Services are offered to startups, SMEs, and multinationals with flexible arrangements for early-stage companies including equity or royalty agreements.
2. Startup Support Services: Alternative rewarding systems for startups including royalty or equity agreements, business plan/investor memo support, crowdfunding support, pitch deck design, and MVP prototyping. These flexible arrangements support early development stages in exchange for equity or future royalties.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Springtime is a design and innovation studio for sustainable urban mobility. It provides end-to-end design services across the product development lifecycle — from Design Research/Discovery (market and user research), through Industrial Design (concept creation, 3D CAD modeling, prototyping), to Brand Design (visual identity) and Delivery/Product Realization (engineering, supplier sourcing, manufacturing support). The studio specializes in e-bikes, scooters, light electric vehicles, micromobility, strollers, and last-mile delivery vehicles for enterprise clients, SMEs, and startups.

Product overview

Springtime is a design and innovation studio for sustainable urban mobility, based in Amsterdam, offering a comprehensive suite of services across the product development lifecycle: Design Research/Discovery (market and user research), Industrial Design/Product Design Studio (concept to detailed design), Brand Design (visual identity and brand books), and Delivery/Product Realization (engineering, prototyping, supplier sourcing). The studio specializes in New Mobility design covering micromobility, e-bikes, light electric vehicles, and strollers. Their approach includes Startup Support with flexible equity/royalty arrangements and the Urban Mobility Lab (UML) venture for co-developing mobility solutions. Their portfolio includes designed products such as DISPATCH compact cargo vehicles, RoodRunner electric cargo bikes, Scootility utility scooters, Lemmo ONE/POD e-bikes, Whooler ADAPT adaptive strollers, and various other mobility products for clients worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Urban Mobility Lab (UML): A specialist think/do tank that initiates, develops and spins-off products and services in the realm of sustainable (sub-car) urban mobility. UML shareholders have a say in ideas to develop, co-own any IP developed within UML, and own the first right to invest in spin-off ventures.

Products and services

• Design Research / Discovery Market and user research services combining desktop and real-world research to uncover trends, identify business opportunities, and develop innovation strategies for sustainable urban mobility products. Sold to enterprise clients, SMEs, and startups.
• Industrial Design / Product Design Studio Creative design and development services translating business opportunities into tangible product concepts, including brainstorming, sketch ideation, generative AI exploration, 3D CAD modeling, and detailed design for mobility products. Sold to enterprise clients, SMEs, and startups.
• Brand Design Brand development and visual identity services translating brand strategy into verbal and visual expressions, from corporate identity to physical products and services, including brand books and product design guidelines. Sold to enterprise clients, SMEs, and startups.
• Delivery / Product Realization Technical expertise bridging concept to production, including design engineering, prototyping, supplier sourcing, and creative support through the full product development lifecycle. Sold to enterprise clients, SMEs, and startups.
• Startup Support Entrepreneurial partnership services for early-stage mobility startups, including royalty/equity agreements, business plan support, crowdfunding support, pitch deck design, and MVP prototyping. Sold to early-stage startups in micromobility and adjacent sectors.
• Urban Mobility Lab (UML) A specialist think/do tank that initiates, develops and spins-off products and services in sustainable urban mobility, with shareholders having co-ownership of IP developed within the lab and first right to invest in spin-off ventures. Operated by Springtime.
• New Mobility Design Design expertise for electric vehicles covering the trifecta of Motor-Battery-IoT integration, focusing on micromobility, mopeds/motorcycles, mini mobility, with capabilities for personal, shared, and commercial ownership models. Sold to enterprise clients, SMEs, and startups.
• Bicycle and E-bike Design Specialized design services for bicycles and e-bikes, including riding geometry analysis, wheel size, motorization, battery pack, gearing, and braking system optimization, with expertise since 1995. Sold to bicycle and e-bike brands.
• Stroller Design Design services for baby strollers combining hardware and softgoods, incorporating EN 1888 safety compliance, sustainable materials (rPET, rPP, bio-based alternatives), and design-for-disassembly principles. Sold to juvenile product companies.

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lunar Design: Industrial design and innovation firm focused on hardware products and brand experiences for global brands. Comparable to Springtime in providing integrated design research, industrial design, and brand design services.
• Smart Design: Product and brand design consultancy with deep consumer product expertise across hardware and brand experiences. Closely comparable to Springtime's industrial design and brand design service offerings for enterprise clients.
• Ammunition Group: Design studio specializing in product, brand, and experience design for consumer goods and technology clients. Closely comparable to Springtime in delivering design-led product innovation for enterprise and startup clients.
• Fuseproject: Boutique industrial design and brand studio led by Yves Béhar, working across consumer products, mobility, and connected devices. Directly comparable to Springtime in scope, client caliber, and category-defining product work.
• IDEO: Iconic global design and innovation consultancy offering industrial design, brand design, and design research services to enterprises and startups. Directly comparable to Springtime as a multidisciplinary design studio with a similar project-based engagement model.
• frog (Capgemini Invent): Global design and innovation firm (now part of Capgemini Invent) providing industrial design, brand, and product strategy across consumer and mobility categories. Closely comparable to Springtime in offering end-to-end Discovery-through-Delivery services with similar enterprise clients.
• Teague: Design and innovation consultancy with deep transportation, aviation, and mobility expertise offering industrial design, brand, and product strategy. Comparable to Springtime in transportation-adjacent product design with large enterprise client base.
• Box Clever: Product design consultancy specializing in connected hardware, consumer products, and brand experiences for global brands. Directly comparable to Springtime in offering integrated industrial and brand design with similar engagement model.

Regional players

• VanBerlo: Eindhoven-based Dutch design and innovation agency offering industrial design and brand strategy for consumer products and mobility clients. Comparable to Springtime as a Netherlands-based design consultancy with overlapping category and client reach in the European market.

Broad incumbents

• Designworks (BMW Group): In-house design studio of BMW Group serving automotive, mobility, and consumer clients globally with transportation design as a core competency. Comparable to Springtime in mobility design expertise, but operates at much larger scale and as part of an OEM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xlinkedin.com/company/springtimedesign
• Facebookfacebook.com/springtime.amsterdam
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/springtimedesign
• Instagraminstagram.com/springtime_amsterdam

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Springtime