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R&D X Else

From ideas to impact: a strategic partner for what's next

How Else’s R&D Programme provides the space to explore ahead of time

Among design agencies and consultancies dedicated R&D programmes are a rare thing, with many focused on delivering client work on a fee-for-time basis, leaving little room for innovation beyond immediate project needs.

Launched alongside our move to a shorter work week, our R&D programme provides time and space for teams to explore emerging technologies and tackle societal challenges. By creating this dedicated space, we’ve broadened our expertise and built a track record of turning ambitious ideas into tangible impact.

Six years on, our R&D programme has shaped the way we partner with startups, enterprise clients, and investors seeking to unlock new opportunities. Whether it’s advancing new technology, responding to emerging societal needs, or piloting new product ideas, we’re showing how R&D-led partnerships can create long-term value.

Above: the perspective we bring to ignite new opportunities that may be outside of a business’s field of view is fueled by R&D

What makes our approach different?

Else’s programme has a few distinctive traits

  1. Dedicated time for exploration

    Built into our shorter work week, teams self-organise around shared interests in new technologies or societal challenges, and explore ideas that can lead to innovation opportunities.

  2. Knowledge building

    Our team gain expertise in emerging fields, which is directly applied to client and venture work

  3. Strategic foresight

    By staying ahead of trends, Else anticipates the needs of both clients and markets, offering innovative, future-focused solutions.

A Platform for exploration and impact

The R&D programme at Else isn’t a side project, it’s embedded in our culture and how we operate. Our team have time carved out to explore new technological trends, behavioural shifts, or evolving human needs. We are presently looking at a range of projects that explore personalised AI, dynamic consent and trusted interactions across a number of key use cases.

Working with the Alzheimer’s Society

We’re building on a case history of ideas that can make a real difference. In 2023, an Else R&D project was funded by the Alzheimer’s Society’s Innovation Accelerator to help people living with dementia. Called Instinctively, it aims to tackle the loss of autonomy experienced by people living with dementia due to cognitive decline, by guiding people through daily tasks and embedding routines to memory.

The system is designed to be discreet and adapt to each user’s environment. During the partnership it was tested live with people living with dementia and their carers in the home, turning early-stage thinking into a solution grounded in real-world value.

Investing in positive disruption

In another case, our venture partnership with Good Engine, an AI disruptor, helped them launch a pilot product, which won the Best Use of AI at the BIMA awards in 2024 and won industry recognition for product innovation.

Working closely with the founders, Else has helped define a proposition that differentiates them in the sea of comparison engines on the market today. The service ingests affiliate offers and then leverages AI smarts to read and analyse the terms and conditions, before providing users with clear, trustworthy recommendations. This disrupts an industry that often takes advantage of players through blind trust. The partnership married our fast-paced product strategy and design leadership with their sector expertise to ensure clarity and momentum.

A pilot for change

In response to $8.8bn of losses to scams and fraud, Norton, a consumer Cyber Safety brand of Gen Digital, wanted to launch a new scam detector pilot in under 12 weeks. We helped the internet security giant create Genie – a real-time AI-powered scam detector to check if texts, emails, websites and social media posts are legitimate. Now with over 1M app installs and scam submissions, this is now being further developed by the team at Gen.

What this means for Startups, Enterprises and Investors

  1. Startups: Especially those who are funded (or about to be), and need help turning their tech, ambition or insight into a scalable, user-ready proposition.

    Else offers a unique combination of product design expertise and strategic insight, helping founders refine their propositions and accelerate market entry. Our ability to integrate seamlessly with early-stage teams ensures that great ideas are built on solid foundations.

  2. Enterprises: Who may have internal innovation functions but want to accelerate thinking or externalise higher-risk exploration

    We act as an external R&D partner, delivering the agility and innovation often missing in larger organisations. From prototyping new digital services to exploring bold ideas that might fall outside internal priorities, we provide the strategic creativity to turn challenges into opportunities.

  3. Investors: Including VC and private equity firms who want to strengthen their portfolio through thoughtful product and service design

    Else represents a scalable partner capable of driving value across multiple ventures. Whether it’s supporting portfolio companies with design and strategy or co-creating disruptive propositions, we help venture capital and private equity firms unlock the full potential of their investments.

In each case, Else brings a way of working that’s fast but considered and allows us to keep exploring through a perspective built on our own strategic foresight.

What comes next?

The future of Else is increasingly venture-led. We are committed to partnering with organisations that share our vision for impactful innovation.

By leveraging our R&D programme, we aim to create not only breakthrough digital experiences but also help leadership teams align by exploring probable, plausible and preferable futures together.

If you’re looking to explore the possibilities of R&D with a partner who understands the intersection of strategy, design, and technology, we’d love to talk.

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