Six positioning scores, 1 to 10.
See Methodology.
| Dimension | Score | vs.Entire Market | vs. Revenue Cohort |
|---|---|---|---|
AI-first AI is one of four service lines with 'Artificial Intelligence Solutions', Clutch Top AI 2023 award, AI-themed thought leadership (ChatGPT, Notion AI, AI conferences), and 'co-pilot' hot-word; present but not the entire pitch, which centers on digital products. | 5Present | Top 79% | Top 64% |
Consultative partner Strong advisory framing via product strategy, Design Sprint de-risking methodology, and outcomes language; positions as a product partner to category leaders rather than staff-aug, though business-outcome proof is moderate. | 6Present | Top 61% | Top 27% |
Clear differentiator 'From ideas to intuitive digital products' plus strategy-design-build under one roof and Design Sprints is clear but fairly generic for a product studio; 'Continuous Improvement as a superpower' is a soft differentiator. | 5Present | Top 86% | Top 82% |
Thought leadership 15 pieces with a real practitioner POV (Design Sprints, resilient APIs, retrospectives, AI applications) showing substance, though largely tactical how-to rather than landmark reports. | 6Present | Top 56% | Top 36% |
Industry specialization Named manufacturing work (Big Ass Fans, Lexmark) at moderate depth plus lighter technology and public-sector examples; some sector proof but largely generalist product shop. | 4Emerging | Top 89% | Top 82% |
Technology-forward, owns IP Design Sprint is a medium-substance branded methodology, but other IP (Should I Use?, Product Conversations, Apollos) is thin or only nav/title mentions; no clear owned delivery platforms or accelerators. | 3Emerging | Top 81% | Top 55% |
Size
51 to 200 people
Revenue
$1M to $10M(medium confidence)
HQ
Cincinnati, OH
AI emphasis
Low
Homepage positioning
“From ideas to intuitive digital products.”
Differential is a remote-friendly digital products company that partners with companies to deliver product strategy, design, and software development. Made up of product people with startup, corporate innovation, and technology experience, they have built 100+ digital products over 10 years. They serve category leaders looking to unlock value through great digital products.
Selling points
- 50+ employees across 18 states
- 100+ digital products delivered
- 10 average years of experience per team member
- 10 years in operation
- Best Software Development Companies in Cincinnati – Expertise.com, 2023
- Top Software Developers in Cincinnati – Clutch, 2023
- Top Artificial Intelligence Company – Clutch, 2023
- Best Workplaces in Ohio – Ohio Business, 2023
- Remote-friendly team
Named clients
- Lexmark
- CVG Airport
- Big Ass Fans
Services and capabilities
Advisory and strategy
Product Strategy
Differential partners with companies to develop product strategy, helping unlock growth opportunities and disruptive business models.
Design and experience
Digital Product Design
Differential delivers design services including Design Sprints to rapidly surface insights and reduce risk before full investment, accommodating both in-person and remote teams.
Product engineering
Software Development
Differential builds custom digital products and platforms, including data-analytics solutions and sales platforms, partnering with companies from idea through delivery.
Industries
No industry focus surfaced
Thought leadership
Differential publishes a steady stream of practitioner-focused articles covering digital product development, design sprints, AI tools, and innovation strategy, positioning the firm as a knowledgeable guide for product and business teams. The program is consistent in cadence but relies almost exclusively on a single article format, with content spanning both technical and business themes.
Volume
Steady stream
Cadence
~Monthly
Most recent
August 30, 2023
- Deloitte's Insights on Corporate Innovation StrategyArticles
- Writing Resilient API IntegrationsArticles
- How to Use Notion AI to Work Faster, Write Better, Think BiggerArticles
- 7 Reasons Why We Begin Projects with a Design SprintArticles
- Try This Sailboat Exercise to Run Your Next RetrospectiveArticles
- Creating "Ah-ha" Moments with Design SprintsArticles
- Unleashing the Full Potential of ChatGPT: Five Game-Changing ApplicationsArticles
- Top 9 AI Conferences to Attend in 2023Articles
- The Law of Diffusion of InnovationArticles
- The Future of AI and Digital Product Innovation at DifferentialArticles
Owned IP
Surfaced from what the firm names on its homepage and primary navigation, plus what a quick crawl turns up. Large firms may own more than is shown here.
Should I Use?
ToolA tool linked from the site footer at shouldiuse.app — likely a technology evaluation/recommendation tool.
Our assessment: Only mentioned as a footer link with no description on the captured pages; cannot assess substance.
ViewOpen Source (GitHub)
ToolDifferential maintains open source projects on GitHub, linked from the site footer.
Our assessment: Referenced as a footer link only; no specific projects or assets described on the captured pages.
ViewDesign Sprint
FrameworkA proprietary sprint methodology refined from the Google Design Sprint concept, adapted for both in-person and remote teams, used to surface insights and address major uncertainties before full product investment.
Our assessment: A branded, well-described methodology with a dedicated page and multiple posts, but no productized tool or detailed method documentation visible.
ViewHot-words
The buzzword spaces this firm chooses to lean into.
“unlock growth opportunities”
“done well now beats perfect later”
Contact surface
Ways we found to reach this firm.