Consult Red
Employee-owned firm of 220-plus people, founded by five engineering leaders from Pace Micro
Founded 2003 | Shipley, UK | 220+ employees
firmware-consultingarchitecture-reviewrtos-developmentiot-connectivitystaff-aug
What is Consult Red?
Consult Red was founded in 2003 by five engineering leaders from Pace Micro, initially operating as Red Embedded before rebranding to Consult Red in February 2020. Headquartered at The Wave, Shipley, England, the firm has grown to more than 220 employees across four continents and transferred ownership to an Employee-Owned Trust, applying its embedded, hardware, and cloud technology experience to connected-device consulting across Connected TV, IoT, and industrial sectors. The founding team's direct engineering leadership background at Pace Micro, a real, named prior employer, gives its consulting credibility a specific origin story a buyer can trace.
Consult Red works primarily with clients in Connected TV, IoT, Industrial, Pay TV / OTT sectors. Its primary differentiator is: Founded by five engineering leaders from Pace Micro, employee-owned since its 2020 rebrand from Red Embedded.
Consult Red tech stack and services
RTOSEmbedded SoftwareCloud PlatformsConnected TV / RDK
| Service area |
|---|
| Firmware Consulting |
| Architecture Review |
| RTOS Development |
| IoT Connectivity |
| Staff Augmentation |
Consult Red pricing
Short answer: Consult Red uses a consulting and product development engagements pricing approach. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed; a discovery call is required.
| Engagement model | Typical range | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Consulting | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
| Product development | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
| Staff augmentation | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
Consult Red does not publish a public rate card. Contact them directly via their website to get project-specific pricing.
Consult Red pros and cons
| Advantages | Things to consider |
|---|---|
| +Founded by five engineering leaders from Pace Micro, a specific, verifiable prior employer that grounds the firm's founding expertise claim | -Connected TV and OTT specialization is a narrower fit for a buyer whose product has no video or pay-TV component |
| +22 years of operating history, with employee ownership since its 2020 rebrand aligning staff incentives with long-term client relationships | -No published pricing or minimum engagement figure |
| +220-plus employees across four continents give substantial bench depth for concurrent consulting and development engagements | -The 2020 rebrand from Red Embedded to Consult Red is worth confirming doesn't create confusion with unrelated firms using similar names |
| +Connected TV and RDK-V/RDK-B specialization is a specific, differentiated niche within broader embedded consulting |
Consult Red vs alternatives
How Consult Red compares to the other top Firmware Consulting consultancies.
| Company | Best for | Key difference | Rating | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemberg Solutions | Architecture consulting that can transition directly into full... | Direct NXP, STMicroelectronics, and Microchip partner status backing platform and RTOS selection advisory before development starts | 4.8 | Full comparison |
| Barr Group | Independent architecture consulting, training, and technical expert-witness work. | Led by a recognized embedded software authority; identity is built on expertise and independent judgment, not development headcount | 4.6 | Full comparison |
| itemis AG | ISO 26262 and IEC 61508 functional safety consulting... | Functional safety compliance engineering as a dedicated, named business line built over more than two decades | 4.5 | Full comparison |
| Beningo Embedded Group | Independent architecture and process consulting from a named... | Founder-led consultancy with direct prior consulting and training engagements at General Motors, Intel, Infineon, and Renesas | 4.5 | Full comparison |
| Doulos | Deep technical training on SoC, embedded software, and... | 35 years of training authority status, employee-owned since 2022 rather than externally financed | 4.5 | Full comparison |
| exida | Functional safety certification and lifecycle management for IEC... | One of a small number of independent functional-safety certification bodies, not just a consultant offering a safety opinion | 4.4 | Full comparison |
| RMB Consulting | Direct, founder-led firmware architecture consulting on a small... | 30-plus years of hands-on embedded engineering experience concentrated in a single named principal consultant | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Conclusive Engineering | Design-phase consulting that can convert into in-house hardware... | Nordic Semiconductor and Texas Instruments partner status backing a distinct design-phase consulting offering | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| A2e Technologies | Hardware security architecture advisory for ITAR-restricted defense and... | ITAR-certified anti-tamper hardware security design advisory, a specialty found at very few firms | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Voler Systems | Early feasibility assessment for ultra-low-power wearable and biomedical... | 46 years of continuous operation gives its early-stage feasibility judgment a long track record to verify against | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| Ripcord Designs | Independent architecture and technical-risk review across MedTech, IVD,... | Explicit positioning around providing an independent outside perspective on architecture and technical risk, not just build capacity | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| Blue Sparq | Control system architecture consulting bundled with product design. | Control system design and manufacturing specialization as a named consulting focus, not a generic embedded advisory pitch | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| Promenade Software | Architecture advisory reconciling development speed with FDA-relevant safety... | Advisory approach applies web-framework development speed to medical device firmware without compromising FDA-relevant safety requirements | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Fresh Consulting | Firmware architecture advisory bundled with broader physical-product innovation... | Firmware engineering delivered alongside electrical, mechanical, and robotics disciplines within a named product-innovation consultancy | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| NOVO Engineering | Multi-discipline systems architecture advisory spanning mechanical, electrical, and... | Systems-engineering team averaging 16 years of experience per engineer, delivering firmware advisory alongside mechanical and electrical review | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Embien Technologies | Architecture advisory that carries through to manufacturing accountability. | One-stop lifecycle scope means the same team giving architecture advice is accountable for making it manufacturable | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| DE Design Works | Architecture advisory for rugged industrial, medical, or military... | 23 years of combined PCB, hardware, and firmware architecture experience specifically for rugged industrial, medical, and military applications | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Promwad | ASIL-C automotive architecture advisory bundled with electronics design... | ASIL-C functional-safety experience in automotive ECU and infotainment architecture alongside full-stack electronics design | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| WebbyLab | Full-stack architecture advisory spanning hardware, firmware, and the... | Full-cycle advisory scope from hardware selection through firmware and the connected application layer under one team | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| InTechHouse | Advisory engagements requiring a publicly disclosed, EU-certified R&D... | Publicly listed on Warsaw's NewConnect market since 2015, giving financial transparency most private advisory boutiques don't offer | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| USA Firmware | Small to mid-size advisory engagements wanting one accountable... | Managed design services spanning electrical engineering, firmware, FPGA, and Linux advisory under a single discovery-to-production process | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Klika Tech | AWS-integrated IoT architecture advisory spanning firmware, hardware, and... | AWS IoT and DevOps competency partner status combined with STMicroelectronics hardware partnership for cloud-integrated architecture advisory | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Yalantis | Compliance-first architecture advisory for healthcare PCB-to-cloud programs. | Compliance-first full-cycle advisory from PCB design through firmware, cloud, and AI for medical device and healthcare programs | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Sigma Design | Multi-discipline architecture advisory spanning industrial design, mechanical engineering,... | 283-person product design and engineering firm advising across industrial design, mechanical engineering, and firmware at scale | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Integra Sources | Architecture advisory backed by a high volume of... | More than 250 completed hardware and firmware architecture engagements for over 100 clients across four continents | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Enginuity Inc. | Defence, marine, and industrial automation architecture advisory where... | Multidisciplinary aerospace, defence, and marine engineering advisory with firmware integrated alongside PLC, SCADA, and robotics guidance | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| AIMDek Technologies | MedTech and Software-as-a-Medical-Device architecture advisory. | Dedicated Software as a Medical Device and connected health advisory focus with compliance and safety testing services included | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Softeq | Full-stack architecture advisory bundling firmware with mobile and... | 28 years of full-stack hardware, firmware, mobile, and cloud delivery under one vendor, occasionally engaged for early advisory work | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| N-iX | Enterprise architecture advisory needing firmware alongside cloud, data,... | Enterprise-scale advisory capacity across 60-plus completed IoT and embedded projects inside a broader software engineering portfolio | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| A-listware | Staff augmentation for advisory-adjacent firmware architecture guidance. | Remote engineering team delivery model with embedded firmware architecture guidance and legacy modernization as named service lines | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| Spyrosoft | Enterprise-scale advisory backed by public-company financial disclosure. | Publicly listed (Warsaw Stock Exchange) engineering firm with 2,253 employees and published functional-safety standards expertise | 3.7 | Full comparison |
Consult Red FAQ
What is Consult Red?
Employee-owned firm of 220-plus people, founded by five engineering leaders from Pace Micro
How much does Consult Red charge?
Consult Red uses consulting and product development engagements pricing. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. A discovery call is required to get project-specific quotes.
What tech stack does Consult Red use?
Consult Red works with RTOS, Embedded Software, Cloud Platforms, Connected TV / RDK. Primary industries served include Connected TV, IoT, Industrial, Pay TV / OTT.
Is Consult Red right for enterprise?
Connected-device consulting from a team with direct prior product-company engineering leadership. 220+ team size. Key consideration: Connected TV and OTT specialization is a narrower fit for a buyer whose product has no video or pay-TV component.
What are the best Consult Red alternatives?
The best alternatives to Consult Red depend on your use case. Top options are:
- Lemberg Solutions: direct nxp, stmicroelectronics, and microchip partner status backing platform and rtos selection advisory before development starts
- Barr Group: led by a recognized embedded software authority; identity is built on expertise and independent judgment, not development headcount
- itemis AG: functional safety compliance engineering as a dedicated, named business line built over more than two decades
Compare Consult Red with other Firmware Consulting consultancies
Consult Red vs Lemberg Solutions Consult Red vs Barr Group Consult Red vs itemis AG Consult Red vs Beningo Embedded Group Consult Red vs Doulos Consult Red vs exida Consult Red vs RMB Consulting Consult Red vs Conclusive Engineering Consult Red vs A2e Technologies Consult Red vs Voler Systems Consult Red vs Ripcord Designs Consult Red vs Blue Sparq Consult Red vs Promenade Software Consult Red vs Fresh Consulting Consult Red vs NOVO Engineering Consult Red vs Embien Technologies Consult Red vs DE Design Works Consult Red vs Promwad Consult Red vs WebbyLab Consult Red vs InTechHouse Consult Red vs USA Firmware Consult Red vs Klika Tech Consult Red vs Yalantis Consult Red vs Sigma Design Consult Red vs Integra Sources Consult Red vs Enginuity Inc. Consult Red vs AIMDek Technologies Consult Red vs Softeq Consult Red vs N-iX Consult Red vs A-listware Consult Red vs Spyrosoft
Verify all details directly with Consult Red before making a decision.