Studio Graphene expands into Ireland with Tribe deal

Studio Graphene has integrated Tribe Digital into its business, marking the company's entry into Ireland.

The London-headquartered digital product studio is also expanding its capabilities in user experience, design and product engineering. Tribe adds an established presence in Dublin, London and Paris, along with clients including Vodafone, Benecol, Enterprise Ireland, Knight Frank and NEC.

Studio Graphene employs about 100 people across studios in London, Delhi, Lisbon and Geneva. Bringing Tribe into the business adds design and brand expertise to its existing digital product development work.

As part of the move, Tribe founder Eoin McKenna will take on a lead role at Studio Graphene. He will continue working with Tribe's existing customers, who will gain access to services including cloud, DevOps, custom software and AI-led digital products.

The expansion gives Studio Graphene its first base in the Irish market, at a time when agencies and technology consultancies are seeking broader service offerings and access to clients across multiple European markets.

The deal is intended to combine Tribe's user experience and design work with Studio Graphene's engineering and product delivery teams. This allows the combined business to support clients from early design through software development and platform delivery.

Ritam Gandhi, Founder and Director of Studio Graphene, said the rationale for the integration was fit rather than scale.

"We are excited to bring Eoin into the Studio Graphene fold. Far from an aggressive growth strategy, this is all about alignment and complementary offerings, meaning we can better serve clients and broaden our reach. With Tribe on our team, we're strengthening parts of the delivery lifecycle we haven't historically focused on as heavily, adding complementary design expertise and a stronger focus on the experiential layer. Combined with our product design, engineering, AI and platform work, this creates a more complete end-to-end offering," Gandhi said.

For Studio Graphene, the move extends a footprint that has so far centred on the UK and other international studio locations rather than Ireland. For Tribe, the integration gives its client base access to a broader technical delivery organisation while retaining McKenna in a senior role.

Tribe has operated as a digital brand agency across three cities. Its client list reflects a mix of corporate and public sector work, potentially giving Studio Graphene a broader route into Irish and European accounts.

The transaction also reflects the continued convergence of digital agencies and software development firms, as clients increasingly seek fewer suppliers that can cover branding, user experience, design and engineering under one roof.

McKenna said the decision followed close alignment between the two businesses.

"Joining Studio Graphene felt like a natural step. There is a clear alignment in cultures, standards and ethos. This is an opportunity to build on that and connect what Studio Graphene does with a broader product capability, while supporting clients in Ireland and across Europe," McKenna said.