What Create& does

Create& is a privately held, boutique innovation consulting firm founded in 2014 and headquartered in the Washington D.C. metro area. The firm helps businesses, nonprofits, social entrepreneurs, and government agencies launch new ventures and solve complex problems through facilitated design sprints built on a proprietary five-phase framework (Understand, Diverge, Decide, Build, Validate). This framework is derived from the Google Ventures design sprint model and refined by Create& to incorporate service design, equity-centered design, improv, and creative theories drawn from Jazz and Martial Arts. Co-founders Maia Sciupac and Gabe Arteaga lead engagements directly, supported by a contractor network for specialized design, UX, copywriting, and development work; the firm also runs Human-Centered Design, Business Development, and Communications + Marketing fellowship programs.

The firm's commercial offering comprises three service lines: (1) custom design sprint engagements for organizations solving difficult business questions in four days, (2) structured workshop programs including one-day bootcamps and six-week courses that teach the methodology, and (3) research and strategy services covering user research, ideation workshops, brand messaging, and pitch refinement. Notable project work includes the national rollout of Thorn's Spotlight machine learning tool with the U.S. DOJ and Fox Valley Technical College, a website redesign for Thorn, and anti-trafficking campaigns for the Alameda County District Attorney's Office. Pricing is custom and quote-based, initiated through a free 20-minute consultation.

Create& pursues a community-led go-to-market motion, anchored by the POP UP! Design Sprint Lab virtual meetup and the Unleaded D.C. metro design sprint meetup, supplemented by direct sales to enterprise, government, and nonprofit clients. The firm has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no public revenue figures; it operates as a bootstrapped boutique with a small core team supplemented by contractors and fellows. Distribution is regional with national project reach and emerging virtual delivery channels.

Name

Create&

Legal name

Create&

Website

https://createand.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Create& is a Washington D.C. boutique innovation consulting firm that helps nonprofits, social enterprises, government agencies, and startups launch ideas through facilitated design sprints and a refined equity-centered methodology, while running community workshops and fellowship programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Organization Design & Operating Model Consulting (BPAHAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Emerging Tech (IoT, Blockchain, AR/VR, Edge) Consulting (BPAHAEAL)

Keywords

• Design sprint consulting
• Innovation strategy
• Human-centered design
• Design thinking workshops
• Equity-centered design

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Design Sprint Consulting Services: Create& conducts Design Sprints for businesses, organizations, and individuals to solve difficult business problems quickly. This is the primary revenue-generating service offering, facilitated by the company's expert team.
2. Workshop Programs: The company offers workshop programs including One-Day Design Sprint Bootcamps and Six-Week Courses on Design Sprints. These educational offerings generate revenue while building brand awareness and pipeline for consulting services.
3. Research and Strategy Services: Services include user research to build empathy, brainstorming and ideation workshops, brand messaging and content creation, pitch refinement for investors, and white glove service consulting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Create& is an innovation consulting firm that conducts design sprints for businesses, organizations, government agencies, and individuals to help them answer critical business questions and solve difficult problems in four days. The firm uses a refined five-phase design sprint framework (Understand, Diverge, Decide, Build, Validate) that combines the Google Ventures methodology with service design, equity-centered design principles, improv, and elements of Jazz and Martial Arts theories. Complementing its core facilitation services are structured workshop programs (one-day bootcamps, six-week courses), the POP UP! Design Sprint Lab community meetup, and fellowship programs for emerging practitioners.

Product overview

Create& is an innovation strategy firm offering design sprint-based consulting services and training programs. Its core service is professional design sprint facilitation for businesses, organizations, and individuals to solve complex problems in four days. Complementary offerings include workshop programs (one-day bootcamps, six-week courses, community design sprints) and the POP UP! Design Sprint Lab community meetup. The company also runs fellowship programs (Human-Centered Design, Business Development, Communications + Marketing) for aspiring practitioners. The product portfolio is structured as service-based offerings rather than software products, focused on teaching and applying the five-phase design sprint methodology (Understand, Diverge, Decide, Build, Validate) refined with service design, equity-centered design, improv, and creative arts elements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design Sprint Services Professional design sprint facilitation for businesses, organizations, and individuals that uses a structured five-phase framework (Understand, Diverge, Decide, Build, Validate) to solve difficult business problems quickly, typically within four days.
• Design Sprint Workshops
• POP UP! Design Sprint Lab
• Human-Centered Design Fellowship
• Business Development Fellowship
• Communications + Marketing Fellowship

Quantifiable outcome

• Thorn website redesign: bounce rate decreased from 82% to less than 60%, page time increased from under 1 minute to 2.5 minutes, listserv doubled, 42% hiring growth for Innovation Lab
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Media CausecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDigital agency partnership for website design and development. Media Cause physically built the Thorn website redesign and implemented communications strategy. They also worked on the Spotlight product website and Design Sprint Lab materials.
• Digital ReasoningcoreTechnology or IntegrationMachine learning technology partner for Spotlight, the tool used by law enforcement to identify victims of trafficking online. Digital Reasoning's technology powered Spotlight's search capabilities. Also collaborated on engineering development for the htspotlight.com website.
• Clear Channel OutdoorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOut-of-home media advertising company that provided 30 billboards and 27 bus shelters in Oakland at reduced cost for the Protect Oakland Kids anti-trafficking campaign. Partnership enabled strategic placement along International Blvd. and across diverse neighborhoods.
• MISSSEY (Motivating, Inspiring, Supporting and Serving Sexually Exploited Youth)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSurvivor-led nonprofit partner for the Protect Oakland Kids campaign. Provided access to local survivors for user research and usability testing of campaign messaging and design. Partnership ensured survivor voices and perspectives informed campaign development.
• Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading law enforcement education center partnered to co-teach Spotlight Lab workshops at major conferences across the nation. Partnership drove awareness and adoption of the Spotlight tool among law enforcement investigators.
• U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner for human trafficking initiatives. DOJ collaborated on Spotlight Lab curriculum development and training programs. The partnership helped standardize and scale training for law enforcement nationwide.
• Impact Hub DCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCoworking venue in Washington D.C. used for hosting design sprints. Provided whiteboards and table space for sketching, journey mapping, and sprint activities. The space supported the three-day Lobbyists for Good sprint.
• Andres Marquez-Lara / UFacilitateminorOthersAdvisory partner and Founder & CEO of UFacilitate. UFacilitate helps leaders create spaces for collaboration that is more effective, efficient, and inclusive through coaching, training, and consulting. Has 80 facilitators around the world in 15 different countries.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IDEO: Pioneering design and innovation consulting firm offering human-centered design, prototyping, and design sprint-style engagements. Directly comparable in core methodology (design thinking, rapid prototyping) and target buyer (organizations solving complex problems through design).
• frog (Capgemini Invent): Global design and innovation consultancy delivering human-centered design sprints, product strategy, and service design for enterprises. Closely comparable in methodology and the type of cross-industry innovation engagements Create& delivers.
• AJ&Smart: Design sprint specialist firm founded by Jake Knapp (the Google Ventures design sprint creator) running sprint facilitation, training, and certification programs. Directly competes for the same design-sprint training and facilitation buyers as Create&.
• Design Sprint Academy: Training and certification provider dedicated to the design sprint methodology, offering bootcamps, courses, and facilitator programs. Comparable as a direct training/workshop competitor in the same niche.
• Strategyzer: Consulting and training firm behind the Business Model Canvas and testing methodologies, helping organizations design and test new business models. Comparable as an innovation methodology provider targeting similar corporate and impact-driven buyers.

Broad incumbents

• McKinsey & Company (McKinsey Design): Global management consultancy with a dedicated Design practice offering design-led transformation, service design, and innovation sprints at enterprise scale. Competes for the same organizational transformation RFPs but with vastly broader capabilities and reach.
• Deloitte Digital: Large digital and human-centered design practice within Deloitte, delivering design sprints and innovation engagements to Fortune 500 and government clients. Comparable in service offering but operates as part of a much larger portfolio.
• Booz Allen Hamilton (Innovation Delivery Team): Federal and commercial consultancy where co-founder Maia Sciupac works on the Innovation Delivery Team. Comparable as a provider of human-centered design and innovation services to government and enterprise clients, though at much larger scale.

Others

• New Profit: Venture philanthropy and impact-focused incubator backing social entrepreneurs. Comparable as a buyer-adjacent ecosystem player serving a similar social entrepreneur / nonprofit customer segment as Create&.
• Acumen: Impact investor and capacity builder supporting social enterprises, with programs that include leadership and innovation training. Adjacent peer in the social-impact innovation ecosystem serving overlapping end customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/whodatmaia
• Facebookfacebook.com/createand
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/11018328

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 Create&