ustwo

What ustwo does

ustwo is a global digital product studio that designs and builds human-centred digital experiences for enterprise clients across healthcare, fitness, media, fintech, and consumer technology. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in London, the company operates five studios in London, Malmö, Lisbon, New York, and Tokyo with 101–250 employees. Its client roster includes Google, DeepMind, HSBC, Samsung, Peloton, L'Oréal, National Grid, Reuters, Lilly, SharkNinja, RVO Health, and The i Paper. The studio delivers end-to-end product work spanning discovery, strategy, design, engineering, and launch, applying a proprietary methodology called Play Thinking that treats game design principles as first principles for creating emotionally engaging products.

The studio's technology stack spans full-stack design and development, including UX/UI design, frontend and backend engineering, mobile development, AI-enabled experience design, and data-driven product analytics. Notable proprietary and co-developed outputs include PRISM, an open-source developer plug-in co-developed with the University of Bristol (launched June 2026) that provides real-time estimates of AI-related carbon emissions within IDEs using a token-to-energy-to-carbon methodology from the Green Software Foundation. Past shipped products include the Moodnotes CBT journaling app (co-built with Thriveport), the Alder Play AR companion app for Alder Hey Children's Hospital (2018 D&AD Graphite Pencil winner), the redesigned SharkClean app (4.8-star App Store rating), the Lanebreak immersive fitness experience for Peloton (~500,000 first-month users), and the digital platform for The i Paper (9.2 million monthly readers).

ustwo operates a professional services model, charging custom project-based or retainer fees for scoped engagements. The firm does not disclose public pricing tiers and has no external funding, having bootstrapped for two decades under a profitable structure. In April 2022, founders Mills and Sinx transferred 62% of the company to employees via an Employee Ownership Trust, making ustwo majority employee-owned. The company holds B Corp certification (2020), ISO/IEC 27001:2022, UK Cyber Essentials, and Crown Commercial Service supplier status, and has committed to Net Zero by 2040.

Name

ustwo

Legal name

ustwo Studio Holdings Ltd

Website

https://ustwo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ustwo is an employee-owned digital product studio with offices in London, Malmö, Lisbon, New York, and Tokyo, designing human-centred digital experiences for enterprise clients in healthcare, fitness, media, and consumer technology through its proprietary Play Thinking methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Product Design Services

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

Keywords

• Digital product design
• User experience services
• Interaction design studio
• Software development services
• Digital experience consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Product Studio Services: Professional services model providing end-to-end design and development: discovery, strategy, design, build, and launch of digital products. Engagements are project-based or retainer arrangements with enterprise clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ustwo is a global digital product studio that designs and builds digital experiences for enterprise clients, delivering end-to-end services spanning discovery, strategy, design, full-stack engineering, and launch. The studio applies human-centred design principles and its proprietary Play Thinking methodology — which uses game design principles to create products people want to engage with beyond first use — across mobile apps, web platforms, and immersive experiences for clients in healthcare, media, fitness, and consumer technology. Engagements are scoped individually as project-based or retainer arrangements, with cross-functional teams spanning Design, Tech, Strategy, Product, and Delivery.

Product overview

ustwo is a global digital product studio that designs and builds digital experiences combining human-centered design with deep technical expertise. The company operates across multiple product categories including AI developer tools (PRISM), consumer mobile applications (Moodnotes, Alder Play), enterprise mobile apps (SharkClean), web platforms (The i Paper), and specialized experiences (Lanebreak for Peloton). The portfolio is unified by proprietary design approaches including Play Thinking, which applies game design principles to create emotionally engaging products. Recent work includes PRISM, an open-source tool developed with the University of Bristol for measuring AI carbon emissions in development environments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Product Studio Services End-to-end digital product design and development services delivered by cross-functional studio teams spanning Design, Tech, Strategy, Product, and Delivery. Engagements are project-based or retainer arrangements for enterprise clients across mobile apps, web platforms, and immersive experiences.
• PRISM (Plug-in for Real-time Intelligence on Software emissions from Machine learning) Open-source developer plugin that provides real-time estimates of AI-related carbon emissions within integrated development environments. Enables developers to view carbon impact alongside cost and performance metrics. Available as open source to encourage community participation.
• Play Thinking Proprietary design methodology applying game design principles to product experiences. Used as a differentiator in client engagements to create emotionally resonant products that drive both functional outcomes and emotional engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Client feedback score of 9.5/10 in independent survey (March 2026)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability13 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of BristolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2026ustwo and the University of Bristol co-developed PRISM, an open-source developer plug-in that provides estimated operational emissions data for AI usage within integrated development environments. The tool uses a token-to-energy-to-carbon methodology based on Green Software Foundation guidance, enabling developers to view AI carbon impact alongside cost and performance metrics. Released as an open-source project to encourage community participation.
• Green Software FoundationcoreTechnology or IntegrationThe Green Software Foundation provides the methodology and guidance (token-to-energy-to-carbon calculation framework) underpinning the PRISM tool developed by ustwo and the University of Bristol.
• ThriveportcoreStrategic or Co-development Partnerustwo partnered with Thriveport, the LA-based company behind the MoodKit app, to co-create Moodnotes — a CBT-based journaling app. Thriveport's clinical psychologist founders (Dr. Drew Erhardt and Dr. Edrick Dorian) provided scientific credibility while ustwo provided product design expertise.
• Vibrant Emotional HealthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPro bono partnership to redesign The Safe Space virtual support site for people experiencing mental health crises, supporting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (988) administered by Vibrant.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Accenture Song: Large-scale digital creative, design, and technology services arm of Accenture, offering overlapping capabilities to ustwo but within a much broader portfolio.
• AKQA (WPP): Global design and innovation agency within WPP, competing for premium enterprise digital experience work similar to ustwo's engagements.

Direct peers

• Work & Co: Digital product studio focused on design and development of flagship digital products for major brands, with a similar premium-services positioning as ustwo.
• Pentagram: Independent design firm with partner-led studios delivering branding, digital, and product design work for high-profile enterprise clients, comparable in culture and client calibre.
• Frog (Capgemini Engineering): Global design and engineering firm delivering strategy, design, and technology for enterprise digital products, directly comparable to ustwo's studio offering and client base.
• IDEO: Pioneering global design and innovation consultancy offering human-centred design and digital product development to enterprise clients, closely matching ustwo's end-to-end studio model.
• R/GA: Global digital product and experience agency combining design, technology, and strategy for enterprise brands, comparable in scope and client profile to ustwo.
• Huge (IPG): Global experience design agency delivering digital products, brand, and marketing experiences for enterprise clients, overlapping closely with ustwo's capabilities.

Emerging players

• Fantasy: Independent digital experience studio delivering design and engineering for brands, with similar cultural positioning and premium client work as ustwo.
• Manual: Independent digital product studio with design, engineering, and emerging tech capabilities for enterprise clients, comparable in delivery model but smaller in scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ustwo-
• Instagraminstagram.com/ustwo
• Xx.com/ustwo

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments6 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ustwo