Clay

What Clay does

Clay Global, LLC is a privately held, founder-led UX design and branding agency founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, California. The firm operates as a professional services organization with 78 global team members distributed across offices in San Francisco, New York, Austin, Denver, Lisbon, and Belgrade, running on a remote-first model. Clay delivers six core service lines: Branding, Digital Products, Websites, Content, Development, and Generative AI, organized around primary verticals of Fintech, Crypto & Web3, and B2B & Enterprise Software, with secondary exposure to ecommerce, food & beverage, healthcare, mobility, and early-stage startups.

The agency's work centers on consumer-grade UX design, design systems, web and mobile product development, and brand identity creation, incorporating AI tools into UX workflows and emerging technologies such as AR/VR, wearables, and Web3. Clay monetizes through three engagement models — time & materials, fixed fee, and monthly retainer — with project durations typically ranging from approximately three months for brand design to six months or more for full digital banking transformations. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales, leveraging a portfolio of 529+ completed projects and named client work with Fortune 100 companies including Meta, Google, Stripe, Coinbase, Amazon, Slack, Snapchat, Cisco, Sony, Samsung, Coca-Cola, Toyota, and Uber to drive inbound and direct sales conversations.

Clay has operated continuously for 16 years without disclosed external funding, maintaining a founder-owned ownership structure. Long-tenured client relationships such as the Discover partnership since 2012 and a multi-year ADP Innovation Lab engagement indicate a partnership-oriented, retention-driven business model. The company has expanded deliberately into crypto and Web3 (since 2016) and formalized a Generative AI service offering, while accumulating industry recognition including Webby Awards nominations, Apple App Store features, Awwwards Site of the Day, and FWA awards. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and no funding rounds are evidenced in the input data.

Name

Clay

Legal name

Clay Global, LLC

Website

https://clay.global

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Clay Global, LLC is a founder-led, 78-person UX design and branding agency founded in 2009, headquartered in San Francisco with offices across the US and Europe. It delivers branding, digital product, website, content, development, and generative AI services to Fortune 100 enterprise clients across fintech, crypto/Web3, and B2B software verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Design and Branding Services: Professional services revenue generated through UX/UI design, branding, web design and development, and content creation engagements. Services are offered through three engagement models: time & materials, fixed fee, and retainer arrangements. The company works with clients across various budgets and project scopes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Clay is a global branding and UX design agency that provides professional design and development services to enterprise clients and startups. Its core offering is end-to-end digital experience design across six service lines — Branding, Digital Products, Websites, Development, Content, and Generative AI — delivered under time & materials, fixed fee, or retainer engagement models.

Product overview

Clay is a global UX design and branding agency that offers a portfolio of design and technology services rather than a unified software product. The company's offerings span six core service areas: Branding (brand strategy, verbal identity, brand guidelines), Digital Products (UX/UI design, design systems, motion design), Websites (frontend/backend development, CMS implementation, interactive experiences), Content (illustration, animation, photo/video, copywriting), Development (mobile apps, API integration, emerging tech), and Generative AI (AI-powered UX design). These services are organized around industry verticals including Fintech (serving Stripe, Coinbase, Discover, Grayscale, STC Bank), Crypto & Web3 (DeFi platforms, crypto exchanges), and B2B & Enterprise Software (Fortune 100 transformation projects). The company delivers client-specific projects such as interactive demo experiences, marketing websites, mobile apps, and scalable design systems through a project-based engagement model with three structures: time & materials, fixed fee, and retainer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Branding Full-service brand design practice including brand strategy, brand architecture, verbal identity, brand guidelines, visual identity, and brand experiences for enterprises and startups.
• Digital Products Design and development of consumer and enterprise software products including user research, CX/UX/interaction design, UI design, motion design, and design systems for product iteration.
• Websites Design and development of marketing websites featuring interactive experiences, content strategy, frontend/backend development, and CMS implementation.
• Development Technology consulting, architecture planning, mobile app development, frontend/backend development, API integration, and emerging technology implementation including AI, AR/VR, wearables, and Web3.
• Content In-house content production studio providing creative direction, 2D/3D design, illustration, iconography, motion design, animation, photo/video production, and copywriting.
• Generative AI AI-powered UX design services creating new ways for users to interact with digital tools; the team integrates AI to work smarter and build better products.

Quantifiable outcome

• Website traffic increased by 40% and social media engagement doubled for Sky (MakerDAO rebrand)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pentagram: Independent design consultancy known for branding and identity work for major global brands. Comparable as a senior-partner-led design firm with a Fortune 500 client roster, though more brand-identity focused than Clay.
• IDEO: Pioneering global design and innovation firm offering UX, branding, and product design services to enterprise clients. Closely comparable in service mix (UX, branding, digital products) and enterprise client orientation to Clay.
• Frog Design: Global design and strategy firm specializing in brand, product, and experience design for technology and consumer clients. Directly comparable in scope, prestige client base, and integration of strategy + design + technology.
• Huge: Digital agency offering UX, branding, and technology services to enterprise clients across fintech, retail, and consumer verticals. Comparable in client roster caliber (financial services, tech) and integrated digital product offering.
• Work & Co: Digital product agency focused on designing and building digital experiences for leading brands. Closely comparable in founder-led, senior-staffed model and enterprise client focus (e.g., Google, Facebook, Nike).
• Ustwo: Global digital product studio delivering app, web, and brand design with studios in multiple cities. Comparable in cross-disciplinary service model and emphasis on transformative digital experiences.
• Method (Designit): Global experience design and engineering firm specializing in digital product design, UX, and design systems. Closely comparable in enterprise digital product focus and design system expertise.
• Instrument: Independent digital brand and product studio focused on identity, design, and technology for challenger and enterprise brands. Comparable as a senior-staffed, founder-driven studio serving premium tech and consumer clients.

Broad incumbents

• R/GA: Large global advertising and experience design agency offering brand, product, and marketing services. Comparable in enterprise UX/brand work but operates at significantly larger scale as part of the IPG network.

Emerging players

• Fantasy (Interactive Fiction): Newer generation digital agency combining design, engineering, and emerging technology to serve tech-forward clients. Comparable in cross-disciplinary service model and emphasis on emerging tech (AI, AR/VR).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/clayglobal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clay-global

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Clay