Cultivate

What Cultivate does

Cultivate is a private branding and digital experience design agency founded in 2005 and co-founded by Mark Wierda and Chris Pierik, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with a second office in Bozeman, Montana. The firm provides end-to-end brand-building services covering brand strategy and verbal identity, naming, audience research, visual identity design, design applications, website design and development, custom mobile and web applications, campaign strategy, content production, campaign management, and digital marketing. Cultivate serves mid-market and enterprise clients across construction and building materials, manufacturing, healthcare, nonprofit and ministry, financial services and digital payments, agriculture, consumer products, and publishing, with a documented portfolio of more than 40 engagements spanning two decades.

The agency operates an in-house technical team that builds digital products using React, Ruby on Rails, React Native, WordPress, and OpenAI GPT models with Retrieval-Augmented Generation architectures. Custom digital products developed for clients include the M+J Works dispatch and job-tracking app for M+J Asphalt Paving, the MyOzinga customer portal, the Safety+ mobile application for utility field workers, the Early Autism Services therapy management app, and the "Wendy the Waste Truck AI" chatbot for Homewood Disposal. Cultivate monetizes exclusively through project-based professional services engagements acquired via direct, consultative sales in which prospects schedule discovery meetings through the firm's website and receive custom-scoped quotes.

Cultivate is independently owned by its co-founders and founders' team, with no disclosed institutional investment, parent company, or public listing. The firm markets through its website, case study archive, organic social channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Vimeo), content marketing, and third-party credibility platforms (Clutch), and in 2025 was recognized by Clutch as a Top Branding Company in Chicago.

Name

Cultivate

Legal name

Cultivate Brands

Website

https://cultivatebrands.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cultivate is a Chicago-based branding and digital experience design agency founded in 2005 that crafts brand strategies, visual identities, websites, and custom applications for mid-market and enterprise clients across construction, manufacturing, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Strategy & Digital Experience Design

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Reputation & Thought Leadership (MPAAAOAF)

Keywords

• Branding services
• Visual identity design
• Website development
• Mobile app development
• Brand strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Brand Strategy & Design: Project-based professional services for brand strategy, visual identity design, verbal identity, naming strategy, and brand positioning engagements. Clients engage through discovery meetings and collaborative workshops.
2. Digital Experience Services: Website design and development, mobile and web app development, including architecture planning, CMS implementation, SEO optimization, and third-party integrations.
3. Campaign Strategy & Content Production: Campaign strategy, video and photography production, content creation, digital marketing, and campaign management services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cultivate is a branding and digital experience design agency that helps organizations build, evolve, or refresh their brands through strategy, visual identity, websites, mobile apps, and campaign work. The agency offers end-to-end services spanning brand strategy, naming, audience research, visual identity design, website and app development, content production, and campaign management for enterprise and mid-market clients across diverse industries.

Product overview

Cultivate is a branding and digital experience design agency offering strategic creative services through a portfolio of interconnected offerings. The core services include Brand Strategy + Verbal Identity, Naming Strategy, Audience Research, Visual Identity, Design Applications, Architecture Planning, Website Design + Development, Mobile + Web Apps, Campaign Strategy, Content Production, Campaign Management + Media Buys, and Digital Marketing. The agency also develops proprietary digital products including TrimList Pro (workflow management app for trim carpenters), Wendy the Waste Truck AI (AI-powered chatbot), Nutrition GPA App, M+J Works App, MyOzinga Customer Portal, Safety+ App, and Early Autism Services App. Services are delivered across industries including construction, manufacturing, nonprofit, healthcare, and consumer brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Strategy + Verbal Identity Strategic consulting service that helps organizations uncover their brand identity, define vision, mission, values, and positioning, and craft brand narratives and messaging frameworks.
• Naming Strategy Service helping clients develop strategic, meaningful names for brands, products, or sub-brands, including creative exploration, trademark checks, and domain vetting.
• Audience Research Comprehensive research service using qualitative interviews, quantitative surveys, and analysis to uncover customer perceptions, motivations, and behaviors.
• Visual Identity Design service creating cohesive visual identity systems including logos, color palettes, typography, supporting graphics, and brand standards guides.
• Design Applications Service ensuring brand identity translates consistently across all touchpoints including print collateral, digital graphics, environmental signage, packaging, and social media.
• Website Design + Development Full-service website creation including content planning, custom development, CMS implementation, SEO optimization, and e-commerce/CRM integrations.
• Mobile + Web Apps Custom digital application development including product strategy, UI/UX design, cross-platform mobile apps (iOS, Android, React Native), web apps (React, Ruby on Rails, Node), and AI-powered features.
• Campaign Strategy Strategic campaign planning defining messages, moments, and media for product launches or brand awareness initiatives across channels.
• Content Production Creative content production including video, photography, motion graphics, and written messaging for multi-channel campaigns.
• Campaign Management + Media Buys End-to-end campaign management including production coordination, deployment, performance tracking, optimization, and strategic media placement.
• Digital Marketing Integrated digital marketing including SEO, paid search, email campaigns, social media, and retargeting strategies.
• Nutrition GPA App Self-help nutrition monitoring tool with daily quizzes, eating habit visualizations, and curated content for establishing better eating habits. Available for iOS and Android.
• MVMNT Platform End-to-end freight management platform for shippers and carriers, providing pricing, procurement, performance, and payment management.
• Early Autism Services App ABA therapy management app enabling therapists to manage clients, record session outcomes, visualize progress, and maintain clinical notes, eliminating paper-based workflows.
• M+J Works App Custom web and mobile app system for commercial paving operations including work order management, dispatch, mobile field reporting, timesheets, job costing, and proposal tools. Built with React, Ruby on Rails, and React Native.
• Safety+ App Mobile app providing electric utility workers and contractors with essential job safety information, searchable content, and a dynamic PPE Matrix for safety protocol guidance.
• Wendy the Waste Truck AI AI-powered chatbot for Homewood Disposal Service, providing 24/7 customer support with personalized, accurate responses about waste management services. Built using OpenAI's GPT models with RAG system.
• TrimList Pro App Workflow management app for professional trim carpenters with precision measurement automation, efficient cut workflows, and installation tracking.
• MyOzinga Customer Portal Customer portal for Ozinga's concrete customers to track deliveries in real-time, view orders, and chat with dispatch. Integrated with Ozinga's operations systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• 916% website traffic increase for Alcrete post-rebrand
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers41 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

Integration2 records

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Traina & Associates: San Diego-based branding and design agency offering brand strategy, visual identity, and digital services for B2B and consumer clients. Comparable mid-market size and similar focus on measurable business outcomes with deep roots in B2B and technology-adjacent verticals.
• MiresBall: San Diego-based independent brand strategy and design agency serving challenger and category-leading brands. Comparable independent positioning, similar service scope (brand strategy, identity, campaigns), and overlapping B2B and consumer client mix.
• Tank Design: Cambridge, MA-based independent digital design and engineering agency offering branding, experience design, and custom digital product development. Closely comparable end-to-end service mix including custom mobile/web apps, and similar independent mid-market positioning.
• Character (formerly CharacterLA): Independent brand and design agency with offices in LA and New York. Directly comparable as a mid-sized independent agency offering brand strategy, identity design, and digital experience services to mid-market and enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• Work & Co: Digital product agency specializing in strategy, design, and engineering for mobile apps, websites, and connected experiences. Comparable on the digital experience and custom app development capabilities Cultivate offers, though Work & Co serves larger enterprise clients (e.g., Apple, Google, Facebook partnerships).
• Siegel+Gale: Global branding and experience design firm offering brand strategy, naming, visual identity, and digital experience services. Comparable to Cultivate in core offerings (brand strategy, naming, identity, digital) but operates at significantly larger scale with global offices and a broader enterprise client roster.
• Pentagram: Independent, partner-led design firm specializing in brand identity, graphic design, and digital experience. Comparable in independent/privately-held positioning and brand-identity focus; differs by being multi-partner with offices in multiple global cities versus Cultivate's two-office Midwest footprint.
• Landor & Fitch: Major global branding and design consultancy offering brand strategy, identity, experience, and naming services. Overlaps with Cultivate on brand strategy, visual identity, and naming but serves Fortune 500 clients at a scale and price point several multiples above Cultivate.

Others

• Ruckus Marketing:

Regional players

• Boyd Thaler & Associates: Chicago-based integrated marketing and branding agency offering branding, digital, PR, and advertising services. Comparable as a Chicago-headquartered mid-sized independent agency serving B2B and consumer clients, overlapping geographically with Cultivate's Chicago HQ.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/cultivatebrands
• Facebookfacebook.com/CultivateBrands
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cultivate-studios
• Instagraminstagram.com/cultivatebrands
• Xx.com/Cultivate_Brand

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Cultivate