What Citra does

Citra is a privately held digital product and UX studio headquartered at 80 M Street SE, Washington, DC, founded in 2019. It provides end-to-end product development services covering strategy, UX/UI design, development, and launch, targeting both startups launching new products and existing companies seeking to re-engineer or redesign their digital products. The studio is positioned around a human-centered design approach and the ability to deliver work from problem identification through solution launch without requiring clients to coordinate multiple vendors.

The studio's publicly visible portfolio centers on two engagements: UrbanStems, an on-demand flower delivery platform with a custom operations backend and seamless checkout experience that the founders co-founded, and GateKeeper, an enterprise security client application for workstation access that Citra re-engineered. The core technology stack spans web and mobile product development, with capabilities extending to custom operations platforms and desktop applications. There are no proprietary software products sold as recurring offerings, no disclosed APIs or SDKs, and no AI/ML capabilities referenced.

Citra operates a sales-led, direct-engagement model: prospects initiate contact via Calendly-scheduled consultation calls, and services are delivered on a quote-based project basis. The team is described as a small group of developers and designers carrying 20+ combined years of experience with brands including GE, Suzuki, and AT&T. Revenue is generated entirely through professional services fees, no pricing is publicly disclosed, no institutional funding has been raised, and operations are concentrated in a single domestic market.

Name

Citra

Legal name

Citra

Website

https://citra.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Citra is a Washington, DC-based digital product and UX studio founded in 2019 that designs and develops web, mobile, and desktop applications end-to-end. It serves startups launching new products and existing companies seeking product re-engineering on a project-based professional services model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Product Design Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Product design studio
• UX/UI design
• Web development services
• Mobile app development
• Digital product strategy

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, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Product Development Services: Professional services revenue from end-to-end product development including strategy, UX/UI design, development, and launch. Services are billed on a project basis for both new product builds and existing product re-engineering.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Citra is a digital product and UX studio that designs and builds apps, websites, and tools using a human-centered approach. The studio provides end-to-end product development services—including strategy, UX/UI design, development, and launch—for startups building new products and existing companies seeking to redesign or re-engineer their products.

Product overview

Citra is a digital product and UX studio that offers product design and development services as a unified service offering rather than a software product platform. Their portfolio consists of two featured client engagements: UrbanStems (an e-commerce floral delivery platform they co-founded, featuring web and mobile storefronts with seamless checkout and operations systems) and GateKeeper (an enterprise security application for workstation access management available on web and desktop platforms). The studio provides end-to-end services including strategy, UX/UI design, development, and branding for new product launches and existing product improvements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New Product Development Service

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Pentagram: Largest independently owned design consultancy, covering identity, digital, and product design. Overlaps with Citra on UX/UI and product design services but at much larger scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• Instrument: Independent creative and digital product agency delivering brand, design, and technology services to enterprise clients. Directly comparable on integrated studio GTM and a portfolio that mixes consumer (e-commerce) and enterprise (security/SaaS) work like Citra's.
• IDEO: Iconic design and innovation consultancy that takes products from concept to launch, with strong human-centered design DNA. Citra's 'sketch to launch' framing and founder-as-operator story closely mirror IDEO's go-to-market.
• Work & Co: Boutique digital product studio that designs and builds end-to-end products (strategy, design, engineering) for major brands — the same integrated model Citra describes. Operates at higher scale but is a direct template for the type of studio Citra is positioning as.
• Manual: Digital product and design agency that designs and builds apps, websites, and brand experiences for ambitious clients. Comparable to Citra on size tier, integrated design/dev model, and project-based engagements.
• Ustwo: Boutique digital product studio known for end-to-end product design and development with a strong 'human-centered' philosophy — essentially Citra's positioning taken to a global scale, with public-sector and enterprise work.
• Frog Design (frog): Global design and product engineering firm (now part of Capgemini Engineering) that designs and builds physical and digital products end-to-end. Directly comparable on integrated strategy/design/build offerings and enterprise B2B project work.
• Fantasy: Independent digital product studio that designs, engineers, and ships consumer and enterprise products end-to-end. Closely matches Citra's boutique end-to-end studio model and enterprise UX/UI work (e.g., Stripe, Instagram).
• Huge: Large digital product and experience agency offering strategy, design, and technology services to enterprise and consumer clients. Direct comparable on GTM (consultative, project-led) and on the human-centered UX/UI positioning Citra uses.
• R/GA: Digital product and experience agency delivering strategy, design, and technology for major brands such as Nike, Google, and Verizon. Comparable to Citra on the enterprise project portfolio and the integrated studio model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

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 Citra