Refresh Media

What Refresh Media does

Refresh Media, Inc. is a private professional services firm founded in 2004 and based in San Luis Obispo, California, specializing in planning, designing, and building web and mobile applications. The company operates with a small team of 1–10 employees and targets enterprise businesses of varying types and sizes seeking custom application development with measurable user-experience outcomes.

Its service offering is organized into three integrated pillars: Strategy (business requirements, user research, personas, functional specifications, usability testing), Design (wireframes, interactive prototypes, UX and UI design), and Development (semantic, standards-based front-end engineering using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, scalable front-end architecture, content management systems, single-page applications, and RESTful APIs / Node.js). The technology stack is conventional front-end tooling rather than proprietary platform IP, positioning Refresh Media as a craft-oriented consultancy rather than a product company.

Refresh Media generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements acquired via direct sales and business development. Its client roster includes Apple, Adobe, Ooyala, MINDBODY, OpenID, Shopatron, Challenge Butter, and FileMaker. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is presumably quote-driven per engagement. The website footer copyright spans 2004–2019, and no subsequent strategic moves, funding events, leadership changes, or geographic expansions are documented in the source material.

Name

Refresh Media

Legal name

Refresh Media, Inc.

Website

https://refreshmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Refresh Media is a small San Luis Obispo-based professional services firm founded in 2004 that plans, designs, and builds custom web and mobile applications for enterprise clients using semantic front-end technologies. Its integrated Strategy, Design, and Development offering has served brands including Apple, Adobe, and MINDBODY.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Luis Obispo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Application Development Services: Refresh Media provides end-to-end application development services including strategy, design, and development. They conceptualize, design and develop solutions for the digital world, working on new or existing applications to deliver better user experience with measurable results.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Refresh Media is a professional services firm that plans, designs, and builds custom web and mobile applications for enterprise clients. The company delivers three integrated service pillars—Strategy (business requirements, user research, personas, functional specifications, usability testing), Design (wireframes, prototypes, UX/UI design), and Development (semantic HTML/CSS/JavaScript front-end, CMS, single-page applications, RESTful APIs/Node.js)—guiding clients from concept through delivery with a focus on measurable user-experience outcomes.

Product overview

Refresh Media is a web and mobile application development company offering three integrated service offerings: Strategy Services (business requirements, user research, personas, functional specifications, usability testing), Design Services (wireframes, prototypes, UX/UI design), and Development Services (front-end development with HTML/CSS/JavaScript, CMS integration, single-page applications, and RESTful APIs). These services work together as a unified offering, guiding clients from initial strategy through design to final development delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy Services Strategic consulting engagement covering business requirements strategy, user research, personas and user stories, functional specifications and architecture, and usability testing and analysis. Intended for businesses undertaking new or existing application projects that require upfront strategy before design and development.
• Design Services User experience and interface design engagement including schematics and wireframes, interactive prototypes, UX design, and interaction and interface design. Targeted at clients needing to translate strategy into tangible interface direction for web or mobile applications.
• Development Services

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• IDEO: Global design and innovation firm offering strategy, design research, and digital product development. Overlaps with Refresh Media's Strategy and Design service pillars and shares a craft/quality-led positioning.
• R/GA: Global digital agency offering strategy, design, and technology services across web, mobile, and brand. A larger incumbent in the same service categories Refresh Media competes in, with broader capabilities and deeper enterprise reach.
• Huge: Large digital agency delivering strategy, design, and engineering for major brands. Comparable end-to-end product offering to Refresh Media but at significantly greater scale and with a global footprint.
• Fjord (Accenture Song): Design and innovation consultancy within Accenture Song, providing service design, experience strategy, and digital product development. Competes for the same enterprise strategy-design-development engagements.

Regional players

• Cyber-Duck: UK-based digital agency delivering strategy, UX design, and web/mobile development. Comparable service stack to Refresh Media but operates primarily in the UK/European market rather than the US.

Direct peers

• Thoughtbot: Product design and web/mobile development consultancy serving startups and enterprises with strategy, design, and engineering services. Comparable service mix and target customer base to Refresh Media.
• DockYard: Custom software consultancy specializing in web and mobile application design and development. Operates a similar boutique professional-services model with strategy, design, and engineering offerings.
• Work & Co: Boutique digital product studio that designs and builds web and mobile applications for major brands (e.g., Apple, Planned Parenthood, Chase). Closest functional peer to Refresh Media's strategy-design-development offering at similar scale.
• MetaLab: Design and engineering firm that designs and ships digital products and interfaces for clients such as Slack, Uber, and Google. Direct overlap on UX/UI design and front-end development services at a boutique scale.
• Ustwo: Product studio famous for Monument Valley and for designing/engineering digital products end-to-end. Comparable boutique model combining strategy, design, and front-end engineering for enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/refresh-media-inc

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 Refresh Media