| Formerly | MindMate |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Health care |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Founder | Susanne Mitschke Rogelio Arellano Patrick Renner |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Susanne Mitschke (CEO) |
| Services | Clinical trials and studies Consumer perception studies Regulatory and marketing support |
| Website | citruslabs |
Citruslabs is a Contract research organization (CRO) specializing in conducting clinical trials for consumer brands, including supplements, skincare, cosmetics, CBD products, superfoods, pet health, medical devices, and biotech companies. [1]
The company aims to provide brands with affordable, customized clinical research studies to create research-backed product claims that can drive business growth. [2] They offer end-to-end clinical trial services from study design to data analysis, using a technology-first approach and a large pool of study participants for fast recruitment. [3]
Citruslabs was founded in 2015 as MindMate. [4] Its current headquarters are in Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States. [5] [6] [7]
Its mission includes helping brands substantiate their product claims with robust scientific evidence and offering a hands-off approach to managing clinical trials for busy brand owners. [1]
Citruslabs was founded in 2015 as MindMate in Glasgow, Scotland, by Susanne Mitschke, Patrick Renner, [8] and Rogelio Arellano. [1] The founders initially created an app to support the health of individuals with cognitive decline. [9]
In 2016, the company secured the NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde as its first paying customer. [10] It began to pivot its business model, using its app's user base to facilitate patient recruitment for clinical trials. [11] During the same year, MindMate was one of only 15 early-stage companies selected for the Techstars accelators program out of 1,500 applicants, and at the time, they had more than 20,000 monthly active users and had partnered with every dementia society in the United Kingdom. [12] MindMate was the first-place winner prize of Converge Challenge 2016 worth £150,000. [13]
In 2018, Citruslabs secured a $2 million seed round from investors like Launch Capital and THCAP, which provided capital for its transition from an app to a full-service Contract Research Organization (CRO). [4] [14] During this time, the founders appeared on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for the first time. [15]
In 2019, the company raised a $2.57 million Series A funding round. [4]
In 2020, the company officially rebranded from MindMate to Citruslabs. This name change reflected its new focus on providing clinical research services for a wide range of consumer health and wellness brands. [16] [17] [18] [17] The founders appeared for the second time on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list during this time. [19]
In 2021, founder and CEO Susanne Mitschke became a Capital Magazine 40 Under 40 awardee. [20]
In 2024, the company conducted a study in which consumers expressed skepticism about 100% marketing claims used to promote products. The study revealed that consumers perceived such product claims as a way to mislead them, leading to lower product evaluations and a decreased likelihood of purchase. This skepticism extends to influencer marketing and sustainability claims, with consumers wanting more transparency and demonstrable evidence of a product's effectiveness and ethical credentials. The research suggested that brands should focus on providing clear and meaningful information to build consumer trust, as opposed to using potentially misleading and vague marketing claims. [21]
In 2025, the company expanded its services to the United Kingdom. [22] The company also launched the Citruslabs Grant Program, an initiative designed to empower health and wellness brands to drive innovation in areas such as longevity, women's health and others. [23] The same year, it released a report titled Evidence Over Hype: How Clinical Proof Fuels Global Growth for Australian Wellness Brands outlining how clinical validation is becoming essential for building consumer trust, securing retail success, and expanding into high-growth markets such as the United States. [24] The same year Mitschke appeared on Inc. Magazine Female Founders 500 list [25] and Citruslabs was on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in America, ranking at 1452. [26]
Citruslabs continues to operate as a CRO specializing in health and wellness research, with its headquarters now in Las Vegas, Nevada, providing services like decentralized clinical trials and consumer perception studies. [27] [28] [29]
Citruslabs provides a range of services as a specialized Contract Research Organization (CRO) for the consumer health and wellness industry. [1] Their business model is centered on making clinical research accessible and effective for brands that need scientific validation for their product claims. [3]