About FREED: from consultancy to media brand

FREED is a Spanish-language media brand focused on applied research, analysis of digital business, and conversations about technology, innovation, and human behavior.

From consultancy to media brand

FREED's transition from a specialized consultancy to a communication channel and media brand unfolded in several strategic stages led by Carmen Gerea, driven by the evolution of the technology market and the need to strengthen her personal brand.

1. The origin: UsabilityChefs (2013)

In 2013, Carmen Gerea and Cristian Hernández founded the startup UsabilityChefs in Chile with the goal of enabling remote testing and evaluation of interfaces. It was essentially a platform with a set of tools for professionals in charge of digital interface experience.

That initial project evolved: the application never left its beta phase, and the business model transformed into a consultancy.

2. The rebranding to FREED and the boutique consultancy (2020)

After almost 7 years and a year-and-a-half naming and rebranding process, in June 2020 UsabilityChefs officially became FREED (From Research to Experience Design), establishing itself as a boutique consultancy focused on UX/CX Research, digital strategy, e-commerce, and SEO positioning. For years, the model combined B2B consulting with the creation of open market studies and the sale of digital products and training (B2C).

In this context, FREED inherited the closeness to people that defined UsabilityChefs:

• to the user we are designing experiences for, and
• to the team behind each brand.

FREED also inherited from UsabilityChefs its focus on the network of contacts, and that is also about people. At FREED we have the power to bring people together around a purpose. Solving complex problems requires combining talents, because the best solutions come from multidisciplinary work.

3. The shift toward the personal brand (April 2025)

A key milestone in this transition occurred in April 2025, when Carmen decided to migrate FREED's contact base to her personal Substack. With this move, mass emails stopped being sent from the institutional FREED.tools sender and began to be signed directly by Carmen Gerea.

This decision responded to the conclusions of her planning, where she identified the need to give greater focus to her personal brand and reclaim a more intimate writing space on her website (carmengerea.com). At that time, she clarified that she was not trying to "kill" FREED, but to give it a completely different focus.

4. The separation of services and consolidation as a media outlet (June 2026)

The definitive consolidation of this transition materialized in mid-2026. Carmen began developing her own specialized website to offer her independent consulting and coaching services. The strategic objective of this separation was twofold:

• Carmen Gerea: Directly channels her personal brand and her customized advisory, mentoring, and business coaching services.
• FREED: Officially transforms into a media brand (media brand) and open innovation and ideas laboratory.

In this way, FREED leaves behind the traditional agency model to operate as a platform for disseminating knowledge, applied research, and debate about the digital ecosystem, hosting content such as its YouTube channel, WhatsApp learning communities, and the Nuevas Economías podcast.

What we built as a boutique consultancy

The content below belongs to FREED's legacy as a boutique consultancy. These capabilities, industries, and clients were part of our previous stage and today feed the media brand approach.

Where we add value

Industries

Clients

Some of the brands that have trusted FREED in the last 11 years:

What makes us different?