Meet the Startups

Citric Labs: Punchy Yet Vibrant

Just like a citrus fruit, we are punchy, colorful, and could potentially sting you. Young but serious

One of the startups that frequently roams Strijp-TQ is Citric Labs , a startup that stands out in its approach to using language models for community management. In today's article we will be discussing Citric Labs 101!

When asked about the inspiration behind the name Citric Labs, Luc J. , one of the co-founders, shared, "Just like a citrus fruit, we are punchy, colorful, but could potentially sting you. Young but serious". This analogy perfectly captures the essence of Citric Labs. They aim to embody freshness and vibrancy, yet with the understanding that their work, like the occasional sting of a citrus, can have a powerful impact. The "Labs" aspect of their name underscores a commitment to experimentation and the pursuit of new technologies, emphasizing their focus on research and development.

Citric's focus: Language models!

Luc was somewhat reticent about the specifics of their projects, but did provide some insights into their current focus. Citric Labs is diving deep into the realm of (social) big data, initially aiming to create a weekly community digest. This initiative requires effectively processing community activities, a task ideally suited to LLMs (Large Language Models).

By leveraging advancements in language processing and sentiment analysis, Citric Labs is able to automate the extraction of key insights from community interactions. How these insights are managed, and what they will ultimately result in, is something we can currently only imagine, but will surely see in the future.

Hard lessons learned

Every startup's journey comes with its share of ups and downs, a reality Citric Labs faced head-on.

During the early stages of their startup, they encountered a significant hurdle when they received a cease and desist letter. A challenge that put their resilience and adaptability to the test. Considering the costs of legal battles, especially in the startup's early stages, Citric Labs made the strategic decision to pivot, redirecting their product development to a new domain.

This tough decision highlighted an invaluable lesson for Citric Labs and any aspiring entrepreneur: it's crucial not only to read your NDAs and contracts but to thoroughly understand them. The devil truly is in the details, a realization that, while daunting, steered Citric Labs towards unforeseen opportunities and growth.

A glimpse into the startup life

The journey of Citric Labs sheds light on the ecosystem at TQ, illustrating the challenges and opportunities faced by entrepeneurs. The support from initiatives such as the incubator play a crucial role in making sure that startups are able to navigate the complexities of running a startup and bringing their products to the market. All whilst pursuing their academic goals. How does Citric Labs feel about TQ and its resources?

The power of TQ is the accessibility and experience

When asked about the resources, Luc explained that accessibility and experience are key at TQ. "Need something 3d printed? Done tomorrow. Need something soldered, drilled apart, a model trained? It's all possible". Being part of a network, asking the right questions, and a broad skillset available is something that Citric Labs leverages on the daily.

What does the future hold?

Going to market, working with top artists and bigger players in general

"As both co-founders are graduating right now, there must be some big things coming. What's next for Citric Labs?"

.Luc excitedly explained how the next step would be to release their product on the market, hopefully. The idea is to validate Citric Labs as a legitimate startup and start working with top artists, or, bigger players at least: "In order to achieve that, we will need to have an airtight solution". When asked whether they'd still work at TQ at this stage Luc responded: "That's a tricky one. TQ will definitely fit into the picture as we scale up, but at some point it just makes sense to step away from the student lifestyle".

For the coming five years Citric Labs certainly doesn't miss out on ambition. Once their product is properly released to the market, the next big step is to be able to work on projects that don't necessarily have a profit model. In conclusion: "Create cool sh*t."

As they continues to explore the frontiers of Language models for community management, their work will (hopefully) continue to inspire other startups, students and educators . We will surely be getting in touch again if anything big happens! For now, the best we can do is drop a follow at Citric Labs ??

Want more?

Curious about other startups on the Fontys campus, and what they're up to? Know any other interesting startups in the region? Let us know!

Thanks for reading!