We're transforming the startup ecosystem by enabling more designers to build and scale successful companies.
A world where designers can seamlessly transform their creative expertise into successful businesses, bringing human-centered innovation to every industry.
We believe that designers' unique perspective and problem-solving abilities make them natural entrepreneurs, capable of building revolutionary companies.
We believe great businesses start with understanding human needs and creating elegant solutions through design thinking.
Success is amplified through shared knowledge, experiences, and support within our global community of designer founders.
We constantly evolve our platform and methodologies to stay ahead of industry trends and founder needs.
Top-quartile design-led companies outperformed industry-benchmark growth by as much as two-to-one in revenue and returns to shareholders.
Design-centric organizations outperformed the S&P 500 by 211% over a 10-year period.
Source: Design Management Institute: Design Value Index, 2022
Companies implementing design systems saw 6x faster product development and achieved ROI of 172% within 3 years.
Source: Forrester: The Total Economic Impact™ Of Design Systems, 2023
Airbnb
RISD-trained designers who revolutionized hospitality through design thinking
Founded: 2008
Market Cap: $86.5B (2024)
Background: Industrial Design, Graphic Design
Canva
Designer who democratized graphic design through intuitive software
Founded: 2012
Valuation: $40B (2023)
Background: Design & Communications
Figma
Transformed collaborative design through web-based tools
Founded: 2012
Exit: $20B (Adobe, 2022)
Background: Product Design
Shopify
Designer-developer who built the future of e-commerce
Founded: 2006
Market Cap: $98.6B (2024)
Background: Web Design & Development
Designer who redefined visual discovery and curation
Founded: 2010
Market Cap: $20.4B (2024)
Background: Architectural Design
Slack
Designer who revolutionized workplace communication
Founded: 2013
Exit: $27.7B (Salesforce, 2021)
Background: Web Design
Webflow
Designer making web development accessible to creators
Founded: 2013
Valuation: $4B+ (2023)
Background: Product Design
Gumroad
Designer empowering creators to monetize their work
Founded: 2011
Revenue: $30M+ ARR (2023)
Background: Product Design
Clay
Designer reimagining personal CRM and networking
Founded: 2020
Latest Round: Series A
Background: Product Design at Path
Clark Valberg
Agency founder who built design collaboration tools
Founded: 2011
Peak Valuation: $2B
Background: Design Agency Owner
Andrew Wilkinson
Designer who built both agency and product empire
Founded: 2006
Notable: Built Slack's first interface
Background: UI/UX Design
Josh Brewer
Former Twitter design lead turned product founder
Founded: 2015
Latest Round: Series C
Background: Design Leadership
Be part of the movement transforming designers into successful founders.