Protege - John Isaac

Sydney SXSW dump / 2025.

Designers, here’s a hard truth:
Most of you are still chasing roles at brands everyone knows.

But if you want to future-proof your career (and maybe even build generational wealth via equity)…

👉 You need to start following the money.

Forbes just spotlighted 25 AI startups with the most promise.

Not household names yet (mostly) but the VCs, engineers, and operators are already there.

This is where the wave is going.

↳ Why it matters to you as a designer:

→ These companies are building complex, AI-native products that need elegant UX.

→ They’re solving hard problems, from productivity to language to creativity.

→ Many are pre-hypergrowth, meaning your design impact is exponential.

↳ Here’s your action plan:

Research these 6 names and what they’re building:

→ Tome ($81M) – AI-native slide decks. Think storytelling meets automation.

→ ElevenLabs ($101M) – Leading the charge in AI-generated voice.

→ Perplexity ($102M) – Redefining how we interact with knowledge and search.

→ Photoroom ($64M) – AI for creators. Simple UX for complex vision models.

→ Sana ($82M) – AI-first knowledge sharing and L&D for teams.

→ Codeium ($93M) – Changing the way devs write and think about code.

↳ Follow their designers, founders, and PMs on LinkedIn or X

↳ Read their job listings even if you’re not applying
Learn how they talk about design.
Learn what they expect from designers working on AI.

↳ Bonus:
Start creating case study redesigns or “concept UX” breakdowns of their products.

It shows initiative and makes you visible before they even post a role.

The best design careers in AI won’t come from waiting on Indeed.

→ Follow the money.
→ Follow the product.
→ Learn the space.

It’s how you become a designer investors want to bet on.

Comment “NDA” to receive my workaround tips to show ‘protected’ design projects.

Don’t let NDAs impact your career 🚀

Over 2000 people commented/DM’d on LinkedIn to receive this resource 💬

——-

1. Follow me
2. Comment “NDA”
3. I will send you the framework which details how to approach each of the 7 steps.

Tag a designer who needs this to boost their portfolio 👇