Designer Fund

We’re thrilled to welcome .berardo to the Designer Fund investment team as a principal based in New York City! As a designer, researcher, and investor with deep expertise in new product adoption and UI/UX at and within her own ventures, it’s her mission to invest in and propagate better design in products used by billions.

You can reach out to jackie at jackie @ designerfund . com

To help introduce you to Jackie, we asked her to share her perspective on design, investing, and ‘the future’ in her own words.

Read more at the link in our bio.

With heavy hearts, we share the passing of our co-founder, Enrique Allen. Enrique believed in the power of design to better serve the world, and his infectious optimism and deep care for the planet and those on it had a profound impact on so many of us.

As reflects, “Enrique was a force of nature. A man who infused all those around him with joy, vitality, and positivity. If you were lucky enough to be in his orbit, he left an indelible impression.

The coming months will be particularly difficult. We will grieve. We will reflect. We will show up for his family and celebrate a life well lived. And then we will move forward, with greater purpose and focus to build a better world for our children, Enrique’s everlasting presence the wind at our backs.”

We invite you to read Ben’s tribute at designerfund.com/page/rememberingenriqueallen. In memory of Enrique, please consider contributing to his son’s education fund or sharing a video to celebrate the stories and moments that made his life so extraordinary—you can find more details at the same link.

Applications are open for Designer Fund Partnership—the best investment and design support offer for early stage startups.

Receive an investment of $500K, tailored monthly design sessions, expert product and brand design advice, and access to the private Designer Fund Collective community.

Learn more and apply by October 31st: bit.ly/dfpartnership 💥

We started Designer Fund in 2014 with a simple but powerful vision: to use good design to solve the world’s biggest challenges. Since then, we’ve invested in more than 60 companies solving design gaps across industries, from financial services to healthcare.

Today, we're thrilled to announce our new $40M Fund III to continue our mission of backing exceptional founders and empowering them with design to improve the world. Read our blog post to learn more about what’s ahead for Designer Fund and the types of companies we’re looking to back: https://bit.ly/3BRuxrN

Alongside the fund, we’re also launching Designer Fund Partnership, the best investment and design support offer for early stage startups. Any founder who values design can apply for an average investment of $500K, monthly design help and a community of design leaders to call upon. Learn more and apply by October 31st here: https://bit.ly/3xWAfHS

A huge thank you to our remarkable community of founders, designers, advisors, LPs, and all those who’ve supported us along the way. We’re excited for all that’s ahead.

Announcing Designer Fund – Fund III | Designer Fund Today, we are announcing our latest fund: a $40M Fund III. Our latest fund continues our strategy of backing exceptional founders and empowering them with design to improve the world.

We are hiring for a producer. We're a small team and don't hire often (as many of you know venture roles are few and far between) - but for folks interested in learning how a VC firm works, interested in learning about the intersection of design + venture, and in helping bring better designed products and services to healthcare, education, climate change, and more - this may be the opportunity you've been waiting for...

More about the role here - https://designerfund.notion.site/Producer-91478d69b59b481ab64c8c62430a1cb3

What makes design at Stripe so special? We talked to current & former designers for a window into some of its successes (and failures). Some things we were curious about: How does Stripe keep 100+ designers connected in the midst of super rapid growth (and COVID)? Why on earth would a FinTech company start a book publishing company? And how do they continue to increase the quality bar as they scale?

Read our full article going inside their design team here -

Embedding Design into the Fiber of Fintech | Designer Fund Welcome to the first article in our Design Impact Series, where we explore inside stories from our portfolio companies. From internal team structure to design philosophy to UX, this series looks at the ways design can lead to greater impact. In this article we look at how Stripe used design at their...

Read our interview with CEO Eugene Johnson on how he and his team are using design to change the way people interact with local businesses.

“I liken design to restaurants. If you want to eat food, you can go to any restaurant — but what separates the three-star restaurants from the rest? It's those extra, unexpected elements of the experience.”

Announcing Revi: Helping Local Businesses Thrive | Designer Fund Interview with Eugene Johnson, CEO of Revi, about how they started the company, how they use design to excel, and his hopes for the future.

Recommend any designers who'd be interested in our next Designer Fund Business Essentials workshop? We're offering 10 scholarships for Black and underrepresented designers in tech. Apply here https://www.designerfund.com/blog/diversity-scholarships-available-for-business-essentials-workshop/ by tomorrow, September 18th as we only have a few spots left.

Diversity Scholarships Available for Business Essentials Workshop | Designer Fund As part of our commitment to help create more paths into design and tech for Black and underrepresented minorities, we're offering 10 scholarships to our next Business Essentials for Designers workshop this October.

Your first design hire will play a critical role in the success of your business. This person will give form to concepts that might exist only in your imagination or as a sketch on a whiteboard.

The key to finding the right first person for the job is to clarify your company’s needs. Our new guide will help you better understand:

• Is it time to hire your first designer?
• Who is right for the job?
• What type of designer should they be?
• How much experience should they have?

We hope this guide helps you find the right first designer for your company and build an environment where design can thrive.

A Founders’ Guide to Hiring your First Designer | Designer Fund Understand who the right first designer is for your company and how to build an environment where design can thrive.

Nearly every startup needs creative help at some point in their lifecycle. Freelancers, studios, and agencies can be more than just an extra pair of hands; they can be strategic thought partners, helping you create work that is core to your business.

At Designer Fund, we have seen many productive, inspiring pairings between our portfolio companies and their external creative partners. But we also see folks struggle to hire someone for the first time, find a good fit, or get quality work out of the relationship. In this new guide, we'll cover how to:

• Define your project needs
• Select the right creative partner
• Create great work together

We hope this guide will help you build long-lasting, fruitful relationships with creative service providers who can bring your visions to life.

A Guide for Working with Design Freelancers and Creative Studios | Designer Fund Nearly every startup needs creative help at some point in their lifecycle—often during key inflection points, such as raising funds, upleveling into a new market, or communicating who they are to the world for the very first time. Freelancers, studios, and agencies can also be more than just an ex...