There are no ideal processes, formulas, best practices or playbooks, the path to a successful product is an ambiguous and instinctual one - a path that designers are very comfortable treading.
Contextualising my work and impact on a call or in person is the best way to understand how I help companies succeed.
Driving impact
I'm a founding designer working internationally with start-ups in mature and developing ecosystems.
Recent engagements include design and agentic CX for Squarely an ESG platform; an AI-driven search and discovery portal (Google News/Journalism AI) for Nawaat, one of the world's leading disident journalism outlets; experience design for agentic commerce start-up Velou; brand design for Brave Labs, an AI consulting and development studio focussed on organisational performance.
My process leverages an understanding of what is both practical and necessary for early stage companies. The challenges founding teams face are nuanced and often relate to diverse problem areas, not just the designing or building of products.
Africa's fintech mission
Over several years I established and led the design practice at Nairobi-based insurtech Lami, bringing accessible, affordable insurance to the African market.
Working cross-functionally with the founders, leadership, and the technology team, I designed and launched multiple products and customer experiences, including the company's brand identity.
Through mentorship and by example I helped build consensus around taking a product first approach to the business which stimulated significant growth and market recognition.
Investors include: Harlem Capital, Accion Venture Lab, and P1 Ventures.
Building success
I've worked in multiple markets and verticals, including: venture/innovation, analytics, fashiontech, fintech, AI, proptech, marketplaces, SaaS, datatech, customer success, and edtech.
Here are some of the companies and products I've helped create...
Stanbic Bank Kenya
In partnership with Lami, Nairobi
Designed and launched the bank's first consumer insurance app, greatly impacting sales growth in a mobile-first culture and market.
Index Ventures
Design partner, San Francisco/London
With an investment roster of household names I redesigned the way the strategy team expressed the company's success stories.
Mine for Now
Founding designer, San Francisco
A fashion tech re-commerce play that needed strategic GTM, a product platform, unique store partnerships, and branding. I helped deliver all of the above through hands on design and founding team leadership.
Nesta: Challenge Works
Design partner, San Francisco/London
The UK's innovation agency for social good needed a compelling way to attract the best teams to their high impact challenges. I created unique branding and design for the SRA (UK legal regulator) and the Canadian Government that delivered exponential growth in engagement and talent recruitment.
Choose Energy
Design lead, San Francisco/Dallas
I created an entire product suite and extended brand identity for this energy marketplace--North America's largest (online)--significantly increasing conversion rates (+60%) and brand recognition which ultimately positioned the company for acquisition.
Known
Co-founder, Edinburgh/San Francisco
Disrupting an established research model in tandem with the rise of legaltech. It started with successfully expressing the business idea through design, branding, naming, positioning (AI, B2D) - the audience and investors followed along.
StealthForce
Founding designer, San Francisco/NYC
Big Apple commercial real estate marketplace connecting investors with industry professionals. I brought the product vision to life enabling an early acquisition.
Union
Co-founder, San Francisco
Connecting gig workers with any/every resource and creating a community in the process. Mobile first and designed for beautiful utility the app was a success with early adopters.
Pasabi
Growth designer, San Francisco/Edinburgh
AI-driven fraud detection that shuts down the most notorious bad actors. Helped the team navigate a business defining pivot to better PMF, growth, and acquisition.
OP | Open Banking - Nesta ventures
Design partner, San Franciso/London
Fintech content portal & thought leadership. As founding designer I created the brand, custom illustrations, flexible UI patterns and managed the execution.
ModCloth
Product design consultant, San Francisco/LA
The progenitor of alternative fashion e-commerce, I worked cross-functionally (product, growth, development, etc.) to help ease design into a post Walmart acquisition world.
Venture Scanner
Founding designer, San Francisco
Start-up research & predictive analytics platform that punched well above it's weight. I rebranded and redesigned everything, positioning the company as a premium service ready to compete with the market's biggest.
Appirio/Topcoder
Head of design, San Francisco
My vision was one of reinvention for this collaborative design & development platform. I balanced this vision with that of the (high profile) investors - the acquisition was a happy ending.
Preact
Founding designer, San Francisco
I worked with the team to legitimise predictive AI for SaaS products through product design and branding. These guys really knew what they were doing and went on to do great things at Spotify post acquisition.
StudyBlue
Design lead, San Francisco
A vast reservoir of incredible user generated content needed delivery apertures and tools to create an effective learning experience. I designed and helped build that experience, growing product value which resulted in an acquisition by Chegg.
SugarSync
Design lead, San Francisco/San Mateo
Before the big guys pushed it out to everyone, this was the file sharing/syncing/storing vanguard (imagine this tech on a feature
phone!). We built up the team, established the brand, designed and executed the product - then took on the world and got acquired.