Applications Open for Designer Fund Partnership

The best design support and investment offer of up to $1 million for early stage startups

Applications are now open for Designer Fund Partnership, the best design support and investment offer for early-stage startups. We invest up to $1 million in Pre-seed to Series A companies committed to improving health, prosperity, or sustainability for all people. We help you create a world-class product and brand, hire exceptional design talent, and close more investors. We provide on-demand office hours tailored to what you need most and access to our network of top design leaders across tech.

Are you an early stage founder? Apply for Designer Fund Partnership by October 4, 2024.

Design for good

We’re looking for early stage companies, Pre-seed to Series A, that use design to improve health, prosperity, and sustainability for all.

• Health: Increase wellbeing by preventing disease and improving the cost and delivery of care.
• Sustainability: Replace legacy and harmful products with more efficient and renewable solutions.
• Prosperity: Create pathways, tools and infrastructure to give more people access to economic growth.

Partner with us

We have flexible ownership terms and can invest in rounds alongside angels, accelerators, seed funds and VCs. Depending on your stage, traction, and funding to date, we can adjust our investment terms. We don’t have a program or curriculum you have to follow. We focus on monthly design help tailored to what you need most, including:

• Guidance on creating a world-class product and brand. We provide tailored design advice on your product, brand, and organization. This includes end-to-end product reviews, office hours with design experts, and strategies for leveraging design across your business.
• Help with hiring and managing exceptional design talent. We assess your design hiring needs, recommend top contractors and full-time design talent, and participate in your interview process. As your team grows, we provide coaching to help overcome challenges and scale high-performing design teams.
• Fundraising support to close more investors. We refine your pitch deck through detailed feedback sessions and create a strategic outreach plan. When you're ready to engage investors, we assist in identifying your lead VC and other key investors through warm intros and references.
• Access to our network of top design leaders across tech. We connect you with top designers, founders, and advisors across tech through our private community. Enjoy AMAs with industry leaders, in-person and virtual meetups, and member-only resources.
• Intros to angel investors from companies like Figma, Notion, Stripe. This year, we’re collaborating with a world-class group of angel investors and advisors—including Akshay Kothari (COO of Notion), Stephanie Engle (Head of Monetization Design at Snap), and Adrian James (Co-founder of Omada Health). We’ll invite them to invest in companies alongside us or independently, giving founders the chance to add more investors who value design to their cap table.

🗓️ RSVP for our fundraising webinar on September 17, 2024 for tactics on designing an effective fundraising process—from outreach strategies to strong pitch materials.

Testimonials from our community members

Designer Fund has a vast network of highly accomplished and skilled designers and advisors. They're a powerful resource if you need help with hiring designers or networking in the industry. Cecilia Uhr, Co-founder of Bezi

Designer Fund knows what sets it apart—superlative design acumen—and the team focuses on delivering value to its portfolio companies where it uniquely excels. Jesse Vaughan, Co-founder of Kopperfield

Designer Fund has been one of our earliest backers and helped us raise our seed round. They've built one of the most supportive design communities and networks that you should want on your cap table. Sofya Polyakov, CEO and Co-founder of Noun Project

At Lumen, the high art of product is making a very complex journey simple and delightful for our customers. At one point we got stuck. The product strategy session with Designer Fund was an espresso shot of insight, revealing points of confusion easily reconfigured, and  an entirely new perspective on how to design the customer journey. Peter Light, CEO and Co-founder of Lumen Energy

Over the years, Designer Fund has offered multiple programs—mentoring startup founders, assisting ICs in transitioning into management roles, and even providing a platform to discuss angel investing as a designer. With their help, I’ve grown from being a new grad to a design lead and now a founder. I’m looking forward to another decade of inspiration. Effy Zhang, CEO and Co-founder of baserun.ai

Designer Fund has the improbable combination of a team of truly wonderful humans multiplied by a pioneering approach to venture. Jason Marder, Independent Design Director

👉🏼 Know a world class founder building an amazing startup? Refer them here!