Fractional design leadership
Senior design leadership for startups — without the full‑time hire.
I'm a design director who's shipped products at Slack, Uber, and Apple — and built things from zero at startups too. Now I work part-time with early-stage teams who need real design leadership but aren't ready for a full-time head of design.
How I can help
Design leadership for your AI startup
FRACTIONALI'm currently leading the design of human + AI collaboration at Slack. If you're building an AI-native product and need someone who's designing this space right now — not theorizing about it — I can step in as your embedded design leader. I'll set design direction, shape the product with your team, and help you hire the right full-time designer when you're ready.
Seed – Series A · 2 days/week · 3-month minimum
From idea to validated product design in 4 weeks
0→1 SPRINTI've done this more than once — at Uber Rewards (built from scratch), at Handshake (0-to-1 products), and as the first designer at a startup. In a focused 4-week sprint I'll take your concept from fuzzy to fundable: user research framing, core flows, high-fidelity prototype, and a usability test. One clear deliverable. No ongoing commitment required.
Pre-seed / Seed · 4 weeks · Fixed price
Build your first design team the right way
TEAM BUILDERYou just raised a Series A and know you need design — but you're not sure what good looks like, who to hire, or how to structure the team. I'll come in as your interim Head of Design: audit the current state, define the design function, and hire your first 2–3 designers. Then I hand off cleanly (or stay on as an advisor).
Series A / B · 8–12 weeks · Project-based
About
I've spent 15+ years designing products used by millions of people — from consumer apps like Apple Music and Beats to global platforms like Uber Rewards and Slack. I started my career as a developer and engineering program manager at Palm, which means I've always worked closest to the engineers building the thing. Technical founders tend to like that.
I've led teams as small as 2 and orgs as large as 15. I've been the first designer at a startup and a director at a 3,000-person company. I know what both feel like — and which one I'm walking into when I talk to you.
I care about craft. But mostly I care about helping your product make sense to the people who use it.
Not sure which fits?
A 30-minute call is free. No pitch, just a conversation about where you are and whether I can help.
Book a free 30-min call →