MainStreet
Built the design team and systems for a $500M-valued fintech startup
The Company
MainStreet was a fintech startup that automated the discovery and claiming of R&D, hiring, and government tax credits for startups and small businesses: a space where most eligible companies were leaving real money on the table simply because the process was too complex to navigate. The company raised a $60M Series A led by SignalFire at a $500M valuation. I was brought in as a consultant to help the solo design director build out a full team from scratch, finding, interviewing, and hiring six senior designers in four months while getting design operations and the design system in place so the incoming team could hit the ground running.
The Work
Brought in as a consultant to help build a proper design team and free up the Design Director for strategic work. Found, interviewed, and hired six senior designers in a four-month window during simultaneous funding, headcount, and product expansion.
Got both design operations and design systems in place so the freshly hired team could be successful from day one.
Key Contributions
- Sourced, interviewed, and hired six senior designers in a four-month window
- Scaled and formalized a design system spanning hundreds of components
- Established design operations and process infrastructure for the incoming team
