For us, by us.

It used to be that ‘the designer’ was simply another link in the chain; they had to be good, but only as good as the rest of the teammates-- and they had to follow the leader, who was usually an engineer. As people are realizing that design can become a valuable differentiator, designers are pulling more weight, leading the charge, and even breaking out on their own. Now that the tables have turned, who better to fund up-and-coming designers than successful and established designers? Enter The Designer Fund, a community of designers that invests in designer founders. The point is not to get caught up in titles and challenge the role of founders with engineering backgrounds but to highlight the emerging opportunity for founders with design expertise. Design thinking involves adaptability, resilience and persevering creativity; all of which are in high demand in the current shifting landscape of commerce. Investing in new leaders, the Designer Fund uses its collective design sensibility (and financial resources) to select promising candidates to support, mentor and showcase. Investment offers for chosen candidates range from pure mentorship, non-equity grants at a minimum of $5k, angel funding at a minimum of $5k for .5% equity on average, accelerator and seed funding at approximately $50k - $100k+ for 5% - 10% equity on average. Add this to the networking opportunities at their ‘Demo Days’ and it is more than a foot in the door.