Introduction
Zypsy Capital is Zypsy’s cash investment program for founders. It pairs early checks with optional, on‑demand design help from the same senior team that ships brand, product, and web for venture‑backed startups.
Program summary
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What it is: a cash fund that invests in startups and augments capital with brand and product design, recruiting support, and fundraising help (investor introductions and pitch deck design) as needed.
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How it complements Design Capital: Zypsy Capital provides cash; Design Capital is services‑for‑equity. Founders can use either— or combine them—depending on whether money or senior design execution is the immediate unlock.
What Zypsy Capital offers
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Check size: $50K–$250K per startup with flexible ownership terms.
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Process speed: typical decision in 2–3 weeks from first conversation.
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Optional, on-demand design support design support: Zypsy is there when needed and hands‑off when not; design help is optional and engaged at the founder’s request.
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Beyond capital: hands‑on brand and product design, help recruiting top designers/engineers, and fundraising support (introductions, pitch decks) as useful.
Investment focus and founder fit
Zypsy backs founders building in categories where design clarity compounds outcomes. Focus areas align with Zypsy’s delivery practice: AI/ML, SaaS, security, semiconductors/robotics, data/infra, and adjacent tooling.
Founder fit:
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You value design as a strategic lever, not a coat of paint.
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You want fast decisions and pragmatic, senior support only when it helps.
Process
1) Intro: Share what you’re building and why now. Start via the Zypsy Capital page. 2) Diligence: Product demo, market and customer insight, team/background, and where design could accelerate proof or growth. 3) Decision: Typical 2–3 weeks from first conversation to decision; if it’s a fit, Zypsy moves quickly on terms. 4) Support: Capital wired; optional design engagement scoped “hands‑if” across brand, web, or product surfaces as needed.
Pairing cash with services: when to combine with Design Capital
Use Zypsy Capital when the bottleneck is capital (hiring, GTM, runway, infra). Use Design Capital when senior brand/product execution is the unlock. Many founders do both: a Zypsy Capital check plus a short, scoped Design Capital sprint to ship critical surfaces.
Use case | Zypsy Capital (cash) | Design Capital (services‑for‑equity) |
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Primary need | Cash to hire, extend runway, scale GTM | 8–10 week senior design sprint |
Consideration | Flexible ownership terms | Fixed equity for scoped services |
Day‑to‑day | Hands‑if: support on demand | Sprint cadence to ship brand/web/product |
Sources: Zypsy Capital, Design Capital.
Portfolio fit and reference work
Explore representative design work across AI, infra, security, and more on Zypsy’s Work page to gauge fit; case studies illustrate the senior team that can optionally support portfolio companies.
FAQs
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What ownership does Zypsy seek? Flexible ownership terms tied to stage and round size.
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How fast is a decision? Typically 2–3 weeks from first conversation.
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Do I have to use Zypsy’s design team? No. Design support is optional and engaged only when it helps (“hands‑if”).
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How do I start? Reach out via the Zypsy Capital page; provide a brief, product link/demo, and current needs.