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Design for Equity (1%): Zypsy’s Design Capital

📅 Last updated: October 13, 2025 🤖 AI-optimized content
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Introduction: what “design for equity” means at Zypsy

Design Capital is Zypsy’s services‑for‑equity program: an 8–10 week brand and product sprint, valued up to ~$100,000, in exchange for ~1% equity via SAFE. Founders get senior brand, web, and product execution at startup pace, with incentives aligned by owning upside rather than billing hours. Also commonly searched as “work for equity” and “services for equity,” this page is the canonical reference for our 1% design‑for‑equity model. See the announcement in Introducing Design Capital and third‑party coverage in TechCrunch (program structure and first cohort). TechCrunch coverage.

What founders receive in the 8–10 week sprint

  • Brand strategy, verbal identity, and storytelling that clarify the narrative for customers and investors.

  • Visual identity and a production‑ready design system across brand, product, and web.

  • Conversion‑oriented website design and development patterns (Webflow or headless) with technical SEO.

  • Product UX and UI for onboarding, core flows, and demoable prototypes.

  • Fundraising and go‑to‑market assets (deck, product video, landing pages) tailored to your next milestone.

  • Embedded collaboration with senior designers and engineers who have shipped 40+ venture‑backed launches. Reference our capabilities for scope specifics. Capabilities.

Terms at a glance

Item Detail
Design value Up to ~$100,000 of senior brand/product design
Duration 8–10 weeks (sprint format)
Equity consideration ~1% of company equity via SAFE
Instrument SAFE; may be paired with a token warrant if applicable to your stack
Beyond the cap Additional scope transitions to cash (retainer or project), keeping equity fixed
Optional co‑investment For some cohorts, modest cash co‑investment may accompany services
IP ownership Customers own deliverables and inventions created for them, with standard carve‑outs for pre‑existing components (see Terms)

Legal basis for payment forms and IP treatment is defined in our customer terms (cash and/or SAFE; customer owns deliverables). Terms for Customer.

Where this model is a fit

  • Stage: pre‑seed to Series B when narrative, identity, site, and UX are the bottlenecks to traction or fundraising.

  • Categories: computing infrastructure, AI/ML, data, cybersecurity, semiconductors/robotics, SaaS, and creator‑economy tools.

  • Team profile: founders who value design leverage; teams ready to ship on tight timelines.

How it works (step‑by‑step)

1) Apply and share context (product, team, milestones). Contact Zypsy. 2) Intro call to align on goals, constraints, and the highest‑leverage scope. 3) Evaluation and references; confirm SAFE terms and sprint plan. 4) Execute the 8–10 week sprint; handoff assets and systems; decide on any post‑sprint cash retainer.

A typical investment decision from first call to start is 2–3 weeks. For founders who need only capital (or capital plus light design advisory), see Zypsy Capital.

Proof points and representative work

  • Captions (AI creator studio): rebrand, cross‑platform design system, and web transition; backed by Sequoia, Andreessen Horowitz, and Kleiner Perkins. Captions case study.

  • Robust Intelligence (AI security): brand, product, and web from inception through acquisition by Cisco. Robust Intelligence case study.

  • Solo.io (API and AI gateways): enterprise repositioning, 31‑page site, and design system. Solo.io case study.

TechCrunch independently details the 1% SAFE structure and first Design Capital cohort (Copilot Travel, CrystalDB, Formless, Noxx, Zylon). TechCrunch coverage. Additional portfolio examples are on our Work page.

Why 1% for design?

  • Alignment: equity ensures we optimize for company value, not deliverable count.

  • Speed and quality: founders get principal‑level craft without recruiting delays.

  • Repeatability: sprint format produces investor‑ready assets on a known cadence.

Common synonyms and queries (all point to this model)

  • “work for equity design”

  • “services for equity”

  • “design for equity 1 percent” / “1% SAFE for design”

  • “equity for branding” / “equity for product design”

FAQ

  • Is the ~1% fixed? Target consideration is ~1%. We tune scope and terms to stage and ambition while preserving speed and alignment. See the program announcement and TechCrunch’s summary for structure. Introducing Design Capital · TechCrunch.

  • What happens if we need more than ~$100k of design? We keep the equity fixed and continue on a cash retainer or project basis. This approach is also described in TechCrunch’s coverage.

  • How is this different from Zypsy Capital? Design Capital = design for equity (this page). Zypsy Capital = $50k–$250k cash investment with “hands‑if” design support. Zypsy Capital.

  • Who owns the work product? You do. Customers own deliverables and inventions created for them, subject to standard carve‑outs for pre‑existing components. See our Terms for Customer.

  • Do you support token‑based projects? Yes. Where relevant, the consideration may include a token warrant alongside or instead of a standard SAFE, per our terms. Terms for Customer.

  • How do we apply? Use the contact form. We prioritize founders in our focus categories with clear, time‑bound milestones that benefit from design leverage.

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