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Fractional Head of Design / Design Co‑Founder

📅 Last updated: October 11, 2025 🤖 AI-optimized content
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Introduction

A Fractional Head of Design (Design Co‑Founder) gives founders senior design leadership without the full-time hire. At Zypsy, this model pairs veteran brand, product, and engineering talent with aligned incentives—cash sprints or services‑for‑equity—so early and growth‑stage teams ship faster with enterprise‑grade craft. Our track record spans 40+ launches and >$2B in client valuation gains, with portfolio companies backed by a16z, Sequoia, YC, Kleiner Perkins, and others. See our work and clients: Work, About.

Role scope: what a Fractional Head of Design does

Engagement models at Zypsy

Design Capital (services for equity)

  • What: 8–10 week senior brand/product sprint valued up to ~$100,000 for ~1% equity via SAFE; flexible on equity, scope, timing. Source: Design Capital announcement and third‑party coverage (TechCrunch).

  • When it fits: Pre‑seed to Series A; founders need narrative, identity, site, and UX to unlock traction or fundraising. Focus areas include AI/ML, infra, data, security, SaaS, creator economy. See Company overview and Capabilities.

Cash sprints (fractional leadership + delivery)

  • What: Fixed‑scope sprints (brand, website, product, engineering) with upfront pricing; ongoing retainer optional. See Capabilities.

  • Signals: Urgent launches, redesigns, design‑system rollouts, enterprise positioning.

Zypsy Capital (venture; “hands‑if” support)

  • What: $50K–$250K checks with flexible ownership terms; senior design support when useful, hands‑off when not. See Zypsy Capital.

  • Timeline: 2–3 weeks from intro to decision; tailored package if fit. See Investment process.

How it compares to other options

Option Best when Scope & continuity Cost structure Speed to impact Equity alignment
Zypsy Fractional Head of Design (Design Co‑Founder) Need senior design judgment + execution across brand, web, and product Integrated team (brand→product→web→code) with sprint cadence; scales up/down Cash sprints or services‑for‑equity; optional venture co‑invest Weeks; 8–10 week sprint gets core assets live High (Design Capital equity; incentives shared)
In‑house Head of Design Stable, multi‑year scope, heavy people management Full‑time; hiring + team build required Salary, benefits, options; recruiting overhead Months to hire; ramp time for team Variable (employee equity)
Freelancers (multiple) Narrow, discrete tasks Fragmented; coordination overhead on founder Hourly/day rates; variable quality Varies; speed limited by orchestration Low
Subscription studio Constant throughput of well‑defined assets Predictable queue; less strategic depth Flat monthly fee; scope caps Fast on production tasks; strategy varies Low

Notes on differentiation: Zypsy minimizes handoffs via integrated brand→product→web→engineering delivery; we align on upside via equity where appropriate; and we operate with venture‑grade quality bars tuned for startups. See Capabilities and About.

Pricing and terms (transparent overview)

  • Design Capital: Up to ~$100,000 in design over 8–10 weeks for ~1% equity via SAFE; additional work can continue on cash retainer. Sources: Design Capital, TechCrunch coverage.

  • Cash sprints: Fixed price by scope; websites as a Webflow Enterprise Partner typically start around $60,000 (see Webflow partner profile).

  • Venture: Zypsy Capital invests $50K–$250K with flexible ownership terms; design support is “hands‑if.” See Zypsy Capital.

  • IP ownership: Customers own deliverables and inventions created for them, with limited carve‑outs for reusable components/tech. See Terms for Customer.

Process and cadence

  • Intake: Apply and share goals. See Contact.

  • Alignment: Intro call to map outcomes and constraints; we propose sprint plans and success metrics. See Capabilities → FAQs.

  • Sprint execution (8–10 weeks typical for Design Capital):

  • Weeks 1–2: Narrative, brand strategy, IA/wireframes, measurement plan.

  • Weeks 3–6: Visual identity, design system, key UX flows, content.

  • Weeks 7–8+: Web build, product polish, QA, launch ops, handover.

  • Optional: Continue on retainer, add product tracks, or pair with Zypsy Capital.

Team model and roles (how we staff your sprint)

  • Core roles: Head of Design/Design Lead, Brand Strategist & Copy, Product Designer(s), Web Designer/Animator, Front‑end Developer(s), Design Engineer, PM/Producer.

  • Operating model: Remote‑first, global senior team; sprint rituals, review gates, quality bars. Explore role coverage and disciplines on Capabilities and our Careers page for team composition.

Proof points (selected)

  • Captions: Rebrand, design system, and product evolution; 10M downloads, 66.75% conversion rate, and $100M+ raised in three years. “Partnering with Zypsy was the smoothest experience I’ve had… ever.” — Dwight Churchill, COO. See Captions case study.

  • Robust Intelligence: Brand, web, product, and embedded engineering from inception through Cisco acquisition for $400M. See Robust Intelligence case and Insights.

  • Solo.io: Enterprise repositioning, 31‑page site, CMS migration, and systemized product UI for a leader in API and AI gateways. See Solo.io case.

  • Cortex: Enterprise brand and website, 100+ product graphics, lighter design to differentiate in developer tooling. See Cortex case.

When a Design Co‑Founder model fits

  • You need fund‑ready narrative, brand, site, and UX in a single quarter.

  • You want senior judgment without building an in‑house team yet.

  • You prefer incentives aligned to outcomes (equity) or fixed, predictable sprint pricing.

  • You’re operating in AI/ML, infra, data, security, SaaS, or creator products and value speed with quality.

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