Design Sprint for Venture‑Backed Startups (San Francisco)

A GV‑style 5‑day sprint led by Zypsy’s SF team to align stakeholders, prototype fast, and validate with users—purpose‑built for venture‑backed founders.

• Monday — Map: Define goals, users, risks; choose a target.

• Tuesday — Sketch: Diverge on solutions and share pitches.

• Wednesday — Decide: Prioritize, vote, and storyboard.

• Thursday — Prototype: Build a realistic, testable prototype.

• Friday — Test: 5–7 user interviews; synthesize insights and next steps.

Outcomes by Friday

• A high‑fidelity, testable prototype (product flow, brand story, or website concept)

• 5–7 moderated interviews with findings and decisions

• A concise investor/exec readout with risks, assumptions, and a go‑forward plan

See sprint principles applied in venture‑backed work: Captions • Robust Intelligence

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Why founders in San Francisco choose Zypsy design sprints

Zypsy was born in San Francisco in 2018 and partners with venture-backed founders to turn ideas into enduring brands and products. Our sprint-based engagements are engineered for startup speed while maintaining enterprise-grade craft, making them a strong fit for Bay Area teams building in AI, DevTools, security, and SaaS.> Design for equity (SF)

1% • ~$100k • 8–10 weeks • SAFE • no upfront cash Eligible SF startups can exchange equity for an 8–10 week brand/product sprint. Learn more in our Design Capital announcement and third‑party TechCrunch coverage.

• Track record: 40+ founder collaborations and $2B+ aggregate valuation growth across clients.

• Venture ecosystem fluency: Portfolio work with companies backed by Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia, YC, and others.

• Remote-first with SF roots: Global, senior team; HQ in San Francisco with distributed execution that aligns to founder schedules.> Contact Zypsy SF: Use the contact form at zypsy.com/contact

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```> Contact Zypsy SF: +1 (812) 994-0121
> Hours: Closed on Sundays

#

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What our SF design sprint covers

Each sprint is scoped to deliver investor-grade narrative and ship-ready assets. Engagements run in focused cycles with clear weekly outcomes.

References: Webflow Enterprise Partner

GV 5‑Day Sprint (San Francisco)

A focused, Google Ventures–style design sprint run by Zypsy’s SF team to help founders align, prototype, and validate in a single week.

• Location: 100 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94111

• Format: In‑person or hybrid with remote research participants

• Best for: Zero‑to‑one features, product pivots, fundraising narratives, and high‑stakes UX decisions

Day‑by‑day agenda

• Monday — Map: Define objectives, users, and critical path; expert interviews; pick the sprint target.

• Tuesday — Sketch: Lightning demos; divergent sketching; individual solution pitches.

• Wednesday — Decide: Prioritize via Heat Map; Decider vote; storyboard the prototype.

• Thursday — Prototype: High‑fidelity, testable prototype (brand or product) built by Zypsy ICs.

• Friday — Test: 5–7 user interviews; capture insights, risks, and go‑forward plan.

Core deliverables

• Testable prototype (brand story, product flow, or website concept)

• Decision doc with risks, assumptions, and next steps

• Research brief, interview scripts, and raw notes

• Sprint summary readout tailored for investors or exec stakeholders

Roles and facilitation

• Facilitator: Zypsy sprint lead (keeps time, drives outcomes)

• Decider: Founder/GM who makes final calls

• Design: Brand + product designers (prototype owners)

• Research: Research lead + note‑takers (schedule, run, synthesize)

• Engineering: Tech lead (feasibility, instrumentation, data setup)

• PM/Ops: Coordinate stakeholders, manage artifacts and follow‑ups

Note: Many teams continue into a 2–6 week build sprint after validation. Eligible early‑stage startups may bundle this into our equity‑for‑design track (8–10 weeks, ~1% SAFE).

SF NAP block

• Zypsy — San Francisco Design Sprint

• Address: 100 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94111

• Phone: +1 (812) 994‑0121

• Contact: https://www.zypsy.com/contact

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Design Sprint programs (canonical)

Choose the sprint that matches your goal. These are our default, time‑boxed formats designed for startup speed and clarity of outputs.

• See: Brand Sprint (6 weeks) • Product Design Sprint (2–4 weeks)

Brand Sprint (6 weeks)

Anchor: brand-sprint-6-weeks

Outcome: An investor-grade narrative and a usable visual/verbal identity with a lightweight, scalable design system.

• Week 1: Founder workshop, positioning, messaging foundation

• Week 2: Narrative, tagline, voice; first moodboards

• Week 3: Logo routes, typography, color exploration

• Week 4: System selection, brand components, usage rules

• Week 5: Guidelines (v1), story assets (pitch, one‑pager), key visuals

• Week 6: Final guidelines (v1.1), asset kit, handoff; optional website/application brief

Notes

• For larger orgs or complex categories, extended brand programs can run 8–12 weeks.

• Eligible early-stage teams may bundle this into Design Capital’s 8–10 week equity‑for‑design track.

Product Design Sprint (2–4 weeks)

Anchor: product-design-sprint-2-4-weeks

Outcome: Tested flows and high‑fidelity UI for a core journey, plus a starter component library.

• Week 1: Discovery, analytics/UX review, problem framing, wireframes

• Week 2: Prototyping, user tests, iteration, component starter set

• Weeks 3–4 (optional): Additional flows, polish, dev‑ready documentation

Deliverables

• Tested prototype(s), annotated user flows, UI screens, and component tokens/library starter, with implementation notes for engineers.

FAQ highlights (design sprint specifics)

• How long is a design sprint? Brand Sprint = 6 weeks; Product Design Sprint = 2–4 weeks. Extended brand programs may run 8–12 weeks. Design Capital cohorts run 8–10 weeks.

• What do I get at the end? Brand: narrative, logo suite, identity system, guidelines, story assets. Product: tested prototypes, high‑fidelity UI, and a starter component library with handoff docs.

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Timeline and formats

• Sprint cadence: Zypsy engagements follow a sprint format; length varies by scope.

• Brand sprint benchmark: 8–12 weeks led by strategy and copy with design.

• Design Capital track: 8–10 weeks of brand/product design valued up to $100,000 for 1% equity via SAFE; Zypsy raised $3M in 2023 to launch the program.

Design sprints for equity (1% SAFE)

Eligible SF startups can exchange ~1% equity via SAFE for an 8–10 week brand/product sprint valued up to ~$100k—no upfront cash, just focused execution that ships. Cohorts are limited and reviewed on a rolling basis; learn more and apply via Zypsy Capital at zypsy.com/investment.

Investment option: Design Capital (equity-for-design)

For select early-stage SF founders, Zypsy can invest design alongside capital.

• What you receive: Up to $100k in brand/product design over 8–10 weeks; hands-on ICs who ship; optional cash retainer after the initial program.

• Terms: 1% equity via SAFE.

• Focus areas: Computing infrastructure, ML/AI, data, cybersecurity, creator economy.

• Apply via Zypsy Capital.

Proof points from venture-backed teams

• Captions (AI video): Rebrand and product design supporting growth to 10M downloads and $100M+ raised; COO testimonial cites Zypsy as “the smoothest experience.”

• Robust Intelligence (AI security): Longitudinal brand, web, and product partnership through scale; CEO testimonial on trust and execution speed.

• Solo.io (API & AI gateways): Enterprise rebrand, 31+ web pages, CMS migration, consistent product system for scale.

Who the SF sprint is for

• Pre-seed to Series A founders needing investor-grade story, design system, and initial product momentum.

• Growth-stage teams replatforming brand, website, or product UX to support scale and enterprise readiness.

• Venture partners seeking a consistent design/engineering partner for portfolio companies.

How we work with Bay Area teams

• Strategy first: Positioning, messaging, and story drive design and build decisions.

• Design-to-build continuity: Same team carries brand, web, and product through code; Webflow enterprise builds or custom stacks.

• Remote-first, founder-aligned: Global talent, SF headquarters, sprint demos and async artifacts keep momentum high.

Getting started in San Francisco

• Talk to us: Share stage, timeline, and needs; we’ll scope a sprint calibrated to your goals.

• Explore investment fit: If you’re early-stage with strong founder–market fit, consider Design Capital.

• See outcomes: Review venture-backed case studies and testimonials.

FAQ

• How long is a sprint? Zypsy engagements follow a sprint format with length based on needs; brand-led sprints commonly run 8–12 weeks.

• Do you take equity? Yes—optionally via Design Capital: up to $100k in design for 1% SAFE over 8–10 weeks for select startups.

• Can you build in Webflow or code? Yes. We’re a Webflow enterprise partner and also ship custom web/mobile apps, SaaS, and integrations.

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