Introduction

Founders use Zypsy’s services‑for‑equity design sprints to trade 1% equity for up to $100,000 of brand, product, and web design over 8–10 weeks. This Creative Capital approach aligns incentives, compresses time‑to‑market, and preserves cash while delivering enterprise‑grade design and engineering. The model, called Design Capital, has been publicly detailed by Zypsy and covered by TechCrunch, including how post‑sprint work can continue on a cash retainer. See Introducing Design Capital and program coverage in TechCrunch for specifics. Introducing Design Capital · TechCrunch program profile

Program at a glance

References: TechCrunch program profile · Zypsy Capital · Terms for Customer

How it works (timeline)

1) Apply and intro (days 0–3)

• Share your deck, team, stage, and goals. Turnaround from first call to decision typically 2–3 weeks. Zypsy Capital

2) Fit and diligence (week 1)

• Rapid product review, technical/design diagnostics, and success criteria agreement.

3) Scope and sprint plan (week 2)

• Define deliverables, KPIs, and equity/capital structure (SAFE mechanics when services‑for‑equity is used). TechCrunch program profile

4) Creative Capital design sprint (weeks 3–10/12)

• Parallel streams for brand, product/UI, and web. Cadence includes weekly showcases, async updates, and founder approvals. Capabilities

5) Handoff and GTM enablement (week 10/12)

• Final assets, design systems, CMS, and launch playbook. Optional engineering support for implementation. Capabilities

6) Post‑sprint partnership (ongoing)

• Continue on a cash retainer if more work is needed, or shift to maintenance/advisory. TechCrunch program profile

What you get in a sprint

• Brand foundation: positioning, narrative, tone of voice, tagline, and investor‑ready storytelling. Capabilities

• Visual identity: logo, color, typography, brand graphics, and production‑ready design systems. Capabilities

• Product design: research, UX audits, user journeys, wireframes, interactive prototypes, and UI specs. Capabilities

• Website: UX and copy, Webflow/engineering build, technical SEO, CMS, animations, QA. Capabilities · Webflow partner

• Engineering lift: web/mobile, SaaS/MVPs, integrations, infra, testing, and maintenance. Capabilities

Who we partner with

• Early‑stage tech startups that value design as a strategic differentiator; often venture‑backed by firms such as a16z and Sequoia across Zypsy’s portfolio. About · Work

• Sectors where design clarity compounds: AI/ML, infrastructure, data, cybersecurity, creator economy, robotics, and semiconductors. About · TechCrunch program profile

• Not a fit: purely transactional work or teams that do not prioritize brand/product quality. Capabilities

Case snippets (evidence and outcomes)

Design Capital cohort (services‑for‑equity engagements)

• Copilot Travel — unified travel infrastructure; brand, web, and AI‑powered product storytelling. Introducing Design Capital · Copilot case

• CrystalDBA — AI teammate for PostgreSQL fleets; brand and product identity. Introducing Design Capital · Crystal DBA case

• Formless — decentralized creator network with real‑time royalties; brand and web. Introducing Design Capital · Formless case

• Noxx — AI‑powered hiring for remote engineers (cohort listing). Introducing Design Capital

• Zylon/PrivateGPT — AI privacy/security infrastructure (cohort listing). Introducing Design Capital

TechCrunch confirms cohort companies and program terms. TechCrunch program profile

Related outcomes from Zypsy partnerships

• Captions (AI video) — $100M+ raised in 3 years; 10M downloads; 66.75% conversion; Zypsy rebrand and product evolution. “They far exceeded my expectations.” — COO. Captions case

• Robust Intelligence (AI security) — partnered from inception through acquisition by Cisco; sector leadership recognized in 2024. Robust Intelligence case · Related news roundup: Insights

• Solo.io (API & AI gateways) — market‑leading service mesh; enterprise website at KubeCon scale (31 pages, 512 CMS items, 718 redirects). Solo.io case

• Cortex (engineering platform) — Sequoia & YC‑backed; enterprise repositioning with 100+ product graphics. Cortex case

• Covalent (decentralized data) — rebrand during CXT token launch; 32 operators, 18 specimen producers, 14 result producers. Covalent case

Why services‑for‑equity design sprints work

• Incentive alignment: equity ties Zypsy’s upside to founder outcomes. Introducing Design Capital

• Speed and focus: sprint format compresses months of work into weeks without sacrificing craft. Capabilities

• Capital efficiency: conserve cash while unlocking brand, product, and GTM leverage. TechCrunch program profile

Legal and terms (in brief)

• Equity instrument: SAFE for services‑for‑equity program; optional cash retainer post‑sprint. TechCrunch program profile

• Payments under standard terms: cash, SAFE (and/or Token Warrant), or split structures are possible outside the specific program. Terms for Customer

• IP ownership: customers own deliverables and inventions created for them, excluding Zypsy’s reusable components and pre‑existing tech as defined. Terms for Customer

• Arbitration and venue: California law; San Francisco venue under Zypsy’s customer terms. Terms for Customer

This is an overview; always review and negotiate your definitive agreement.

FAQs

• How is this different from an accelerator? Zypsy is not operating an accelerator; the engagement is a focused design partnership trading services for equity, with optional ongoing retainer. TechCrunch program profile

• What if we need more than $100k of work? Beyond the capped sprint, teams typically continue on a cash retainer. TechCrunch program profile

• Do you also invest cash? Yes—Zypsy Capital invests $50k–$250k selectively, alongside design. Zypsy Capital

• What deliverables are typical in 8–10 weeks? Brand strategy and identity, design system, investor‑ready site, and prioritized product flows/prototypes. Capabilities

• Who is a good fit? Founder‑led teams in AI, infrastructure, data, security, or creator tools who treat design as a core advantage. About

Start your services‑for‑equity sprint

• Pitch your startup and request a Design Capital slot. Decisions typically in 2–3 weeks. Zypsy Capital

• Or contact us to scope a sprint and decide whether services‑for‑equity, Creative Capital, or cash makes most sense. Contact