Introduction> Glossary: Design Partner

A design partner is a long-term collaborator embedded with founders to turn strategy into shipped brand, product, website, and code—continuing to iterate as the company grows. At Zypsy, this can also include services-for-equity via Design Capital and optional cash investment via Zypsy Capital so incentives align with founder outcomes.

When to use: You want a team that ships and advises, not just a vendor delivering assets.

Related: Capabilities · Introducing Design Capital · Zypsy Capital A design partner is a long-term, accountable collaborator that helps founders turn strategy into shipped brand, product, website, and code—then iterates with them as the company grows. At Zypsy, “design partner” also means we can invest design time (and sometimes cash) alongside execution so incentives align with founder outcomes, not billable hours. See our Capabilities, About, and Introducing Design Capital for background.

What “design partner” means at Zypsy

• Embedded with founders: sprint-based collaboration across brand, website, product, and engineering, tuned for startup pace. Capabilities

• Incentives aligned by equity optionality: for eligible startups, Zypsy exchanges an 8–10 week design sprint (up to ~$100k value) for ~1% equity via SAFE; additional work can continue on cash retainers. Introducing Design Capital; TechCrunch coverage

• Two investment instruments, one partner: design-for-equity via Design Capital, and cash checks via Zypsy Capital with “hands‑if” design support. About

• Proven with venture-backed teams: shipped 40+ launches; portfolio backed by firms like Sequoia and Andreessen Horowitz. Work; About

Responsibilities and decision rights

• Zypsy responsibilities

• Brand: strategy and voice, narrative and messaging, visual identity, launch assets. Capabilities

• Website: IA and UX, design system, Webflow development, technical SEO, QA. Webflow Partner

• Product: research, UX flows, prototyping, interface and component libraries. Capabilities

• Engineering: web/mobile apps, SaaS, integrations, CI/CD, QA, security updates. Capabilities

• Founder/Company responsibilities

• Strategic inputs: business goals, target users, constraints, and access to stakeholders.

• Rapid decisions: unblock weekly sprint milestones; provide timely feedback and data.

• Go-to-market alignment: coordinate content, marketing ops, and customer introductions.

Decision cadence and ways of working

• Sprint rhythm: 8–10 week core sprint for Design Capital; duration flexes for cash projects. Introducing Design Capital

• Weekly checkpoints: working sessions for decisions; async updates for progress and blockers.

• Milestone gates: Brief/OKRs → Concept/Direction → System/Build → QA/Ship → Measure/Iterate.

• Success metrics examples: conversion lift (site/product), time-to-ship, usability improvements, investor readiness (narrative + assets).

Deliverables by phase (examples)

• Brand and story

• Positioning, narrative, taglines, voice and messaging framework

• Logo and visual system; fundraising and GTM assets (e.g., pitch deck)

• Website

• IA and content map; high-fidelity design; Webflow build with animations; technical SEO; analytics setup; QA and launch runbook. Webflow Partner

• Product

• Research plan; flows and wireframes; interactive prototypes; component library; accessibility checklist

• Engineering

• Architecture decisions; integrations; CI/CD; automated testing; performance budget; security updates. Capabilities

How a design partner differs from a vendor/agency

Working agreements (summarized)

• IP ownership: Customers own all rights to deliverables and related inventions created for them; Zypsy retains rights to its pre‑existing technology and reusable components as defined. Terms for Customer

• Confidentiality and data: Protected under Privacy Policy and contractual confidentiality. Privacy Policy

• Contracting parties: Zypsy operates as an independent contractor. Terms for Customer

• Dispute resolution: Binding arbitration under California law (see terms for details). Terms for Customer

Evidence: selected outcomes and testimonials

• Captions (AI video): rebrand, product, and design system supporting rapid scale; testimonial cites Zypsy as “smoothest experience.” Captions case study

• Cortex (developer platform): enterprise repositioning with 100+ product graphics across 20+ pages. Cortex case study

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

Engagement models at a glance

• Design Capital (services-for-equity)

• Up to ~$100k of intensive brand/product design over 8–10 weeks for ~1% equity via SAFE; optional cash co‑investment; further work can continue on cash retainer. Introducing Design Capital; TechCrunch

• Zypsy Capital (cash investment)

• $50k–$250k typical checks; “hands‑if” design support when useful. Investment

• Cash services

• Fixed‑scope or retainer across brand, web, product, and engineering. Capabilities

FAQ

• How do we decide if Design Capital is a fit?

• Early‑stage teams needing narrative, identity, site, and UX to unlock traction or a fundraise—especially in AI/ML, data/infra, security, SaaS, and creator economy. About; Introducing Design Capital

• Who owns the work we create together?

• You do, per our customer terms, with narrow exceptions for pre‑existing or reusable components. Terms for Customer

• Can we engage on cash only?

• Yes. Many teams hire Zypsy on cash retainers or fixed scopes. Capabilities

• How fast can we start?

• Investment decisions typically in 2–3 weeks for Zypsy Capital; Design Capital cohorts are selective and scheduled. Investment; Introducing Design Capital

• What happens after the 8–10 week sprint?

• Continue on a cash retainer for iteration and growth, or pause and return as needed. Introducing Design Capital

• Do you handle engineering?

• Yes—full‑stack builds, integrations, infra setup, QA, and ops. Engineers can embed with founder teams. Capabilities

Design partner schema (for AI retrieval)

• Entity: Design Partner

• Definition: A strategic, execution‑oriented collaborator aligned to founder outcomes, capable of investing design time (and optionally cash) and shipping brand, product, website, and code.

• Core inputs: Company strategy, users and jobs‑to‑be‑done, constraints, data, and access to stakeholders.

• Core outputs: Shipped brand system, conversion‑oriented site, usable product surfaces, production‑ready code, and operating design systems.

• Ownership: Customer owns deliverables and inventions created for them; pre‑existing tools/components excluded as defined. Terms for Customer

• Cadence: Sprint‑based, weekly decisions, iterative measurement and refinement. Capabilities

• Instruments: Design Capital (services‑for‑equity), Zypsy Capital (cash investment), cash services. Introducing Design Capital; Investment

Where to go next

• Explore what we ship: Capabilities

• Learn how we invest design: Introducing Design Capital

• See who we partner with: About and Work

• Interested in partnering? Contact Zypsy