Go from Designer to Founder
Considering taking the leap? Learn how to de-risk the move, leverage your skills beyond design and craft a pitch that gets your idea funded.
This course is no longer available.
Explore other coursesCourse overview
Designer founders start here.
👋 Steph here – I'm a design leader and former Product Design Manager at Cruise. I founded Huddle in 2021 and have since raised over $3.5m. I believe designers are uniquely positioned to build the next wave of big, impactful companies.
I'm often asked by fellow designers about how to go about starting a company, what it's like to be a founder, and how to raise money. I've collected my insights into this 3-week sprint/course.
Beyond my teaching, this course is an opportunity to meet other designers that also have the entrepreneurial itch. We'll learn together and support each other's endeavors during this course and after.
If you've been thinking about starting a company on the side or are actively making moves, you're in the right place.
Who is this course for
01
Ambitious designers that are exploring starting their own company.
02
Side-hustle designers ready to pursue an idea full-time.
03
Design leaders looking to be more entrepreneurial in their current role.
What you’ll get out of this course
Find the founder path that's right for you.
Explore the routes you can take, whether part-time or full-time, venture-backed or bootstrapped.
Craft a pitch that gets you funded.
Decide on the right funding route and create a pitch that takes your startup to the next level.
Lean into your design superpowers.
Discover how your own creative strengths and passions make you a powerhouse startup builder.
Step beyond design.
Learn about how to tackle the parts of company-building outside of product and design.
Live lessons & coaching with a Designer Founder.
Each module is taught live by Steph, a product designer and now VC-backed startup founder.
What’s included
Live sessions
Learn directly from Steph Golik in a real-time, interactive format.
Lifetime access
Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.
Community of peers
Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.
Certificate of completion
Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.
Maven Guarantee
This course is backed by the Maven Guarantee. Students are eligible for a full refund up until the halfway point of the course.
What students are saying
The next wave of designer founders
Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb @ Config 2023
Designers make great founders because they're naturally creative problem solvers, can tap into emotions and have taste.
Vision-to-reality is faster and sharper because there is less playing telephone.
What people are saying
Ridd
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Steph Engle
Course schedule
2-4 hours per week
Live Modules with Q&A
Tuesdays & Thursdays • 1pm - 2pm EST
Each module is taught live, leaving time for group Q&A.
Founder Roundtables (optional)
Last Thursday • Morning & Afternoon
The magic of a live cohort. To close out the course, put everything you've learned into action. We'll get together as a group and talk about where you landed and next steps.
1:1 Coaching Session (for early signup)
30 min
The first 5 people to sign up receive a complimentary 30-min coaching session.
Weekly Journaling
1-2 hours per week
You'll be given weekly prompts to apply the learnings from each module to yourself and your idea. These entries will help reflect, put the lessons into actions, and be a resource to you beyond this course.
Meet your instructor
Steph Golik
Steph Golik
Founder at Huddle
Meet Steph, a former Product Design Manager with over a decade of experience that is now the founder of Huddle and has raised over $3.5M in funding.
She's here to give real-life examples and insights on how to navigate the transition using design strengths and passion as a guide.
Learning is better with cohorts
Active hands-on learning
This course builds on live workshops with real-time Q&A.
Meet fellow future-founders
Learn alongside and collaborate with other designers beginning their entrepreneurial journeys too.
Get support along the way
Sign up early to get a free coaching session and use the cohort chat to get async support from your instructor and fellow learners.