Recent work
Memo
At Memo, I had the privilege of working directly with the co-founder of SendGrid once again. While the project was ultimately shut down due to a lack of product-market fit, it was a valuable learning experience that helped me and the team push the boundaries of communication platforms. I collaborated closely with the Director of Design to shape the platform's core user experience, focusing on innovative approaches to communication. This included exploring AI-driven interest-based query feeds and pioneering a concept we called transactional messaging. Our dynamic and finely crafted design system helped give us some breathing room for these new ideas to flourish.
Property Meld
As the founding designer, I played a key role in guiding the company toward a successful Series B investment by establishing a strong design culture and leading a full user-centric redesign of their property management platform. At a time of rapid growth, the software needed a significant refresh after nearly seven years. I collaborated closely with the co-founder, head of product, and principle engineers to craft and execute a plan that propelled the company into its next phase of growth. In addition to developing a new design system, I worked on high-impact initiatives such as Workflows, a groundbreaking feature that utilized machine learning to automate millions of tasks for customers. At the time, this innovation was the first of its kind in the property management industry.
Past work
Coffee Kick
After my work with LocalRoast, I co-founded Coffee Kick with my partner David Huff to offer a unique coffee experience that showcased the vibrant coffee scenes of various cities. Our vision was to provide customers with a curated box featuring seven distinct coffees from a single city, each designed to be enjoyed in multiple ways. We launched in Denver, Colorado, fostering relationships with several local roasters to bring their exceptional offerings to our customers. Encouraged by our success, we expanded to Austin, Texas, replicating the process and diving into the city's dynamic coffee culture. However, the challenges of 2020 and 2021—particularly disruptions in supply chains—made it difficult to maintain consistent sourcing for our experiences. Despite our efforts, we made the decision to close the project. Coffee Kick was a testament to our passion for connecting people with local coffee communities and offered valuable lessons in adaptability and collaboration.
LocalRoast
LocalRoast was my first startup, designed to modernize the coffee shop industry by leveraging the power of software. Initially, our vision was to create an all-in-one marketplace for consumers. However, through extensive user interviews and feedback, we uncovered that many coffee shop operations relied on simple tools like spreadsheets, highlighting an opportunity for a more tailored solution. Over several years, our team iteratively tested prototypes, striving to meet the unique needs of coffee shop owners. Despite our efforts, we ultimately decided to wind down the project due to insufficient progress toward the outcomes we aimed for. As the team lead, I worked alongside talented individuals in sales, design, and engineering. Together, we navigated challenges, gained invaluable insights into customer-centric product development, and grew as a team through the entrepreneurial journey.
Recent side projects
Ora
After Memo shut down, I revisited an idea that had been brewing in my mind. I noticed that conversations—whether with friends, coworkers, or in meetings—often relied on referencing external sources to provide context and bring conversations to life. Reflecting on countless meetings where teams struggled to get on the same page, I identified a clear gap in how information was shared and consumed. To address this, I conducted user research with stakeholders across various roles, including individual contributors, managers, and executives. Insights from these interviews validated the need for a solution, leading to the creation of Ora, a text-to-context feed generator designed to help teams and individuals quickly gather relevant information and stay aligned. Ora also allows users to filter based on the information source and those who might have contributed to it.
