Design is no longer a nice-to-have in today's early-stage companies. Where startups five years ago were golden if they had a couple great developers, many of today's most successful startups got there by wrangling great functionality together with a well-designed user experience. More than ever, this means having a designer as part of the founding team. I'll step through the role I have as a designer-founder, how it differs from working for an existing startup or an agency, and discuss some of the business concepts that are important to understand as you dive into building a company of your own.

The topics discussed will be driven by the interests of attendees, but may include:

• How to know when to make the leap
• Partners: who should they be, and are they necessary?
• Fundraising strategy: who, when, how much?
• Accelerators: are they the right move?
• Hiring: who, when, how much?
• Developing a design-oriented company culture.
• Building product when you're on your own.