The best business owners get to choose their acquirer. Here’s why you should consider selling to two design leaders.

Ben Syverson November 30, 2024

You might be wondering why you would ever hand the reins to self-described ‘product guys’ who come from a design and innovation firm. The short answer is that we’re down-to-earth guys who have a bunch of experience using the power of human-centered design (HCD) to unlock incredible growth for companies of all sizes.

✌️ Two examples

While I was working in IDEO’s Chicago studio in 2015, I watched a team of three designers take on a five week sprint for Amex, designing new cardmember perks for millennials. The team quickly progressed from in-person interviews to concept sketches. Amex decided to run with one of these ambitious concepts, which launched in 2017 as Pay It Plan It—a payment plan product that generated $4B in lending and put Amex years ahead of their competitors. All from one design sprint. That really opened my eyes.

More recently, I led a team of three designers and three developers to research, design and implement an iOS app to support mental health in young people. In eight weeks, we went from a concept to a fully working app, allowing our client Kooth to win a $188M contract with the State of California. My team designed the visual brand, named the product, created unique interactions, and grounded the app in evidence-backed therapeutic frameworks. The app, Soluna, is now live to millions of people.

⚙️ The Process

In both of these cases, a skillful application of IDEO’s HCD process was the key to creating a positive impact and producing an extremely asymmetric return on the investment of time and money. Check out this McKinsey report on the business value of design for more.

So what is this mystical process of human-centered design? It’s embarrassingly simple: Talk to customers. Show them your designs. Listen to what they say. Make thoughtful changes. Repeat.

However, as with many things in life—from learning a musical instrument to team sports—while HCD is simple in theory, it requires experience to execute well.

👯‍♂️ Nate & Ben

That’s where we come in! Honestly, it’s kind of funny that we both ended up at a design firm, since both of us were steering toward entrepreneurship. I was an independent software developer prior to joining IDEO, where I became a “Software Designer.” Nate had an MBA and experience in consulting before he joined IDEO as a “Business Designer.”

We had designer titles because at IDEO, capital-D “Design” encompasses more than how the product looks, or even how it works. Design can also define what a product is. How it’s made. How it’s sold. So at IDEO, everyone is a designer—even the engineers and MBAs.

After running this process countless times, we decided to strike out on our own and focus our energy on one business. With our combined skillset of business, software, design (and fun), we want to take a successful company and build on it to create a category-defining leader.

❓ A question for you

Hopefully this begins to answer the question of why you’d sell to a couple of guys with “designer” on their résumés. There’s no shortage of buyers with financial or managerial backgrounds. But as you think about your company’s next chapter, could it benefit from some truly creative thinkers and hands-on builders? If so, let us know—or better yet, get on our calendar!