Jan → Jul 2019
B2B Cleantech
Founding Designer
Transforming research into a venture-backed cleantech startup
When Alpha, Telefónica’s moonshot factory, spun off its energy project into a startup, I joined as the founding designer. Over six months, I supported team and company building while leading design across identity, storytelling, and communication—creating the decks, website, and interfaces that secured funding and built early momentum.
Context
To the moon (and back)
I joined Alpha, Telefonica’s moonshot factory, in January 2019, just before the spin-off of an energy-focused moonshot. In a small team of engineers and myself as the designer, our goal was to transform a research project into a venture-ready cleantech startup.
Approach
Developing identity
My six months at Bia were a constant sprint. In no time, we incorporated the company—named after the Greek goddess of force and power—and I set out to build its visual identity. The goal was clear: technical yet warm, trustworthy but playful. But above all, fast.
I designed a custom logo, defined brand colors and typography, and established a type scale that allowed me to create and iterate pitch decks at breakneck speed. Securing investment was our top priority, and design became the vehicle to get us there.
As a founding designer, I wore many hats. In parallel, I designed and built the company website in Webflow. Beyond signaling professionalism, the site also needed to communicate complex topics—electrification, sustainable energy, intermittency, and the business opportunities they created—in a clear and compelling way.
Articulating value
Alongside the team, I helped reframe what had been a research project on decentralized energy grids into a clear, investor-ready proposition: smart EV charging for fleet operators, maximizing EV uptime and minimizing costs and emissions. While the domain expertise lay with the CEO and engineers, I took the lead in articulating the value proposition—drawing heavily on the storytelling practice I honed at IDEO.
Toward the end of my engagement, I shifted toward interface design. Unlike a typical UI project, these designs weren’t meant for implementation but for communication. We used them across the website, pitch deck, and in in-person interviews with industry experts and potential investors—powerful tools to spark understanding and excitement.
Outcome