⚡️ Philip Sebastian

AI & Machine Learning Engineer

UX Designer

Project Manager

SF, CA, US

Leadership

User Research

Product Management

Prototyping

Design

Research Design

UI/UX Design

Team Management

Available for hire fromNegotiable

Full-Time Roles

Contracts

Product Builder | Designer, OnDeck Alum & YC + Antler Ventures Graduate Crafting Zero-to-One Products & Startup Growth

Design leader with 10+ years of experience creating digital products that work and inspire. I’ve been a Senior Designer at Apple and co-founded two YC-backed startups. Now, as Builder & Designer in Residence at MVP, I focus on building great products and mentoring future innovators. Outside of work, I love exploring tech, art, cycling, and design.

Projects

Design Partner

Korpus is a scam-detection platform that helps people, especially older users, quickly verify suspicious text messages and screenshots using OCR + AI. The app addresses the growing problem of phishing and fraud by making scam detection simple, accessible, and trustworthy. As Design Partner, I led the end-to-end product design process — from defining user flows and designing mobile-first interfaces to improving accessibility for less tech-savvy users. I also partnered with engineering to refine the MVP and gather user feedback to guide iteration.See More

Redesigning Imgur’s Iconic Logo for 300M+ Users: A Creative Evolution

Designed Imgur's new logo from scratch as part of a comprehensive company rebrand. Contributed to product design, marketing campaigns, and the development of a unified design system, all of which helped boost partner revenue by 20%. Focused on creating a cohesive and engaging brand experience for Imgur's 300M+ users.See More

Designing a Music App from zero to launch

Motown is a music app designed for sharing and discovering music with friends. As Lead Designer, I led a small, collaborative startup team, setting the design direction and ensuring a seamless user experience. I designed intuitive interfaces, wireframes, and prototypes, incorporating user feedback through research and testing. This resulted in a 20% increase in user engagement and improved app usability and navigation. I also worked closely with engineers and product managers to ensure timely implementation of design solutions. In addition to establishing design standards for consistency and brand cohesiveness, I kept the app up-to-date with emerging design trends, enhancing both its functionality and visual appeal. My efforts helped Motown launch successfully, growing a user base within the first month.See More

Bankroll Mobile App

Lead Designer at Bankroll, a mobile app helping teenagers and families develop better spending habits. As the designer, I built the app from scratch—conducting user research, designing wireframes and prototypes, and creating an experience that resonated with our audience. The app grew organically, achieving a 50% success rate, and was recognized in YCombinator’s SUS Program and the Pioneer accelerator.See More

Calm - Shopping Store

Designing a New Shopping Experience at Calm.com. Pre-unicorn days: I met with Alex Tew (the CEO at Calm) and we brainstormed together some ideas around a new shopping experience. The goal was to keep things simple, intuitive and consistent with the brand.See More

Logo + Branding

I led the full brand identity and design process for Korpus, from concept to final system. Starting with hundreds of hand-drawn sketches, I explored shapes, symbols, and visual metaphors tied to the product’s mission of scanning and detecting fake text messages. Using first-principles thinking, color theory, and simplicity as guiding values, I developed a modern logo and brand system that feels light, trustworthy, and easy to understand. The result is a visual identity that directly reflects Korpus’s core purpose while staying accessible to everyday users.See More

Design Lead

Project description COMPANY Manhattan Venture Partners ROLE Head of Design ‍ RESPONSIBILITIES • Designing visually engaging and user-friendly web interfaces following best practices in UI/UX design. • Collaborating with stakeholders to understand user requirements and translating them into design concepts, wireframes, and mockups. • Creating interactive prototypes to showcase design concepts and gather user feedback for iterative improvements. • Conducting user research, usability testing, and incorporating feedback to refine designs and enhance user experiences. Ensuring consistency in design language and brand identity throughout the web application. • Collaborating closely with development teams to ensure seamless integration of design elements and proper implementation. • Staying up-to-date with industry trends, design tools, and emerging technologies to continuously improve design processes.‍ WHAT I DID As the lead designer at Manhattan Venture Partners, I undertook a comprehensive array of responsibilities encompassing the entire design process. Beginning with the initial stages, I initiated projects with meticulous market research. This involved conducting competitive analyses, carrying out interviews, reviewing competitors, and delving into user research and survey metrics. I also crafted detailed user stories, user flows, personas, and scenarios, capturing the essence of each user's journey. As a part of this process, I meticulously recorded and analyzed each interaction session, gaining valuable insights. Moving on to the Define & Ideate phase, I crafted a Feature Matrix that laid the groundwork for the project's direction. I communicated and refined the project's structure, information architecture, and navigation design through collaborative brainstorming sessions. This crucial step facilitated a cohesive vision for the project.See More

Work History

Design Lead & Entrepreneur In Residence

Manhattan Venture PartnersI collaborate with teams to develop efficient workflows and design user-friendly internal tools that streamline operations and enhance productivity within the venture capital firm. Product Management • User-Friendly Internal Tools • Workflow Optimization • Product Design • Overall Efficiency • Web Development • Webflow Development • Data Transfer • Stakeholder Engagement

Lead Designer

Bankroll Mobile AppFull-time EmployeeFeb 2019 - Oct 2022 • 3 yrs 9 mosLead Designer at Bankroll, a mobile app helping teenagers and families develop better spending habits. As the designer, I built the app from scratch—conducting user research, designing wireframes and prototypes, and creating an experience that resonated with our audience. The app grew organically, achieving a 50% success rate, and was recognized in YCombinator’s SUS Program and the Pioneer accelerator.

Senior Designer

AppleMar 2016 - Nov 2017 • 1 yr 9 mosAs a Senior Designer at Apple, I contributed to a range of projects across consumer, enterprise, and internal tools. I collaborated with the education team on mobile and web initiatives, worked on the Emojis team, and played a key role in designing the iPhone X experience, blending innovative design with user-centric solutions.

Senior user Experience Designer

SAP.comFull-time EmployeeMar 2013 - Aug 2015 • 2 yrs 6 mosAs a Senior User Experience Designer at SAP, I built high-level dashboards and rapid prototype tools to enhance user experience. I led multiple projects, conducting both primary and secondary research using the user-centered design method to inform and optimize design solutions.

Education

Stanford University

Computer Arts & Design Thinking, TechnologyFeb 2014 - Feb 2015

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