Fractional Design Accelerates 0→1 Startup Shipping
Gabriel Valdivia, with 15 years building 0→1 products at top tech firms, partners fractionally with early-stage founders to shape strategy, prototype interactively, collaborate with engineers, and build teams—prioritizing speed, systems, and action over docs.
Proven Portfolio in AI and Hardware Products
Gabriel Valdivia showcases 0→1 designs for AI-driven tools like Dex (language learning camera), Daylight (caring computer), Workmate (AI executive assistant), and Slingshot (personalized AI counselor), plus Patreon (creator-superfan connections), Tonic (private recommendation engine), and Facebook 360 (immersive media). These demonstrate expertise in blending hardware, AI, and spatial design to ship innovative products quickly for early teams.
6-Step Approach for Fast, Scalable Design
Valdivia emphasizes shared ownership to align teams, extreme speed via rapid iterations, frequent show-and-tell updates (e.g., voiceover screen recordings), bias for tangible prototypes over ignored docs, reusable systems/components for features or full design systems, and divergent exploration (throwing away ideas freely). Capabilities span product design, branding, web design, strategy, pitch decks, design systems, team building, and coaching—enabling founders to validate ideas with high-fidelity interactive prototypes and direct engineer collaboration without heavy documentation.
Testimonials Validate High-Velocity Impact
Clients praise his chaos-taming in 0→1 phases: Tanuj Lalwani (Daylight) notes proactive structure-building with minimal direction; Jinen Kamdar (Gather) credits him for vision visualization, talent hiring, and team strengthening; Greg Dooley (GV) highlights lightning-fast idea-to-design cycles; Natasha Awasthi (Ritual Dental) calls high-quality/high-velocity his superpower. Others affirm seamless integration, researched insights, and brand/feature contributions. Currently prioritizes hardware-software experiences; contact via gabe@valdivia.works.