Together with

Hey and welcome back to a new week! 👋 

In this issue:

• Want to Break Into Startups?: I’ll give you a rundown of the 5 terms you need to know to navigate the landscape.

• A Conference Perfect For Juniors: Attend CoCreate—the conference with a focus on early-career designers & career building!

• VJ’s Portfolio: THIS is how you tell stories in your case studies.

🤝 TODAY’S PARTNER

Join the Perfect Conference for Early-Career Designers in SF or Online (free) on May 4th!

CoCreate is a gathering of the top designers, founders, and creators on May 4 in San Francisco and for free online!  

Hear from hiring managers, discover new roles from founders, and get insights from interns and early-career folks recently hired at top companies like Google, Meta, Palantir, and leading YC startups through our cohorts and UXGO. 

They’re doing things differently than traditional conferences with half day keynotes, half day breakout groups.

Brought to you by the teams at Design Buddies, UXGO, and bolt.new

5 Startup Terms Every Junior Designer Should Know 🧠

Many junior designers begin their careers in startups, drawn by the fast-paced environment and high potential for growth. Having worked exclusively in startups throughout my own design career, I’ve learned a lot in a very short amount of time and continue to recommend it to everyone who is passionate about their work.

The meaningful work, the opportunity to take responsibility, and the ability to see the tangible impact of your actions make startups a unique and rewarding environment. Additionally, many startups reward their employees with equity, offering the potential for significant financial gain if the company succeeds.

However, the startup world can be hard to understand. Demonstrating knowledge and genuine interest in this space will not only help you stand out in applications and interviews—it’ll also help you identify which startups are worth your time and where your skills could shine.

And in case you missed it: I recently published a deeper guide on how to land opportunities with startups even when they’re not hiring. If you’re serious about joining this world, I recommend giving it a read.

Startup Vocab 101

Understanding startup terminology can help you find the right companies to target, ask smarter questions in interviews, and make a stronger impression overall. These are the basics every junior designer should be familiar with.

You can explore startups on platforms like Wellfound, Crunchbase, or even LinkedIn by searching for early-stage companies in industries that interest you.

VC-Backed Startups

Not all startups are created equal—especially when it comes to funding. Some are bootstrapped (more on that below), while others raise money through venture capital (VC). VC-backed startups are funded by professional investors and investment firms in exchange for equity and often board seats.

Why this matters:

• These startups tend to move quickly, scale aggressively, and often prioritize growth over immediate profit.

• As a result, they usually have the resources to pay properly, hire earlier-career talent, and invest in things like design.

• VC-backed teams often have ambitious product goals, which can be a great environment to learn fast and take on ownership early.

Bootstrapped Startups

You’ll often hear the term bootstrapped—it means the startup is self-funded, either through the founders’ own money or by generating revenue from customers early on. These startups aren’t relying on external investors to grow, and that creates some meaningful differences in how they operate.

What to expect:

• More conservative hiring: Bootstrapped startups tend to be cautious about bringing on new people, especially juniors. Since every hire affects their bottom line directly, they often look for candidates with very specific skills or experience.

• Sustainable growth over aggressive scaling: Without VC money to burn, bootstrapped companies often prioritize building a stable, profitable business early on. That doesn’t mean they’re slow—just more intentional.

• Profitability might come earlier: Many bootstrapped startups make money faster than VC-backed ones, which often delay revenue goals to chase growth.

• Lower risk appetite: These companies may be less likely to take bets on emerging talent without a clear and immediate value-add.

That said, bootstrapped companies can still be amazing places to grow. If you align with their mission and show how you’ll make a meaningful contribution from day one, they might just be the right fit.

Funding Rounds (Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, etc.)

Startups usually go through funding rounds as they grow. Each round signals a new stage in their development—and the kind of team they’re building.

• Pre-seed and Seed rounds: The startup is still figuring things out—developing the product, finding early users, and hiring the first team members.

• Series A and beyond: The company is starting to scale. By Series B or C, teams are growing, roles are becoming more specialized, and product-market fit is (hopefully) more stable.

As a junior designer, your best bets are typically Seed to Series B startups. They’re early enough that you can have a big impact—but established enough to have a team structure and design maturity that supports growth.

Product-Market Fit (PMF)

PMF is one of the most important startup concepts to understand.

Product-market fit means the startup has found a way to solve a real problem well enough that customers truly want and need the product. That’s when things start to click: retention improves, word-of-mouth spreads, and growth becomes more predictable.

But…

Many startups never get there.

If you’re interviewing at an early-stage company, ask about their journey toward PMF. It’s a great way to show your understanding—and to spot potential red flags.

As a designer, you can play a crucial role here:

• Running user research

• Spotting usability gaps

• Aligning the product more closely with actual user needs

Equity (Shares & Options)

Many startups offer equity—typically in the form of stock options—as part of your compensation package. These give you the right to buy shares in the company at a set price later on.

Important things to know:

• Equity is not a guarantee. Most startups fail, and those shares may never be worth anything.

• It’s a long game. Options often have a vesting period, meaning you need to stay with the company for a while to receive them.

• Don’t accept equity in place of a fair salary. It’s fine as a bonus, but not as your main compensation—especially early in your career.

The Downsides and Risks

While startups offer great growth potential, they’re not the right fit for everyone. Here are a few challenges to be aware of:

• High-pressure environments: You’ll move fast and wear many hats. If that excites you, great. If not, it might feel overwhelming.

• Low job security: Startups fail—a lot. Even successful ones go through layoffs and pivots.

• Few guardrails: Processes might be minimal. You’ll often need to figure things out on your own and take initiative.

• You might be the only designer: Especially early on, you could be the only design voice in the room, reporting directly to a CTO or CEO.

Summary

You probably already have a gut feeling about whether you’d thrive in a startup. If the idea of high-impact work, fast-paced learning, and building something from the ground up excites you—this could be your place.

If you’re still unsure, take a step further and start researching companies, learning the language of startups, and applying to the right ones. With the right mindset and preparation, the startup world can be a powerful springboard into a fulfilling design career.

💌 MY RECOMMENDATION

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👀 Portfolio Showcase

Today: Vijayalaxmi (VJ) Wankhede

Today we’re taking a look at Vijay’s portfolio — and it’s a standout example of how to combine technical depth with thoughtful storytelling.

Vijay is a product designer and UX engineer with a background in code and about three years of hybrid experience. That’s a unique positioning — and her portfolio does a great job of showing how her technical past informs the way she approaches design today.

Let’s dive into what she’s doing really well — and a couple areas where there’s room to go even further.

That’s it for this week—thanks so much for the support! ♥️

If you’d like to support my efforts on Open Doors further you can buy me a coffee. If you ever got any value from my emails consider it so I can keep this newsletter free and available to everyone out there.

Do you want your own portfolio reviewed in-depth with a 30-minute advice-packed video review? Or do you require mentoring to figure out a proper strategy for your job search?

I got you!

• Book an in-depth portfolio or resume review with me

• Book a mentoring session with me

• Book a quick 15 min chat to ask a question and see if we vibe

Keep kicking doors open and see you next week!
- Florian