Taking a 0→1 product from MVP to acquisition
Founding Product Designer and 3rd hire at Beam, a public-benefit fintech that was acquired in 2026. I joined in 2017 and led end-to-end design and product strategy from MVP to scale. Since launching our MVP in 2019, Beam has disbursed over $400 million in benefits to more than 300,000 eligible recipients across 39 states and become the best-in-class product for public benefit delivery.
Company
Beam (formerly Edquity)
Timeline
2017-2021
Role
Founding Designer → Lead Designer
Background
Beam is a platform that helps governments higher education institutions, nonprofits, and philanthropic organizations administer a wide range of programs, from rental relief and public utility benefits to emergency cash assistance, with software that streamlines applications, aids decisioning and processing, facilitates payments, and streamlines compliance, reporting, and case management into a single system.
Outcomes
Delivering real financial impact at scale
What began as a 0→1 product grew the default platform for cash assistance programs across the U.S.
Today, most major cities and partners delivering cash assistance and social programs rely on Beam to reach people faster, more transparently, and at scale.
2019: Brand Redesign
With the product gaining traction, the lack of a cohesive visual identity became a liability. I led a full company rebrand, unifying our app, website, and partner materials under one system.
Highlights:
Defined brand essence and voice through cross-team workshops
Established visual guidelines and component libraries
Aligned product UI and marketing touchpoints under a single identity
Impact: Enabled Beam to present as one credible, trusted partner to institutions and students alike.
2020: Operationalizing Design
As the team grew from 1 → 4 designers, I spearheaded Uplift, Beam’s first design system.
Highlights:
Standardized components, interactions, and accessibility patterns
Reduced design debt and sped up iteration cycles
Ensured consistency across multiple products and platforms
Impact: Increased design velocity and enabled new designers to onboard and contribute quickly while maintaining quality and brand integrity.
2021 — Today: Platform Expansion
By 2021, Beam evolved from a single app into a broader public benefits delivery platform. I led design efforts to expand from student aid into full-stack government workflows.
Highlights:
Designed intake-to-impact workflows for large-scale public programs
Applied AI-powered automation while preserving compliance and trust
Extended our design system to support enterprise needs
