What Design Buddies does

Design Buddies is a non-profit online design community founded in April 2020 by Grace Ling and headquartered in San Francisco with global online reach. The organization operates a free, Discord-based community platform that connects 150,000+ designers worldwide through online and in-person events, an invite-only mentorship channel, design challenges for portfolio building, a job board, and a newsletter. Its core product surface includes the flagship 10-Week UX Design Project Cohort delivered in partnership with ADPList and UX Go, plus a Student Leader Program and partnership offerings for hiring managers, startups, and enterprises seeking access to design talent.

The underlying technology stack is lightweight and assembly-based rather than proprietary: Discord hosts the community, Luma manages events, Pallet powers the job board, Substack delivers the newsletter, and ux-go.com (with a newer cocreate.careers extension) runs the cohort program. There is no API, no proprietary software platform, no mobile app, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. The listed employees run to approximately 5 core team members (Founder Grace Ling, CPO Leon Zhang, Community & Events Lead Kate Tacastacas, Director of Community Haidita Celestine, Program Coordinator Afsal Basith) supported by alumni and volunteers.

The business model is a free freemium community with no disclosed revenue or pricing tiers. All programs remain free to maintain inclusivity for designers entering the field, with operations likely supported by sponsorships, donations (Ko-fi), and partner contributions rather than direct monetization. The go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, leveraging sponsor logos from Discord, Adobe, Google, Figma, and 20+ other partners, and distribution across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Medium, YouTube, and a Substack newsletter. Customer-facing segments span design students, design professionals, and a B2B partner channel serving hiring managers, startups, and enterprise recruiters.

Name

Design Buddies

Legal name

Design Buddies Community

Website

https://designbuddies.community

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Design Buddies is a non-profit, free online design community founded in April 2020 that connects 150,000+ designers globally through Discord-based events, mentorship, design challenges, a job board, and a 10-week UX cohort. It serves design students, design professionals, and hiring managers via partnerships with Discord, Adobe, Google, Figma, and ADPList.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Design Community

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Design & Maker Skills (Graphic Design, Calligraphy, Lettering) (EDAAAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Engineering Design & Project-Based Learning Programs (EDAMADAB)

Keywords

• Design community platform
• Designer mentorship programs
• UX design cohort
• Design job board
• Design events workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

New England

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Community Programs (Free): All programs remain free to be inclusive. Revenue model is not publicly disclosed - likely supported by sponsorships, partnerships, and donations rather than direct monetization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Design Buddies is a free global online design community that connects 150,000+ designers through online and in-person events (via Luma), a mentorship channel, design challenges, a job board (via Pallet), and a 10-week UX design project cohort (with ADPList and UX Go). All programs remain free to maintain inclusivity for designers entering the field, supported by sponsorships from companies such as Discord, Adobe, Google, Figma, and Microsoft.

Product overview

Design Buddies is a community platform with a modular offering structure centered on its core global design community. The platform connects 150,000+ designers through free programs including events (online and in-person in San Francisco and globally), mentorship (via an invite-only channel), design challenges for portfolio building, and a job board on Pallet. The flagship educational offering is the 10-Week UX Design Project Cohort (partnered with ADPList and UX Go), which provides cross-functional work experience and portfolio projects. Additional offerings include a Student Leader Program and a newsletter via Substack. All programs remain free to maintain inclusivity for designers entering the field.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design Buddies Community Platform Global design community platform hosted on Discord that connects 150,000+ designers through free online and in-person events, mentorship, design challenges, a job board, and educational cohorts. All programs remain free to maintain inclusivity for designers entering the field.
• 10-Week UX Design Project Cohort A 10-week design project cohort that provides cross-functional work experience, a real-world portfolio project, and global connections with mentors and mentees. Partnered with ADPList and UX Go, targeting designers seeking portfolio-building and job-readiness outcomes.
• Design Buddies Job Board A job board hosted on Pallet that connects designers with hiring managers and design job opportunities, accessible to the 150,000+ Design Buddies community.
• Mentorship Program An invite-only mentors channel providing access to design professionals for career advice, design feedback, and professional networking for Design Buddies community members.
• Design Buddies Events Online and in-person events hosted on Luma in San Francisco and globally, including workshops, meetups, and AMAs with design professionals for Design Buddies community members.
• Design Challenges Design challenges that provide practical experience for designers to build their portfolios and gain real-world project experience within the Design Buddies community.
• Student Leader Program A program for students to become Student Leaders within the Design Buddies community, providing leadership experience and networking opportunities.
• Design Buddies Newsletter A newsletter delivered via Substack providing updates on design and UX topics and Design Buddies community events to subscribers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150,000+ designers connected globally

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• DiscordcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDiscord is the primary platform hosting the Design Buddies community with 150,000+ members. Their logo appears prominently as a sponsor and platform provider.
• AdobecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAdobe is listed as a partner and sponsor, providing design tools and resources to the community.
• GooglecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGoogle is listed as a partner and sponsor with their logo displayed on the About page.
• FigmacoreTechnology or IntegrationFigma is listed as a partner, providing design collaboration tools to community members.
• ProductbudsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProductbuds is listed as a partner providing product management resources.
• SkillshareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSkillshare is listed as a partner providing online learning resources.
• Bitesize UXminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBitesize UX is listed as a partner providing UX learning content.
• General AssemblyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGeneral Assembly is listed as a partner providing coding and design education.
• Co LabminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo Lab is listed as a partner providing collaboration tools.
• Service Design ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerService Design Club is listed as a partner providing service design resources.
• WonsultingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWonsulting is listed as a partner providing career consulting resources.
• PinterestminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPinterest is listed as a partner and sponsor providing design inspiration platform.
• ADPListcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerADPList is a co-development partner for the 10-week UX design project cohort, providing mentorship connections for designers worldwide.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ADPList: Global design and tech mentorship platform. ADPList is both a direct co-development partner on Design Buddies' 10-week cohort and a competing community serving the same designers with mentorship, events, and learning resources.
• CareerFoundry: Online bootcamp for design and tech careers with mentor-led cohorts and a job guarantee. Comparable to Design Buddies' 10-week cohort model targeting designers entering the field.
• Designlab: Online UX design school with mentor-led cohorts and career services for aspiring designers. Directly comparable to Design Buddies' 10-week UX project cohort offering.
• Product School: Provider of product management and design certification courses plus community events. Comparable to Design Buddies' cohort and event-driven approach for designer career advancement.
• Designer Hangout: Slack-based community for UX and product designers offering mentorship, jobs, and learning. Closely comparable to Design Buddies as a free, community-led hub for working and aspiring designers.

Broad incumbents

• Figma Community: Figma's own community platform for designers to share files, plugins, and learning content. Figma is also a Design Buddies sponsor, but its first-party community competes for the same designer engagement.
• AIGA: The professional association for design in the US, offering events, education, and community resources to working designers. Comparable as a community-led professional organization targeting the same designer demographic.
• Interaction Design Association (IxDA): Long-standing global design community and professional association for interaction designers. Comparable to Design Buddies as a community hub serving the same UX/design persona with events and networking.

Emerging players

• Bitesize UX: UX learning platform offering short-form design education content. Listed as a Design Buddies partner but also an adjacent learning community for the same beginner-to-intermediate designer audience.
• Service Design Club: Community and resource hub for service designers. Listed as a Design Buddies partner but also an adjacent community targeting an overlapping designer persona with events and content.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dsgnbuddies
• YouTubeyoutube.com/DesignBuddies
• Facebookfacebook.com/DsgnBuddies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/designbuddies
• Instagraminstagram.com/design.buddies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Design Buddies