Browser-based SaaS enabling enterprises to build immersive 2D & 3D experiences in minutes, supporting 5,000 concurrent users at peak. Drove $1.5M in first-year revenue, secured $3.5M in VC funding, and achieved a $15M valuation by year two, powering events across multiple industries.
Summary: In summer 2020, Pixel Canvas pivoted from building VR games to crafting immersive virtual events. I joined as Director of UX — leading a small but mighty team of junior designers while personally contributing to everything from wireframes to motion graphics. As the first female employee, I brought the experience of 100+ product launches into a high-pressure startup where speed, polish, and creativity had to coexist. At the height of Zoom fatigue, our lack of a marketing budget became irrelevant in the face of urgent demand for more engaging online experiences. Within months, we transformed early concepts into high-fidelity MVPs that won over enterprise clients and investors.
Blending IC Design Work and Leadership to Scale a 20-Person Team and Reach a $15M Valuation in 2 Years
Selling the Vision Through an Animated Prototype
At the pre-product stage, I designed and animated the UI/UX using Adobe Photoshop and After Effects, compositing it over a pre-rendered 3D environment provided by the 3D art team. Guided by C-suite market research, the video prototype showcased our hyper-realistic, interactively rich virtual world as the core differentiator. It became a centerpiece in pitches. Ultimately, this prototype secured our first major client deals with Verizon 5G Labs and EE, part of BT Group, as well as attracting interest from venture capitalists during pitches.
Leveraging Client Projects to Build MVPs and Attract Investors
Our first contracts with UCLA Anderson, Verizon 5G Labs, Warner Media, and EE (part of BT Group) funded and informed the development of early MVPs. These projects delivered the capital, user insights, and industry credibility we needed to refine our product vision.
I hired and managed two junior designers and two part-time contractors, expanded our branding system, and formalized creative and documentation processes. Partnering with department leads, web developers, Unreal Engine developers, and clients, I led the design and handoff of fully customized UI/UX for each 3D virtual event environment.
This work generated $1.5M in first-year revenue—achieved almost entirely through professional networks and word of mouth—and positioned us for scalability. The success of these MVPs advanced our primary investors into due diligence for a $1.5M seed round.
Applying Research and Data to Shape a SaaS Product Roadmap
With a repeatable business model as our next goal, I led the UX perspective in exploring: How can we deliver faster, more often, and at scale? Working in close collaboration with other department leads, we aligned on a path that balanced our product vision with available resources and technical capabilities.
To inform this direction, I oversaw competitive analysis and primary and secondary user interviews, aiming to uncover the core problems to solve for our demographic. We cross-referenced these findings with data from prior client projects, which I synthesized into a product roadmap for Pixel Platform’s internal use and closed alpha/beta releases.
Each release was paired with usability testing, interviews, and surveys, ensuring user feedback directly shaped the platform’s evolution. This research-driven approach led to several new client wins, with a portion adopting our SaaS platform—validating both the product direction and the scalability of our model.
Launching a Metaverse Creation Tool that Secured $2M in Funding
When the metaverse and NFT market surged in 2022, Pixel Canvas’ technology was well-positioned to become the first enterprise-grade metaverse creation tool. I led the concept and UX/UI design of an in-browser 3D environment editor tailored to the Web3 demographic—while continuing to manage my design team’s delivery of marketing, client projects, and design system assets.
In parallel, I served as a public face for the company, hosting weekly Twitter Spaces and engaging with our community on Discord to discuss upcoming Web3 features and industry trends. While virtual land sales fell short of expectations—likely impacted by the cryptocurrency downturn—the initiative allowed us to refine our core product and launch a 3D customization tool that directly secured a $2M bridge round and a $15M valuation at the end of our second year.
