design thinking from the start(up) by cibo a creative design & brand experience agency

DESIGN THINKING FROM THE START(UP) 2 JUNE 2016

Learn how Cibo, a creative design and brand experience agency, choose to work with a brand they believe in, root for and identify with.

A former client was seeking a design partner for their new startup Income&.

We set out to design every aspect of Income&’s brand experience, starting with their PowerPoint pitch deck that they used to secure an initial investment round

Learn more about Cibo at www.cibosf.com

We had been waiting for a hidden gem that would allow us to create every aspect of a brand experience from the beginning. Luckily enough, we were presented with that opportunity when our former client, who just started a ground-breaking FinTech company, came to Cibo seeking a design partner.


The four men behind Income& invented a new kind of fixed-income investment product, called a PRIMO, that offers high returns (greater than 6%) but with very low risk.

While people in or nearing retirement need this kind of investment, it simply did not exist thanks to the financial crisis that’s affected our economy the last two decades.


To add to the complexity, Income& wasn’t just offering a new market-disrupting investment.

They also provided a marketplace platform to the lenders whose high-quality, prime-rated mortgages are used to create PRIMOs.


THE STRATEGY

Our first challenge was figuring out how to tell these stories in a compelling and straightforward way to prospective VC investors. So we developed a visual design system for the company and built a story into their pitch that would communicate this.

Income& already had several meetings with prospective investors before we got our hands on their pitch deck. After we wrote the narrative and redesigned the slides, they immediately noticed a big difference in the reception they received—as in, money began rolling in.


In between their investor pitches, we sat down with the founders to run our brand experience strategy workshops. Working together, we fleshed out their brand architecture, and imagined how their brand promise would surface in the key moments of their customers’ journey.

We developed a messaging and positioning strategy and worked on the very first version of Income&’s web site and mobile app.


Opinions vary, but most experts say that only about 0.5 to 0.7%. of start-ups successfully raise money from venture capital. Income& on the other hand went from an idea to securing venture capital funds in just six months.

Two months after that, they were selected to be one of eight most innovative FinTech startups highlighted at South by Southwest Interactive.


IMPLEMENTATION

As they continued to pitch, we spent our time designing the full web site, and the application component of their product, which allows Registered Investment Advisors (and in the future, individual consumers) to buy PRIMOs and manage their accounts.

We’ve also designed data sheets, presentations, icons, graphs, and more. In short, every customer–or investor-facing moment of the Income& brand experience has gone through a design process.


The application of design thinking to building a business has resulted in a velocity that wouldn’t have existed organically. Having things designed from day one has eliminated many of the stumbling blocks between the best business ideas and successful execution, from simply looking professional to the more complex and crucial aspects of business, such as having a value proposition come across, or making a product appealing.


Combining our expertise in brand experience with their rich knowledge in financial technology, we helped shape the overall business through recommendations and challenged assumptions.

It’s amazing what solutions to business problems can be found when someone is willing to firmly insist that a given approach will negatively impact the customer’s experience.

None of this could have happened without the type of collaboration that comes from compatible personalities and shared goals. Luckily, we found both in our relationship with Income&, and the results speak for themselves.

PRIMOs launched in April 2016 and have seen phenomenal success to date.


ABOUT CIBO

At Cibo, we focus at the intersection of brand narratives, experience design and engineering. We’re storytellers using curiosity, science and intuition to tap into what’s new and what’s next. We help our clients build brand experiences that matter.

From automotive to action sports, financial to fashion, we partner with clients to identify rich opportunities and build extraordinary experiences that grow brands and disrupt industries.

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Cibo works to create brand moments that drive consumers to take action. We plan, craft, and launch brand experiences for the world’s greatest companies.

PLAN

Brand Experience Strategy

Research & Planning

Experience Moment Mapping

Go To Market Strategy

Digital Product Strategy

B|O|E Media Strategy

CRAFT

TV, Video, Print, & Digital Advertising

Integrated Marketing Campaigns

Web & Ecommerce Design

Digital Product & UI Design

Brand Identity Design

Environmental Digital Experience Design

LAUNCH

Digital Retail Implementation

Immersive Experience Production

Digital & Advertising Production

Mobile & App Development

Web Development

Media Planning & Buying


This is the beginning. A place to be inspired by intersections, blaze trails and ignite insights. A starting point that remembers the past but focuses on the one constant: change. Every single moment offers a new opportunity to invent, create, explore, learn, and re-imagine. Let’s chat soon so nobody has to miss a thing. Learn more about Cibo at www.cibosf.com

649 Front St. San Francisco, CA 94111

United States

(415) 233 8357

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