Axel
Product Design Coach
Axel, established by Sophia Latessa and cofounders, secured $5M in seed funding from Kleiner Perkins, Polychain Capital, Abstract Ventures, Circle (USDC), Stanford University, and Balaji Srinivasan.
Contributions
After discovering my Figma Community presence, Sophia initially sought someone to lead product design and restructure their design system. Following our first meeting, she preferred ongoing coaching instead. The arrangement involved once to twice weekly live sessions — enabling her to develop professionally while maintaining full product ownership at Axel.
Why coaching?
Junior designers often lack adequate senior mentorship and guidance for growth. The coaching arrangement gave Sophia the sounding board and expertise of a senior designer without the overhead of a full-time hire.





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