I was recently approached to take on a Chief Design Officer role for a startup. Pre-anything. Equity stake, interesting project, no compensation until the first round of funding. All reasonable asks given the requirements were minimal.
I will not get into the specifics of why I did not jump at the opportunity, but I will say this: they do not need a CDO.
Most early stage startups do not. Not even scale-ups until there is a larger set of resources in place who truly need that level of leadership. Sure, you can bring one in fractionally, but the work founders think a CDO should be doing is rarely the work of a CDO.
Yes, we carry years of wisdom, but you also need someone on the tools. Most CDOs are more than capable, but why disrespect them by asking them to do the job of a mid-level designer? That is not the work of a CDO. I have yet to meet a seasoned CTO who is expected to sit and code full time.
This is a role that is simply not required at the early stage. When you are bootstrapping, making promises you cannot guarantee, bringing in a CDO is not the solution.
The better opportunity is for a senior designer. Someone 5–10 years into their career. Someone who is comfortable wearing multiple hats, who can handle the hands-on work to ship an MVP and secure funding. Get a CTO and a CDO to advise if you like, but do not rope them in with a title and then expect them to do work they have not done in a decade.
I hear a lot about ICs, but even most of them are overly qualified unless this is just a side project they are passionate about. They deserve more respect than being used as a stop-gap. The role of a CDO is to lead the function, not just push the pixels.
That is not arrogance. I still jump in Figma. I still design every day. But my role has a better use of time. My value is in setting vision, representing the function, and scaling design so that it has the impact it should.
When you hire a CDO you get years of experience in navigating complexity, shaping organisations, building systems, and ensuring design serves the business at scale. You also get recognition given to the team, responsibility taken for the outcome, and a leader who knows the details without having to do every detail themselves.
I worked hard to reach this level, as have many others. It is not about being above the work, it is about applying hard-earned experience for the right impact.
A Chief Design Officer is not what an early stage startup needs. At that point, you need hands-on design, not design leadership. Bring in someone who can wear many hats, move fast, and get you to an MVP. Save the CDO role for when you are ready to scale design into a function that drives the business forward.
Respect the role. Respect the people. Put them where they can create the most value.