When we started building Stacks, we didn’t begin with lines of code. We began with conversations.

Our first three design partners—Juni, Volt, and Cleo—were in the room with us before a product even existed. We shared a deck, not a demo. We painted a picture of the future we believed in and asked them, “Does this resonate with you?” That moment, before mockups, features, and velocity, set the tone for how we built.

1. Start Early, Even Before You Build

Design partnerships don’t start with a product; they start with belief. That’s why we sought partners who didn’t just understand our vision, but felt a little over-excited by it. The kind of people who see where things are going and want to help shape that direction, not just get early access to a feature.

It’s easy to pitch what your product does today. But the magic happens when you find someone who sees its potential for tomorrow.

2. Work Top-Down and Bottom-Up

Getting buy-in from leadership is important, but it’s not enough. The product only gets better when the end-users are excited, too. That’s why we worked hand-in-hand with the people using Stacks daily. We ran research sessions. We shipped regularly. We closed the loop with fast feedback cycles. We were an extension of their teams.

This kind of collaboration helps answer a different question: not just “Does this solve the right problem?” but “Is this usable day-to-day?” These users are critical, especially as you move from validating your core product to launching new workflows and features.

Ruben A., CFO at Juni, said it best. You can read more about it here.

“There were three aspects that stood out for us with Stacks. First, a very honest discussion about what exists today and what’s coming. That’s rare. Second, the tech—it was impressive, and a clever solution we hadn’t seen elsewhere. And third, the workflows. Most tools feel bolted on. With Stacks, it’s all built around how teams actually work through the financial close process.”

3. Trust First. Roadmap Second.

At the center of every strong design partnership is trust. You don’t build that with overpromises or feature bloat. You build it by listening, shipping, and showing up consistently.

We think of our roadmap in two layers:

• The strategic roadmap is ~80% vision: where we think the market is going.
  
  

• The tactical roadmap is ~80% customer-led: what real users are asking for right now.

That mix helps us stay grounded while moving toward what’s next. Trust is important because we’re not shipping everything as asked, but clients know everything transparently. 

4. This Is Just How We Build Now

That approach, early partners, deep feedback, and rapid iteration, is no longer a launch strategy. It’s our product philosophy.

Every new product at Stacks starts with design partners. And our earlier partners don’t “graduate”—they roll right into new phases. They continue giving us tough feedback, holding us accountable, and helping us move faster.

This path isn’t for everyone, but it’s a big reason why we’ve been able to ship fast and build products that stick.

We’re grateful to the teams at Juni, Volt, and Cleo for helping us build.

We’re even more grateful they’re still with us.

Further Reading

If you’re considering taking the design partner route—or are already in it and want to go deeper—these are two pieces we’ve found especially insightful:

• Gong’s Path to Product-Market Fit (First Round Review) - A deep dive into how Gong worked with 12 design partners, leading to 11 becoming paying customers. It’s a masterclass in how to scale thoughtful, user-centered development.

  
  

• A Framework for Finding a Design Partner (a16z) - A clear, practical guide on what makes a great design partner, what to look for in early collaborators, and how to structure these partnerships.