Building Bridges: Designing RAIN’s Innovative Blockchain Startup-Investor Platform

Startup businesses unlock new futures, through their products, services or commercial models. Venturing is adventuring, with high risks and high expected returns. How these risks and returns are shared matters. A lot. RAIN reconfigures the startup ecosystem, how founders, experts, investors, buyers, domain or market specialists interact to be successful, and how they share risk and rewards. RAIN unlocks a new future for the startup ecosystem as a whole.

Business Challenge

RAIN’s mission is to create a cutting-edge blockchain based web-first platform that serves as a dynamic bridge between startups and institutional investors. Through our platform, startups can showcase their innovative ideas, growth potential, and unique value propositions. Simultaneously, institutional investors gain access to curated investment opportunities, enabling them to identify promising ventures aligned with their strategic goals. Our goal is to facilitate meaningful connections, foster collaboration, and drive impactful deals within the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

UX Challenges

What strategies can we implement to foster trust and effectively highlight the innovative startups and Rain Makers on our platform, enhancing their visibility and credibility in the eyes of potential investors?

• Design should be scalable across the desktop web and m-web
• Design should be simple for the 25–50+ years age group (this range includes early-stage startups and veteran RAIN Makers)
• Discovering each other should be intuitive for both target groups.

My Role
Founding Product Designer (Research planning and execution, Visual direction and UI design, Conducting design thinking workshops, Design language system, Prototyping)

UX Methods
Competitive Analysis, User Interviews, User Flows, Personas, Scenarios, Prototyping, Usability Testing

The Team
1 Product Designer + 2 Product Managers + 2 Front-end Developers + 1 Blockchain Developer + 1 Backend Developer

Technical Diagram of a deal workflow

Information Architecture | Startup Exp. (left ) & RAIN Maker Exp. (right)

Final Product

RAIN Components Library

Onboarding

Profile Setup

KYC

Discovery

Wealth

Gigs & Quests

Each Quest hosts several Gigs. Each Gig stays on the blockchain as proof of work. RAIN Makers get paid for Gigs.

Startup’s view of a Quest

Feedback

After completing a gig, both parties provide feedback for each other. Additionally, the feedback is signed by the provider’s wallet to maintain proof of work and handle potential disputes.