We are hiring a founding designer to join our team at Elsa. This is a founding team role with significant equity compensation.
About ELSA
ELSA is building the first true IRL social network for insiders. We're gamifying guest lists at NYC's premier bars, restaurants, and clubs to create a platform around what matters in real life: where you are right now, where you're going tonight, and where you were last night. Founded by Sawyer Hall (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sawyerhall/) and David Litwak (https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidlitwak/), owner of Maxwell Tribeca—an elite social club that has hosted everyone from Anna Wintour to Prince Harry—we're bringing years of IRL social experiments and insights to build something fundamentally new. We believe the next generation social network won't be about followers or algorithms, but about real-world social capital and what actually happens offline.
What We're Building
- Gamified Guest Lists: Making getting into the popular venues and sharing the experience with your close circle of friends a fun habit IRL Social Graph: Starting with NYC's top 100 bars and restaurants, expanding to house parties and private events
- Direct Venue-to-Customer Relationships: Helping venues own their data and communicate directly with regulars
- We're tapping into a fundamental shift: 85% of Gen Z already shares their location, and "Find My Friends is my favorite social network" is a common refrain. We're building the platform they actually want.
The Role
As our Founding Designer, you'll craft ELSA's entire visual and interaction experience from the ground up. Working directly with the founder, you'll design a beautiful, elegant product that feels at home alongside the caliber of venues we're partnering with—places like Ray's, Pauls Baby Grand, and ACME. This is a UI/UX-focused role where you'll obsess over every interaction, transition, and micro-moment that makes people feel like insiders. With Maxwell Tribeca's members as your real-world testing ground, you'll rapidly iterate and A/B test your designs with actual users.
Responsibilities:
- Design Premium Interactions: Craft elegant micro-interactions, animations, and transitions that feel sophisticated and delightful—every tap, swipe, and scroll should feel intentional.
- Create Beautiful UI: Design a visual system that matches the aesthetic of high-end NYC venues—think understated elegance, not flashy gimmicks.
- Own the User Experience: Map user flows for checking in, sharing plans, viewing photos, and all core social features with obsessive attention to detail.
- Design Effects & Moments: Create special visual treatments for key moments—getting on the list, arriving at a venue, unlocking new perks—that feel rewarding without being cheesy.
- Build Through Rapid Testing: Use Maxwell's members as your test group to validate designs, run A/B tests on interactions, and iterate weekly based on real behavior.
- Design Dual Experiences: Create seamless, intuitive experiences for both social users and venue owners managing their guest lists.
- Establish the Design System: Build a cohesive component library and design language that scales as we grow.
- Think About Photography: Consider how professional venue photography integrates into the experience and how users share/discover it.
Key Design Challenges:
- How do we make location sharing feel elegant and intentional, not creepy or intrusive?
- What does it feel like to "get on the list"—what interaction makes that moment special?
- How do we design for three time horizons (future, present, past) without cluttering the interface?
- How do we visualize someone's venue relationships and social graph in a beautiful, understandable way?
- What transitions and animations reinforce the feeling of being an insider?
- How do we make checking in feel exciting rather than transactional?
- How do we design a photo experience that complements (not competes with) Instagram?
- How do we balance showing you're "in the know" with appropriate privacy controls?
You're A Great Fit If You Have:
- 4+ years of UI/UX design experience with a portfolio showcasing exceptional interaction design and visual craft
- Mastery of modern design tools (Figma required; prototyping tools like Principle, Framer, or ProtoPie a plus)
- Strong understanding of mobile-first design patterns and iOS/Android guidelines
- Proven ability to design sophisticated, elegant experiences—not just functional, but beautiful
- Experience designing micro-interactions, animations, and transitions that enhance usability
- Deep intuition for what makes people tick socially—you understand our initial users will be those who care about being recognized as insiders
- Excitement about rapid iteration and A/B testing with real users at Maxwell Eye for premium aesthetics that match high-end hospitality and luxury experiences
Why This Role Is Special
- Real Testing Ground: Maxwell Tribeca gives you immediate feedback from your exact target users—test interactions and iterate weekly, not quarterly.
- Craft-Focused: This is about making something beautiful and elegant that matches the caliber of venues we're partnering with.
- Own the Aesthetic: Define ELSA's entire visual language and interaction vocabulary from scratch.
- High-End Context: Design for sophisticated users at premium venues, not mass market.
- Rapid Iteration: Build through testing with real members, see your designs in action immediately.
Why Join ELSA?
- Founding Role: Shape the design culture and visual identity from day one
- Unfair Advantage: Maxwell Tribeca as your design lab with direct access to elite venues and early adopters
- Real Problem: Addressing the loneliness epidemic—25% of millennials report having no close friends
- Market Timing: Gen Z is already sharing location; we're designing the experience they actually want
- Competitive Equity: Founding designer compensation package
Our Belief
We believe the next true social network will be built around physical location and real-world connections—not follower counts or viral content. If you want to design the social network that gets people off their phones and into the real world—and obsess over every pixel and interaction along the way—let's talk.
To Apply: Send your portfolio, resume, and a note explaining your favorite interaction you designed and why it works to: [email protected]
ELSA is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Top Skills
What We Do
At Elsa, we're building the first true IRL social network for insiders. We're gamifying guest lists at NYC's premier bars, restaurants, and clubs to create a platform around what matters in real life: where you are right now, where you're going tonight, and where you were last night.
Founded by Sawyer Hall and David Litwak, owner of Maxwell Tribeca—an elite social club that has hosted everyone from Anna Wintour to Prince Harry—we're bringing years of IRL social experiments and insights to build something fundamentally new. We believe the next generation social network won't be about followers or algorithms, but about real-world social capital and what actually happens offline.
Why Work With Us
We are a highly talented, well-funded, young team searching for another founding member to lead product engineering. One significant advantage we have is Maxwell Social Club to iteratively test features on users before publicly launching. We're building the future of consumer social and are looking for people aligned with this mission to join us!
