Designing a platform for healthy, high-performing teams
Designed and launched Venture Rhythm, a program supporting high-functioning, diverse startup teams through structured rituals, team health feedback, and a culture of open collaboration.
The Challenge
Innovative ventures often fail not because of flawed strategy, but because of team dysfunction, burnout, or cultural breakdown. Across dozens of startup teams, patterns emerged: inconsistent feedback loops, reactive issue resolution, and lack of psychological safety — all undermining venture performance and talent retention.
The goal: build a scalable program that embeds collaboration, accountability, and healthy team habits into the DNA of venture teams — proactively rather than as damage control
The Approach
I led the full lifecycle of this internal venture — from blank-page research to digital product launch — managing a multidisciplinary team of 5+ across product, design, and engineering.
Insight-Driven Research
Mixed-method Discovery: Combined ethnographic interviews, desktop research, and prior internal data from initiatives like Mesh and InVenture.
Hack-a-Future Workshops: Ran pop-up co-creation sessions across NYC, Manhattan Beach, and Seattle offices to generate insights, personas, and measure team norms.
Crowdsourced Friction Points: Captured team-level challenges via open-ended “How Might We” prompts (e.g., How might we create safe environments to learn from failure?).
Program & Experience Design
Blueprinted End-to-End Journeys: Mapped ideal rituals, interventions, and feedback mechanisms across a venture’s life cycle.
Tested in the Wild: Piloted the program with live venture teams; facilitated structured sessions to define working norms, document action items, and measure rhythm cadence.
Team Archetype Framework: Developed reusable team role cards (e.g., The Synthesizer, The Harmonizer) to build empathy and clarity in team dynamics.
Digital Product Development
Built the Venture Dashboard Pilot: Launched an internal platform (rhythm.bcgdv.io) to centralize team rituals, resources, retro tools, and check-in guidance.
Design Principles: Prioritized psychological safety, “actions first” UX, and giving time back through simplicity and clarity.
Resources for All Roles: Designed modular content for team members, GMs, and MDPs — from self-assessments to facilitation toolkits
The Outcome
Venture Rhythm (PTO: Predictability, Teaming, Open Communication) became a foundational program to increase venture team health, cohesion, and culture across BCG X.
Adopted by Venture GMs and MDPs as a structured way to proactively support team performance
Tested across multiple ventures with feedback indicating increased psychological safety and early intervention efficacy
Program launched with modular tools for team rituals, retros, and playbooks
Created a shared language and digital resource hub for team roles, norms, and rhythms — building internal alignment and scaling best practices
Project Snapshot
Client: BCG Digital Ventures
Industry: Organizational Design / Talent & Culture
My Role: General Manager and Experience Design Lead