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Sarah Tan

Founder @ Formatif , 0 to 1 venture builder studio for early AI & Web3 startups | Venture Builder | Ex-VC investments | Venture Partner @ EleVate.Collective (coming soon) | Human-Centered AI Speaker - HCAI Product Innovation Methodology™

About

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With roots in product design and design thinking, Sarah brings a unique blend of Silicon Valley VC experience, corporate innovation consulting, and startup product design to venture building. Her unconventional journey spans designing AI-driven products for Bay Area startups, making B2B venture investments, and crafting organizational strategies for tech giants like Philips and Gensler. Sarah has guided over 30 B2B tech startups in fundraising and product launches, contributing to over $249M in valuations. Her expertise in blending business, tech, and design has driven innovative transformations across complex sectors, from Web 3.0 to AI, always focusing on creating human-centered products that resonate - from an investor, user and consultant lens.

Worked with over 30+ early startups to build 0 → 1 products: E2E across their website, product, brand, messaging. Products we strategised and designed has helped secure funding from pre-seed to Series B ($249mill+ in product valuations)

Closed 9+ fundraising rounds with backing from YC, Unusual Ventures, a16z, etc. Previous startup mentor in Xoogler demo day - helped mentored startup get into YC and raise a $1.5mill seed without a working beta out yet.

Ex-VC investments in Silicon Valley for Incubate Fund (Top Q4 VC fund globally in 2018)

Led digital transformation and business strategy workshops with c-suites for tech MNCs as an ex-Innovation Consultant

Developed the Human-Centered AI product innovation framework in collaboration with AI Singapore. Led product sprint workshops at global UX conferences and universities, with workshop participants like Amazon's Head of UX Research and design directors from Sephora, Circles Life, and KLM.

Previous speaking engagements: UX STRAT Amsterdam 2024, UX STRAT APAC 2024, Singapore Design Week 2023, SUTD AI Research Seminar Workshop collaborations with NUS Singapore, Singapore University of Technology & Design, National AI Office Neural Networking Series...

Current initiatives

Helping startups fast track PMF and fundraising closes through venture-building-as-a-service under Formatif’s Venture Lab

Boosting startup product launches and funding through fractional product design team subscriptions via Formatif's Product Studio.

Driving Human-Centered AI product innovation in organisations with the Human-Centered AI methodology (co-developed with AI Singapore) - the new Design Thinking for AI for the 21st Century

Building EleVate.Collective : a venture builder community ecosystem that collectively empowers startups, VCs and incubators globally

Background

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Stemming from a Product & Industrial design background, I’ve always considered myself as a design entrepreneur at heart. This foundation sparked my fascination with complex technology and its untapped potential. As one of the first design hires at AI and API security startups like

Traceable.ai⁠

and

Kaliber.ai⁠

, I pioneered UX design in tech-heavy environments, driving 300% YoY growth. This experience showed me how human-centered design could transform complex tech into intuitive products.

Understanding that startup success hinges on both user adoption and investor backing, I sought to complement my user-centric expertise with an investor's perspective. This led me to venture into B2B Tech SaaS investments at

Incubate Fund⁠

Silicon Valley, a top Q4 performing fund globally in 2018. This experience provided invaluable insights into what investors seek, enabling me to design and guide startups more effectively towards both product-market fit and fundraising success

My passion for innovation then led me to consult for design-centric MNCs. At

Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore⁠

, I developed the Design Thinking Toolkit that revolutionized corporate innovation practices across departments, infusing design-driven methodologies into a traditionally conservative sector. Under

Philips⁠

Experience Consulting and

Gensler⁠

, I spearheaded digital transformation in HealthTech and Future of Work. During my tenure at Philips, we were awarded the

Red Dot Global Design Team of the Year 2023⁠

for our experience-centric innovations in healthcare experiences.

Beyond that, I extended this expertise to digital transformation client collaborations with global brands like Singapore Airlines, Johnson Controls and Samsung, leveraging AI, Digital Twin, and AR/VR technologies to drive innovation possibilities.

While i enjoyed the strategic part of consulting, my true passion lies in the trenches of startup life. The allure of venture building – going full scrappy, wearing multiple hats, and driving startups from 0 to 1 – has always been my ultimate calling. I found unparalleled impact in hands-on involvement, from crafting startup strategy to executing on the ground.

I then led venture design at

Code & State,⁠

a ICP-centric ecosystem builder supporting ICP projects with venture building capabilities and securing over 18+ key partnerships and sponsors for our Internet Computer Community Conference.

My experience spans over 30+ startups across Web3, deep tech, and AI, from pre-seed to Series B. Notable projects include work with

Nansen.ai⁠

and

Cyfirma.ai⁠

, where I developed products from 0 to 1 in complex B2B industries. My strengths in particular lie towards B2B Tech verticals across Cybersecurity, Healthtech, Web3, RWA, AI.

In a yearlong research collaboration with

AI Singapore⁠

, I created the

Human-Centered AI Innovation framework⁠

for ethical and intuitive AI product development. Since then, I’ve been invited to global conferences to share about my research methodology through workshops at UX STRAT APAC Amsterdam, UxL Lisbon (upcoming) and collaborations with institutions like Singapore University of Design, National University of Singapore and Singapore Institute of Technology.

My why — has always been to drive design-led innovation in emerging tech sectors. It’s easier than ever to start a tech startup today, but harder than ever to differentiate - and that’s where the untapped potential of innovation.

In the last few years I’ve been helping startups across various roles….Fundraising. Product launches. Websites. Venture strategy. PMF. Brand strategy. Value proposition. Market positioning. But I realized, fixing one part doesn’t solve the problem. It’s all interconnected. Building a startup is like building a bridge for users. The hard truth: 90% of startups fail.

Through these diverse roles, I noticed a recurring issue: most startups have solid tech and strong teams, but struggle with user adoption and investor interest. In today's tech-saturated market, differentiating by technology alone is no longer enough. The gaps in conversion touchpoints and execution are often what lead to failure, even for B2B tech companies. The gaps in their conversion pathway broken.

The missing link? And as solid bridge between complex technology and standout human-centered products that resonate with users and investors alike.

Formatif | Venture Builder Studio

⁠

Combining all my expertise, I started

Formatif⁠

to equip startups with hands-on venture building capabilities. We support technical founders and reduce failure odds by addressing crucial conversion points through venture design.

PLG and fundraising success depends on effective connections with investors and customers. We work exclusively with invited, high-potential serial entrepreneurs, helping these already-accomplished founders reach new heights. For early-stage AI/Web3 startups, we optimize value propositions, products, and conversion strategies to accelerate PLG & fundraising outcomes.

Our venture arms:

1. Venture lab: (Venture building as a service): we help startups with done-for-you startup strategy to execution across their PMF optimization, value proposition articulation and fundraising pitch decks

2. Product studio: Fractional product team (0 to 1 strategy to product design MVP launch)

(View our projects)

My multidisciplinary background in VC investments, startup product design, and consulting offers a unique perspective on startup success. This blend allows me to:

Bridge the gap between user needs and investor expectations

Connect the dots across design, tech, business, and startup consulting

Transform complex tech into intuitive, human-centered products

My mission is to help technically strong startups overcome conversion challenges by:

Designing growth-driven products and brands

Building robust bridges between startups and their users/investors

Creating defensive, human-centered products that drive both fundraising and Product-Market Fit (PMF)

Ultimately, I'm passionate about turning complex technologies into resonant solutions that not only solve problems but also captivate users and investors alike to reduce increase their startup success and fast-track PLG, PMF and fundraising closes.

Core expertise:

► Demystifying complex tech: Optimizing Product-Market Fit (PMF) by articulating unique value propositions that drive conversions and attract investors.

► Human-centered AI innovation: Transforming technical products into intuitive solutions for emerging tech industries, bridging advanced technology with user needs.

► Holistic startup guidance: Connecting design, tech, and business through combined investor, consulting and user-centric perspectives to propel early-stage ventures

EleVate.Collective

⁠

EleVate Collective is an invite-only venture community ecosystem for founders, funders and venture builders disrupting the next-gen of emerging technologies in Web3 and AI.

Our ecosystem unites four key stakeholders:

•Framers: Niche venture builders providing specialized expertise • Funders: VCs and incubators offering capital and resources • Founders: Early-stage tech startups seeking support and growth •Finders: Ecosystem concierges and community partners facilitating connections

Human-Centered AI Initiatives

⁠

I have a keen interest in Human-Centered AI and personally, I'm most keen on AI x Web3.0 and the innovation possibilities of decentralized AI. Despite the advanced technology, navigating the crypto space can still be daunting for the average user, and it also comes with new product challenges (mental models, crypto hacks, complex user onboarding…) which I feel are the main hurdles to mass user adoption. As someone with a product design background, I believe that intuitive product narrative, UX and innovation is key to driving mass adoption in crypto.

On the side, I conduct AI innovation workshops and speaking engagements for organizations, utilizing the HCAI (Human-Centered AI) innovation methodology framework.

These interactive workshop sprints employ an AI Design toolkit and AI capability cards that I developed (in a prior yearlong research collaboration with AISG). In our workshops, participants go through our distinctive Human-Centered AI methodology to rapidly innovate ethical, Human-Centered AI solutions and AI MVP concepts in just a day.

Developed the Human-Centered AI product innovation framework in collaboration with AI Singapore.

Led product sprint workshops at global UX conferences and universities, with workshop participants like Amazon's Head of UX Research and design directors from Sephora, Circles Life, and KLM.

Read about our approach here:

Medium articles:

https://medium.com/@sarahtan.twh⁠

“The sprint was interactive and fun! The AI Capability cards was especially helpful for understanding AI capabilities. I feel that the framework and prompt cards will be extremely beneficial to my company as we venture into learning how AI can potentially help us solve problems.” - Haikal, Head of User Experience, Sephora

“Structure of the workshop was good, and the HCAI frameworks provided a great starting point. I like how the complex concepts are beautifully summarised in the AI capability cards, and the AI ethics cards helped to stretch my thoughts for my team’s concept.” - Assyaraf, Product Lead, Circle.life

“Going through it has helped to ideate on possible ways different functions of AI can be explored further. It's helpful for initial ideation for AI opportunities for our organisations!” - Beatrice, Consultant, DesignZ

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⁠

UX STRAT Presentation ↓

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HCAI Research Methodology ↓

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Background initiatives

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Startup Mentoring: organised and mentored startups for Xoogler’s APAC Demo Day 2021, leveraging due diligence expertise to interview startups and mentored an API Fraud Detection startup that later entered YC Combinator and closed a $1.5 mill Seed Round.

Co-Founder of NUS Alumni Venture’s angel network: Founding batch of NUS NAV back in 2020, onboarded 78 angel investors and secured 3 startup angel funding rounds. Pioneered NAV’s flagship Startup Mentorship Programme and Advisory Mentorship Initiatives

Community Builder at Asia Startup Network: Part of the founding contributors since 2020, strategised design branding and marketing efforts for Makan For Hope Festival 2021. Organised virtual roundtable conversations with top VC partners and startup founders, Angel Arenas and demo days

References

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Sarah played a pivotal role in our gtm market expansion and product localization launch to Hong Kong. She was fully hands-on, guiding us from a comprehensive GTM market research across SG, Taiwan and HK market , competitive product research to executing UX flows, UIUX design and proposing product features for our upcoming phases. Thanks to Sarah's contributions, we successfully expanded into the Hong Kong market within a tight 3.5 month timeframe. She guided us throughout various crucial areas, including UX research, market analysis, UI/UX refinements, and navigating customs regulations and compliance. Without Sarah’s help, we would not be able to launch in the time it took to start a business in HK. We finished our final report to JETRO and received our first large order from HK!” — Louis, Co-Founder of Goooods Ex-Xoogler. Serial entrepreneur founding team, sold previous startup to LINE ($70M)

“Prior to working with Sarah, there was a significant drop-off rate in the deck viewing stage of the fundraising funnel. Sarah helped to shine a spotlight on the key value proposition of Elfa to hook investors' interest. She strategically positioned our startup to achieve maximum clarity, refined our value proposition against competitors, and identified key elements to enhance our wow factor...In just 2.5 weeks of our reworked pitch deck and new fundraise strategy, we closed an oversubscribed pre-seed round of over $500K commits, surpassing our initial goal and have already gotten soft commits for our upcoming seed raise. —-Tristan Teo Founder,

Elfa.ai⁠

Ex-Spartan Labs

Sarah's pioneering work in design thinking transformed our approach to innovation. Her independently developed Design Toolkit prototype reimagined our entire process, showcasing her deep understanding of user needs and her ability to translate complex ideas into intuitive solutions. Her proactive leadership shone through in her management across our IRAS innovation projects, where she not only initiated crucial discussions but also took ownership of the project's visual presentation. Sarah's ability to synthesize team input while maintaining a cohesive design vision was truly impressive. Beyond her technical skills, Sarah's positive attitude and thoughtful nature made her an invaluable team player. Her passion for design, coupled with her bright mind and diligence, consistently resulted in high-quality deliverables. Sarah's unique blend of creativity, initiative, and collaborative spirit makes her an asset to any innovation-driven team. — Kristy Cheong, Senior Director, Behaviourial Insights & Design Team at IRAS

As a founder and CEO, I am deeply involved in the day-to-day operations and excel at execution. However, articulating the big picture and conveying it effectively to others is often a challenge. Sarah has been instrumental in helping me bridge this gap. She helped me delve deep into my vision and present it in the best possible light. To me, she was like a therapist for startup founders. Sarah enables founders to compellingly communicate the ideas they hold in their hearts, ensuring they resonate with and are understood by everyone else. Her support has been invaluable in bringing clarity and coherence to my vision and setting a clear fundraising strategy and narrative for our upcoming Series A raise.” —- Elbert Ludica Toha Founder, Jagad

“In just two months, Sarah played a crucial role in our journey from concept to launch across product, brand, and website development. Their hands-on approach made us feel consistently heard and understood. With minimal initial direction, Sarah expertly guided us in crafting our product concept from scratch. The positive feedback on our product and website launch has been tremendous. Our value proposition is now clearly communicated and resonates with both customers and investors. I highly recommend engaging Sarah for startup founders seeking to refine their value proposition for a global audience." — Bernard Leong, CEO & Founder of

Dorje.ai⁠

Ex-AWS Head of AI, VP of Airbus. Serial Entrepreneur (1 exit), closed pre-seed round in 1 month

Sarah has been a key contributor to the success of atomi and ACTUS Hause with her efforts driving marketing and branding strategy. Her design expertise contributed significantly to the conceptualising and branding of various campaigns in atomi, and she offered a creative and fresh design perspective to the company. Sarah exhibited distinct capacity to learn quickly and was eager to expose herself in different business aspects. With her ability to adapt quickly to the business development environment, she effectively managed multiple client projects concurrently, such as KrisShop and Sunleaf Shutters. — Andrew Tan, Founder of atomi

Who I’m looking out for

Venture Builders: Seeking partnerships across key touchpoints of the venture building journey.

Early-Stage VCs: Focusing on pre-seed to Series A investments. We offer collaborative support in fundraising, deal flow, and extended venture building capabilities for portfolio companies.

Early stage, technical startup founders with strong founder-market expertise but face conversion challenges in their fundraising and user acquistion

Let’s connect & stay in touch

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Linkedin⁠

| TG: @stwhx | IG:@sarahtwh_ | X: @sarahtwh_

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www.formatif.co⁠

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