Portalys is a fan-to-fan ticket resale marketplace for nightlife and music events. It helps fans buy and sell tickets securely and efficiently, while also enabling event organizers to partner with resale platforms to earn royalties and gain broader distribution.

Portalys had just built its first MVP but had neither users nor a clear UX/UI strategy. I had previously designed their initial brand at my design agency, and then joined as their first and only designer.

Originally, Portalys was a primary ticketing platform charging fees to organizers. After learning from the market, the company pivoted to become a resale-only platform, partnering with organizers and primary ticketing companies to split royalties on ticket resales.

Thomas Thiry (CEO): Entrepreneur with a previous exit

Issam Haddad (CTO): Computer Engineer from Boston University

Bootstrapped with limited early-stage investment from close contacts.

Title: Head of Product & Design (Founding Designer)

Reporting: Directly to both co-founders

Team: I was the only designer, collaborating directly with a cross-functional team that included 6+ developers, a CFO, a CRO, and a rotating group of freelancers and interns supporting marketing, content, and development. I led brand, product, UX/UI, Framer web design and development, and investor and sales decks.

Branding (2 iterations: pre-pivot + post-pivot)

Responsive web apps (B2C & B2B)

iOS & Android apps (B2C, verifier app)

Framer websites (8 iterations)

Design systems

UX research, competitor research

Roadmapping, product prioritization

Pitch decks, investment & sales materials

The MVP had no responsive design and poor UX/UI

Product lacked cohesion, strategy, and basic usability

The team was small, and the vision was fragmented

No user feedback loop, no design process, no brand maturity

Defined and owned the entire design scope (brand, product, comms)

Helped guide company direction, the first 30 clients growth and supported the pivot to resale

Built a scalable system for fast iteration with limited dev bandwidth

Extremely lean team

Tight deadlines (accelerator goals, MVP launch deadlines, commitments with clients, etc)

Need to find product-market fit fast

Audited all existing brand/product materials

Conducted AI-assisted user research + market/competitor benchmarking

Used and reviewed products of 10+ direct competitors

Interviewed internal team to surface goals and blockers

Interviewed leads and contacts within the industry

Based roadmap on immediate business goals: launch MVP within 3 months of the Babson accelerator

Prioritized features that would help us secure our first 10 clients

Figma (design-ready for dev and AI export)

Framer (to rapidly ship responsive web + iterate messaging)

Framer complex CMS + variables (After pivot, to reduce dev times)

Notion & Asana for roadmap, design tasks, handoff, and team alignment

Responsive Web App (B2C) – Redesigned UX/UI to boost user signups, conversions, and trust

Web Dashboard (B2B Organizer Panel) – Improved onboarding, reduced organizer support needs and shipped features fast

Access (iOS/Android App for verifiers) – Scanner app for seamless ticket verification during events, informed by direct on-site feedback Link

iOS/Android App (B2C Primary Ticketing) – Enhanced browsing and purchasing UX to drive retention and increase ticket sales

iOS/Android App (Pivot B2C Resale) – Full redesign to reflect pivoted resale model, boosting user confidence and ease of use Link

Framer Web App (Resale Product Platform) – Used advanced Framer features (CMS, components, variables) to build a scalable B2C resale experience quickly, allowing real-time marketing iterations Link

Primary & Resale Design Systems – Introduced scalable, dev-friendly systems to reduce friction and enable faster feature development using AI-powered export

Framer Marketing Websites – Built and shipped 8 separate versions over 2 years, each iteration aligned with growth insights and PMF learnings, leading to improved conversions and perception Link

Brand Identity (Pre-Pivot) – First brand identity that supported early client acquisition, user trust, and grow our team

Pivoted Brand Identity (Resale Model) – Rebrand that communicated maturity and market repositioning, aligned with user insights and growth goals

Designed and iterated pitch decks used for investor conversations, partnership outreach, demo sessions, and accelerator applications. Helped secure partnerships, customers, and advisors

I proved that I can own all aspects of design in an early-stage startup: Product, brand, growth, and internal tools

I operated as a founding designer, proposing strategy, leading execution, and influencing vision

I worked cross-functionally and proactively, without needing direction, but also knowing when to play my role

I handled extreme speed, iteration, and uncertainty, delivering consistently high-quality output

I contributed to market pivots, product launches, brand repositioning, and everything in between