Chassi is an AI-powered operational analytics platform that helps private equity firms and their portfolio companies unlock hidden value, streamline core processes, and make data-driven decisions.

Services: Product design, Web design, Framer dev, Branding

Chassi helps private equity firms and their portfolio companies uncover operational blind spots through automated assessments and process analytics.

When I joined in 2017, Chassi was pre product market fit. There was code, a vision, and a small founding team. I was employee number six and the first designer. At the time there was no revenue. No defined audience. No proven positioning.

Eight years later, Chassi is making headway into the private equity space, sponsoring major conferences, and operating as an enterprise focused analytics platform.

The product evolved. The audience changed. The business model shifted. And more than once, we questioned whether we would make it. 

Only three of us from the early days are still here.

The following case study is not about a simple redesign. It is about building clarity through uncertainty and helping a company survive long enough to find the right market.

In the beginning, we were building in isolation. The initial team believed they knew the answers. Development moved forward without enough market feedback, and we tried to do too much, too soon.

The original concept was direct to consumer. That idea eventually disappeared entirely.

For several years, there was no revenue. We pivoted audiences. We pivoted positioning. At one point, we nearly scrapped the product and rebuilt from the ground up with a completely new direction.

Design during this phase was not about polish. It was about translation.

How do you present complex financial and operational data in a way that feels credible, even when the business itself is still finding its footing?

How do you build trust with buyers who are trained to be skeptical?

Three moments changed everything:

Landing the first enterprise client

A major repositioning toward private equity

A platform overhaul that reshaped the product

Breaking into private equity was the hardest part. It is a closed loop ecosystem. No one wants to be the first to adopt a new tool. Credibility matters more than marketing.

We came close to failure multiple times. Progress was slow. The sales cycle was long. The learning curve was steep.

Design had to support persistence. Every iteration needed to make the product clearer, the positioning sharper, and the company look more credible than its size suggested.

Chassi compares financial and operational data across systems, identifies inconsistencies, and surfaces revenue impacting gaps. It is powerful. It is also inherently dense.

The challenge was never to simplify the intelligence. It was to simplify the experience.

We focused on:

Clear visual hierarchy in dashboards

Structured layouts that reduce cognitive overload

Progressive disclosure instead of dumping data at once

Consistent interaction patterns across modules

Over time, the platform shifted from an experimental feature set to a more disciplined system. Instead of building everything at once, we learned to prototype first.

I regularly sat in on sales calls or reviewed recordings to understand objections and confusion points. For new features, I created high fidelity prototypes that sales could use in demos before engineering invested time building them. That loop increased sales confidence and allowed us to test direction early.

Because I worked closely with engineering, design decisions were grounded in technical reality. As Aaron, Chassi’s CTO, described:

That alignment reduced rework, shortened revision cycles, and kept the team moving quickly, even during high pressure rebuild phases.

The platform today is used both by in house analysts and external subscribers. That direct access to internal analysts creates a continuous feedback loop that sharpens usability over time.

Design was never decoration. It was leverage.

Chassi went through multiple audience shifts:

Direct to consumer

Enterprise businesses

Private equity funds

Each shift required a full messaging recalibration.

When we committed to private equity as the primary audience, everything had to level up. The tone became more sophisticated. The visual system matured. The packaging changed.

Recently, we restructured the offering into four clearly defined services with flat fees. That lowered the barrier to entry and made capabilities easier to understand. After those engagements, clients can subscribe for continuous improvements.

That shift dramatically improved clarity and adoption. Instead of selling an abstract platform, we now sell defined outcomes.

As Denny, our Head of Marketing said:

The website was never built to drive mass inbound traffic. It functions as a credibility checkpoint.

In private equity, relationships drive discovery. Prospects hear about you through word of mouth or a trusted introduction. Then they look you up. In that moment, your website must reinforce the level of conversation already happening.

In late 2025, I led a full redesign and migrated the site from WordPress to Framer to support faster iteration and cleaner architecture.

The goal was precision. We:

Refocused messaging squarely on private equity funds

Elevated product visibility with clearer screenshots and defined services

Tightened language t emphasize outcomes over features

Introduced a more balanced light and dark system to improve hierarchy

Structured pages for executive level scanning

The relaunch happened ahead of PEI 2025, where Chassi was a premiere sponsor. The visual presence needed to match the room we were stepping into.

The current site reinforces credibility. It does not over explain. It validates the introduction.

View the staged website.

The 2023 version reflected a different stage of the company.

The design leaned heavily into a dark, bold aesthetic. The messaging was broader and more exploratory, speaking to enterprise operators more generally rather than focusing tightly on private equity.

At that time, we were still refining positioning and packaging. The site emphasized potential and platform capabilities, but lacked the precision required for PE buyers.

The difference between the two versions mirrors the company’s evolution. As Chassi narrowed its audience and clarified its offering, the website became sharper, more focused, and more aligned with the conversations happening in sales and at conferences.

We kept the original logo, but refreshed everything around it.

Updated typography and spacing standards

More sophisticated visual tone

Refined color usage

Consistent design language across decks, one pagers, and materials

As the audience matured, the brand needed to mature with it. Investor conversations, enterprise buyers, and conference sponsorships required polish and consistency.

This was not a cosmetic update. It was a signal that the company had grown up.

Chassi did not find product market fit quickly. It took years. It took pivots. It took near resets.

Today, the company is finally gaining traction in private equity, the audience that aligns best with the platform’s strengths.

The product is clearer. The packaging is sharper. The messaging is focused. The brand matches the room.

Eight years in, the momentum is real.

Design at Chassi is not about launching a new look. It was about navigating uncertainty, absorbing market feedback, supporting repositioning, and helping a company survive long enough to find its edge.

When Justin, our President and CFO, described working together, he said:

That is the work. Not decoration. Direction.

Here’s what colleagues and leaders at Chassi have said about working together.

“Adam is an incredibly creative man who will take your half-baked ideas and bring them to life in a way that makes you think he’s inside your head. When he speaks, everybody listens, and for good reason. He is the picture of accountability and self-critique, and the standards he holds himself and his work to set the bar.”

Andrew Zwerner CEO, Chassi

"I'm pleased to recommend Adam, an exceptionally talented UI/UX and web designer who brings both creative excellence and strategic thinking to every project. What sets Adam apart is his ability to see beyond aesthetics and understand design as a powerful business tool. He doesn't just create beautiful interfaces—he crafts strategic solutions that directly impact growth and conversion. I recommend Adam without reservation."

Justin Dooley President & CFO, Chassi

"Adam is a highly skilled designer with strong technical capabilities. He understands modern design tools and methodologies, and he pairs this with a clear, practical understanding of engineering limitations. Adam designs solutions that align with the underlying technical architecture. He communicates effectively with development teams and ensures that his designs can be implemented efficiently."

Aaron Harrison CTO, Chassi

"I’ve had the privilege of working with Adam for nearly four years at Chassi, and I can honestly say I wouldn’t want to tackle a brand or website redesign with anyone else. He has a rare ability to take complex, abstract ideas and translate them into design that is both beautiful and strategically spot on—no small feat when your audience is as specialized as Private Equity."

Denny Cushing Head of Marketing, Chassi