Endeavor
global entrepreneur community
Endeavor is the leading global organization of, for, and by high-impact entrepreneurs. Inspired by the energy and vision of entrepreneur members, we designed and developed a robust brand and website that reflects the positive, growing impact that Endeavor entrepreneurs have all over the world.
I led the design process from start to finish, overhauling their web experience and redefining their brand identity. I partnered with the digital strategist to lead workshops and user testing . With the team, we delivered an exciting and helpful experience for a rapidly growing community of entrepreneurs.
PROJECT IMPACT
Increased number of eligible entrepreneurs at local offices
Since launch Endeavor went from 900 to over 1100 companies in their network.
Increased brand awareness and cohesiveness with an international rollout.
Page views doubled in the year following launch as compared to the year before launch.
2022 Webby Award Winner
Our team was incredibly proud to earn a Webby Award for the Endeavor Global website.
The Brief
Endeavor is focused on building entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world by investing and supporting entrepreneurs who dream big. An Endeavor entrepreneur has a proven business model and is ready to scale up. When connected with mentors and investors through Endeavor’s community, the impact of these entrepreneurs is compounded and ripples out from their local communities to an international scale. This connective, supportive community also focuses on paying it forward by supporting local economies and future entrepreneurs through mentorship.
Endeavor needed a new website that would be the digital hub for community growth, international engagement with entrepreneurs, and a showcase of the lasting impact in markets around the globe.
Challenge
The project required building strategic and creative consensus remotely with international stakeholders in more than 40 offices across five continents. The scale of Endeavor was mirrored in the diverse user audience that spanned those same locales. It was important for us to build deep trusting relationships with these teams to understand the differences and similarities between offices and entrepreneurial markets.
Discovery
To understand Endeavor and put ourselves in the shoes of the entrepreneurs, we participated in an Endeavor International Selection Panel. This is a convening of mentors, investors, business leaders, and Endeavor executives to connect with and understand up-and-coming entrepreneurs’ visions and business ideas. The panel is a multi-step process that ultimately determines future partnership, funding, and mentorship via Endeavor.
Afterward, we conducted stakeholder interviews with mentors, board members, and local office directors to more deeply understand goals and user pathways.
It became clear throughout discovery that this process needed to be rooted in an entrepreneur-first mentality. Our first interactive workshop with international teams was focused on brainstorming and strategizing an information architecture framework that was clear to international users and welcoming for entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurs First
Entrepreneur-first became our mantra in design. Endeavor showed us that they are an organization that is designed by entrepreneurs to support entrepreneurs. It was solidified throughout the discovery phase that they were the primary audience.
The new brand is grounded in the contagious energy of Endeavor entrepreneurs. The color palette is electric and visually exemplifies the scale of the dreams of the primary audience. Growth and possibility are represented through rippling topography-inspired patterns, geometric shapes, and community-first photography.
The new site incorporates success stories from current Endeavor entrepreneurs that will inspire, guide, and teach future entrepreneurs. These diverse stories highlight how connected and international the community is.
Usability Testing
Endeavor mentors, entrepreneurs, and new applicants were recruited to test this site and our goal of designing “entrepreneur-first.” Via robust prototypes, users went through a multi-step user test that allowed us to track user success, time taken, and general feedback. These insights informed design revisions throughout the site.
Feedback illuminated the need for a robust company index. We learned how people searched for companies and what they were looking to see in filterable content. This feedback resulted in the creation of robust indexes that allow users to search over 900 company profiles, showcasing verticals and regions as well as related success stories. Users can quickly connect with those entrepreneurs or their local office, reinforcing the supportive community model. We also designed a similar listing for companies that Endeavor has invested in via their Catalyst Fund.
A brand system for international scale
Our team created a robust brand guide to align over 40 international offices on brand deployment. The guide includes best practices on logo usage, color palette, accessibility, typography, pattern usage, image treatment, how local offices and sub-brands should be scaled, and much more.
Impact
Increased number of eligible entrepreneurs at local offices
Since launch Endeavor went from 900 to over 1100 companies in their network.
Increased brand awareness and cohesiveness with an international rollout.
Page views doubled in the year following launch as compared to the year before launch.
2022 Webby Award Winner
Our team was incredibly proud to earn a Webby Award for the Endeavor Global website.
Next Steps
Stakeholder Interviews: Local Office Managing Directors
Understand how the funnel of incoming entrepreneurs changed and in what ways the new website influenced bringing in high-impact candidates.
Stakeholder Interviews: Prospective and Current Endeavor Entrepreneurs
Understand how the experience of becoming an Endeavor entrepreneur has changed and any lingering barriers that entrepreneurs encounter along their journey from: local office --> global office--> International Selection Panel --> official Endeavor Entrepreneur.
Iterate
Implement feedback through iterations on the global and local office websites as well as a potential new project with their member portal, Endeavor Open.
Up Next