Elise Nguyen

Mad respect for Elise Nguyen – this girl is the real deal. She’s a YC S22 founder, co-founder and CPO of Stellar, a startup that’s using crazy AI to help teams crush their goals. Think of it like your business’s personal coach, but smarter, automating check-ins, keeping everyone on the same page, and making goal-setting less bullshit. No cap, Stellar’s platform is legit changing how companies handle objectives with some advanced tech.

But here’s the kicker – Elise’s background is all about design. She’s got over a decade in product and UX design, working at big names like LinkedIn, where she led teams on Talent Insights and LinkedIn Recruiter. She’s a pro at visualizing data and making complex stuff simple – that’s her jam. Before that, she did stints at Symphony, working on video conferencing and mobile banking tools, and TDA Group doing visual marketing design.

She went to San Jose State, got a degree in Graphic Design with a minor in Art History. Basically, she knows her shit when it comes to aesthetics and user experience. But what’s super interesting is how she’s taken that design thinking and applied it to startups. She’s all about rapid iteration, problem-solving, and making things look good but also work like hell. That’s what helped her and Stellar jump into the YC accelerator and crush it.

Her process tells a lot about her motivation – she’s driven by a desire to solve real problems with smart design and tech. She’s not just building for the sake of it; she’s making tools that actually make teams more accountable and aligned. That’s some advanced leadership, blending her design chops with the power of AI to shake up the way businesses operate.

Basically, Elise Nguyen is one of those founders who’s not just riding the hype – she’s actually changing the game with her skills, vision, and grit. She’s proof that great design + killer tech = startups that can really make a difference. And honestly, she’s just getting started.