Most founders focus on logos and colors instead of the one thing that actually matters: the user experience. In this episode of This Is Small Business, Sally Chung, Founder of Designpreneurs & Co. and Professor at Parsons, explains how strategic product design helps founders validate ideas, find product-market fit, and avoid costly mistakes.

At SXSW 2026’s FuturePixelHouse, Sally Chung, Founder of Designpreneurs & Co., shared her journey from designer to entrepreneur, exploring how design, AI, and education are converging to empower the next generation of founders, builders, and creative leaders

At 2026 SXSWFuturePixelHouse, Sally Chung moderates a panel talk with design leaders, Lisa Gralnek, Joey Zeledón, and Rachele Didero to discuss what remains human in design, exploring AI’s impact on creativity, identity, and culture, and the evolving role of designers today.

What does it take to become an AI-driven founder? Sally Chung, Founder of Designpreneurs & Co., shares her journey from UX designer to building startups, hosting NYC hackathons, and empowering the next generation of creators in the future of design and AI.

AI is creating a new generation of founders. Sally Chung breaks down how AI tools enable anyone to go from idea to product, validate faster, and build startups with speed. A bold take on AI, entrepreneurship, and the future of design-driven innovation.

In this talk, Sally shares how AI is transforming design and how designers can stay competitive through applying strategic methods to be an AI design leader.

In this talk, Sally Chung shares how she navigates multiple roles as a designer, entrepreneur, and educator, and what work-life balance truly looks like in a creative entrepreneur. She reflects on her journey from South Korea to New York City, teaching at SVA, and spearheading the school’s first-ever Design Hackathon. Sally also explores how creatives can learn to speak their clients’ language, and transform passion projects into sustainable, full-time careers.

Founders: How to meet product-market-fit” through UX & Strategic design

Hosted a Designpreneurs XR panel where founders got real about product-market fit, pivots, and failure. Biggest takeaway: users, not founders, decide your product. Raw insights on building, testing, and finding traction in one of the hardest spaces in tech!

Most startups fail not because of tech or business, but because no one wants what they build. Sally Chung breaks down product-market fit, desirability, and how design drives real traction, featuring lessons from BCG Digital Ventures, Amazon, and startup case studies. Interviewed by HITLAB & Nina Joshi.