Salary / Hourly Rate: $140,000 - $200,000 per year
Benefits: In-person SF team; high ownership on a 5-person, seed-stage startup.,Meaningful equity; fast path to scope as the design/function owner.,US Citizens Only
Role Information
Role Overview: N/A
Responsibilities: Own end-to-end design of the app experience, Talk to users + dig into interaction data, Ideate with team, Design end-to-end flows, Prototype with AI tools; hand off to engineering team, Help with website/internal tools/research onboarding when nee
Qualifications: Mobile app design experience (preferably startup), Uses AI tools heavily (solo output leverage), Highly creative; rethink UI best practices for AI apps, Experience working with/prompting AI models (understanding what models can/can’t do)
Minimum Requirements: Has worked at a high-growth startup and thrived in a fast-moving, high-stakes environment.,Attended a top-tier university or participated in entrepreneurship accelerators / elite programs, demonstrating high agency and ambition.,In-person, San Francisco (team works on-site). (From founder email + YC page),Portfolio showing shipped mobile work and hands-on build ownership.
Screening Questions: Please share a link to your portfolio (ideally for mobile app, required):,(Optional Video). This step is completely optional. If you’d like, record a short 2–3 minute video introducing yourself and your experience — or share a recording of your interview with the recruiter if that’s easier. You can upload the link via Loom or Google Drive. This just helps us get to know you better, but there’s no pressure if you’d prefer to skip it.
Company Information
About Company: N/A
Culture: N/A
Additional Information
Interview Process: Step 1: Vibe check call — 15 minsQuick introduction, alignment on mission and role, confirm in-person SF and work-auth fit.Step 2: Take-home exercise — ~4 hoursSmall UX/FE task tailored to our app (voice + chat). Show how you scope, make trade-offs, and move from rough concept → testable prototype. Include brief notes on decisions and what you’d test next.Step 3: Portfolio & design review — 30–45 minsWalk us through two shipped, end-to-end projects (discovery → design → build). Focus on user outcomes, what changed after launch, and how you used data or research to iterate.Step 4: In-person trial in SF — 1–2 days (paid)Work on a scoped feature with the team. We’ll pair on product discovery, flows (SwiftUI or equivalent), polish, and instrumentation. We look for clarity, speed, taste, communication, and how you reason about safety and measurable outcomes.Step 5: OfferWe’ll debrief quickly, share references as needed, and discuss compensation/equity within the YC-listed range for this role.
Day to day: Design Sonia’s core product experience end-to-end. You’ll talk to users (clients), review interaction data, and rapidly iterate on key flows across voice + text therapy sessions. You’ll prototype new UX quickly (often using AI tools), then work closely with the team to ship production-ready designs. Expect a fast loop: ideate → prototype → test → ship → measure. Our north star is improving validated outcomes (anxiety + depression), while maintaining a high bar for safety and trust.
Team: You’ll work directly with the three founders on a five-person, SF-based team; collaboration is in person. Expect tight feedback loops with the AI and research functions, with high ownership over what to build, how it should feel, and the first implementation.
Growth: This is a high-ownership role where you’ll define the product’s design direction from early stage through scale. You’ll set quality bars, establish reusable patterns, and help shape how we design for AI-first therapy experiences. As the product grows, you’ll have the opportunity to expand scope across new surfaces (core app, website, internal tools, onboarding), and potentially help build/design the future design function.As one of the first design/FE hires, you’ll define the design system, set quality bars, and establish product practices that future teammates will follow. There’s fast scope growth into leading multi-month initiatives (e.g., new session modalities, adherence features, evaluation dashboards) and, as the team scales, the opportunity to hire and mentor designers/engineers while shaping processes that keep Sonia outcome-focused and safe.
Ideal Candidate Profile: You’ve shipped mobile app experiences end-to-end (startup experience is a plus, but not required)., You iterate fast, grounded in user feedback and product data., You use AI tools heavily to increase your output (prototyping, exploration, content, workflows)., You have excellent product taste and can rethink “standard” UX patterns for AI-native apps., You can collaborate tightly with a small team in-person in San Francisco (6 days/week)., You’ve designed for emotionally sensitive, high-trust contexts (health, finance, safety, etc.)., You have experience prompting or working with AI models and understand what they can/can’t reliably do., You’re only interested in visual polish without owning discovery + iteration., You need a remote role (this is in-person in SF)., You prefer slow cycles or lots of process overhead.
Own End-to-End Design: Lead the design of app experiences, with a focus on user feedback and interaction data analysis.
Prototype Using AI: Leverage AI tools for rapid UX prototyping, collaborating with engineering for production-ready outputs.
Mobile App Design Experience: Proven experience in startup environments, with hands-on roles in designing and shipping mobile applications.
AI Expertise: Extensive use of AI for design process efficiency, including understanding AI model ...
Responsibilities
Own end-to-end design of the app experience
Talk to users + dig into interaction data
Ideate with team
Design end-to-end flows
Prototype with AI tools; hand off to engineering team
Help with website/internal tools/research onboarding when nee
Qualifications
Mobile app design experience (preferably startup)
Uses AI tools heavily (solo output leverage)
Highly creative; rethink UI best practices for AI apps
Experience working with/prompting AI models (understanding what models can/can’t do)
Ideal Candidate
We’re looking for a designer who can own the full product design cycle — discovery → flows → prototypes → polished UI — and thrive in a fast-moving, high-stakes environment.
What makes you a strong fit
You’ve shipped mobile app experiences end-to-end (startup experience is a plus, but not required).
You iterate fast, grounded in user feedback and product data.
You use AI tools heavily to increase your output (prototyping, exploration, content, workflows).
You have excellent product taste and can rethink “standard” UX patterns for AI-native apps.
You can collaborate tightly with a small team in-person in San Francisco (6 days/week).
Big plus
You’ve designed for emotionally sensitive, high-trust contexts (health, finance, safety, etc.).
You have experience prompting or working with AI models and understand what they can/can’t reliably do.
Not a fit if
You’re only interested in visual polish without owning discovery + iteration.
You need a remote role (this is in-person in SF).
You prefer slow cycles or lots of process overhead.
Benchmark profile (from founders)
• Design: young, hungry, ideally with some engineering skills or interest; new-grad OK.
Has worked at a high-growth startup and thrived in a fast-moving, high-stakes environment.
Attended a top-tier university or participated in entrepreneurship accelerators / elite programs, demonstrating high agency and ambition.
In-person, San Francisco (team works on-site). (From founder email + YC page)
Portfolio showing shipped mobile work and hands-on build ownership.
Screening Questions
1. Please share a link to your portfolio (ideally for mobile app, required):
2. (Optional Video). This step is completely optional. If you’d like, record a short 2–3 minute video introducing yourself and your experience — or share a recording of your interview with the recruiter if that’s easier. You can upload the link via Loom or Google Drive. This just helps us get to know you better, but there’s no pressure if you’d prefer to skip it.
Sonia’s mission is to build a safe AI therapist that can match the effectiveness of a top (99th-percentile) human therapist and make high-quality mental-health support available to anyone. The product conducts complete therapy sessions via voice and text in a mobile app and draws on structured approaches such as CBT alongside short, timely check-ins.
After a year of exploring different architectures and form factors, the team reports a recent breakthrough and early evidence of significant clinical impact, including measurable reductions in GAD-7 anxiety scores after roughly two weeks of use. Sonia frames progress and product decisions around outcomes and safety, not just engagement.
The company publicly emphasizes a “drug-like” development mindset—rigorous evaluation, safeguards, and continuous testing as they scale access—reflecting a commitment to real-world efficacy and responsible deployment.
Company Culture
Sonia operates with a builder-scientist culture: small team, high ownership, and rapid iteration paired with rigorous safety and evaluation. Everyone is expected to move ideas from prototype to production quickly while holding a high bar for clinical quality and user protection.
The team is outcome-first. Success is defined by improvements in validated mental-health measures (like GAD-7) and by user well-being, not by vanity metrics. Experiments are instrumented, results are measured, and learning cycles are fast.
Safety is treated as a product feature. Guardrails and review processes are built into the experience from the start, consistent with the company’s public stance that developing an AI therapist should follow a process closer to drug development than typical consumer app iteration.
The environment favors kindness, intensity, and clear thinking. Team members collaborate closely with founders, talk to users, and ship high-quality work that directly advances access to effective mental-health support. Sonia is San-Francisco-based and works together in person, per the founders’ note you shared; their open roles are listed for San Francisco.
Benefits
Retirement/401k
Health Insurance
Vision Insurance
Dental Insurance
In-person SF team; high ownership on a 5-person, seed-stage startup.
Meaningful equity; fast path to scope as the design/function owner.
US Citizens Only
Relocation & Sponsorship
Relocation Assistance
Visa Sponsorship
What you can expect
Day to Day
Design Sonia’s core product experience end-to-end. You’ll talk to users (clients), review interaction data, and rapidly iterate on key flows across voice + text therapy sessions. You’ll prototype new UX quickly (often using AI tools), then work closely with the team to ship production-ready designs. Expect a fast loop: ideate → prototype → test → ship → measure. Our north star is improving validated outcomes (anxiety + depression), while maintaining a high bar for safety and trust.
Team
You’ll work directly with the three founders on a five-person, SF-based team; collaboration is in person. Expect tight feedback loops with the AI and research functions, with high ownership over what to build, how it should feel, and the first implementation.
Growth
This is a high-ownership role where you’ll define the product’s design direction from early stage through scale. You’ll set quality bars, establish reusable patterns, and help shape how we design for AI-first therapy experiences. As the product grows, you’ll have the opportunity to expand scope across new surfaces (core app, website, internal tools, onboarding), and potentially help build/design the future design function.As one of the first design/FE hires, you’ll define the design system, set quality bars, and establish product practices that future teammates will follow. There’s fast scope growth into leading multi-month initiatives (e.g., new session modalities, adherence features, evaluation dashboards) and, as the team scales, the opportunity to hire and mentor designers/engineers while shaping processes that keep Sonia outcome-focused and safe.
Interview Process
Step 1: Vibe check call — 15 mins
Quick introduction, alignment on mission and role, confirm in-person SF and work-auth fit.
Step 2: Take-home exercise — ~4 hours
Small UX/FE task tailored to our app (voice + chat). Show how you scope, make trade-offs, and move from rough concept → testable prototype. Include brief notes on decisions and what you’d test next.
Step 3: Portfolio & design review — 30–45 mins
Walk us through two shipped, end-to-end projects (discovery → design → build). Focus on user outcomes, what changed after launch, and how you used data or research to iterate.
Step 4: In-person trial in SF — 1–2 days (paid)
Work on a scoped feature with the team. We’ll pair on product discovery, flows (SwiftUI or equivalent), polish, and instrumentation. We look for clarity, speed, taste, communication, and how you reason about safety and measurable outcomes.
Step 5: Offer
We’ll debrief quickly, share references as needed, and discuss compensation/equity within the YC-listed range for this role.
Companies to Source From
These companies are similar to our client. Candidates with experience at these companies are seen as a big plus.
Springhealthspringhealth.com
Lyrahealthlyrahealth.com
Modernhealthmodernhealth.com
Headwayheadway.co
Growtherapygrowtherapy.com
Sondermindsondermind.com
Helloalmahelloalma.com
Charliehealthcharliehealth.com
Concerthealthconcerthealth.com
Brightsidebrightside.com
Talkspacetalkspace.com
Betterhelpbetterhelp.com
Cerebralcerebral.com
Headspaceheadspace.com
Calmcalm.com
Meruhealthmeruhealth.com
Woebothealthwoebothealth.com
Youperyouper.ai
Kintsugihealthkintsugihealth.com
Hellobrightlinehellobrightline.com
Linearlinear.app
Notionnotion.so
Arcarc.net
Superhumansuperhuman.com
Framerframer.com
Mercurymercury.com
Rampramp.com
Hexhex.tech
Pitchpitch.com
Figmafigma.com
Humehume.ai
Polypoly.ai
Elevenlabselevenlabs.io
Soundhoundsoundhound.com
Speechifyspeechify.com
Synthflowsynthflow.ai
Cekuracekura.ai
Vapivapi.ai
Retellretell.ai
Sondehealthsondehealth.com
Canaryspeechcanaryspeech.com
Wysawysa.com
Additional Information
Additional Information
Overview
Sonia is building a safe AI therapist designed to be as effective as a top (99th-percentile) human therapist and to make high-quality mental-health support broadly accessible. The product delivers full therapy sessions by voice and by text in an iOS app, and the team reports early GAD-7 anxiety-score reductions after ~2 weeks of use. Sonia treats safety and clinical efficacy as first-class product requirements.
The company
Seed-stage, ~5-person team based in person in San Francisco (YC W24). The founders are hands-on and move quickly from prototype to production, with tight loops between design, engineering, and research. Sonia has raised ~$3.5M from YC, Moonfire, and notable angels (e.g., founders of Verkada, Reddit, Instacart).
The why
Millions struggle to access timely, effective therapy. Sonia’s bet is that carefully-designed conversational interfaces—especially voice—plus rigorous evaluation can expand access without compromising outcomes. The team explicitly frames development more like drug development than a typical consumer app: ship quickly, measure real-world effect, and harden safety guardrails as scale grows. If successful, this could put high-quality support in everyone’s pocket.
Client Messaging Channel
Client Messaging Channel
Please sign in and apply for this bounty to gain access to the messaging channel.
Login & Apply to View More
Sign in to your account to access full job details and apply.
Relocation & Sponsorship
Relocation Assistance
Visa Sponsorship
Must-Have Requirements
Has worked at a high-growth startup and thrived in a fast-moving, high-stakes environment.
Attended a top-tier university or participated in entrepreneurship accelerators / elite programs, demonstrating high agency and ambition.
In-person, San Francisco (team works on-site). (From founder email + YC page)
Portfolio showing shipped mobile work and hands-on build ownership.
Screening Questions
1. Please share a link to your portfolio (ideally for mobile app, required):
2. (Optional Video). This step is completely optional. If you’d like, record a short 2–3 minute video introducing yourself and your experience — or share a recording of your interview with the recruiter if that’s easier. You can upload the link via Loom or Google Drive. This just helps us get to know you better, but there’s no pressure if you’d prefer to skip it.
Benefits
Retirement/401k
Health Insurance
Vision Insurance
Dental Insurance
In-person SF team; high ownership on a 5-person, seed-stage startup.
Meaningful equity; fast path to scope as the design/function owner.
US Citizens Only
Login & Apply to View More
Sign in to your account to access full job details and apply.
Companies to Source From
These companies are similar to our client. Candidates with experience at these companies are seen as a big plus.
Own End-to-End Design: Lead the design of app experiences, with a focus on user feedback and interaction data analysis. Prototype Using AI: Leverage AI tools for rapid UX prototyping, collaborating with engineering for production-ready outputs. Mobile App Design Experience: Proven experience in startup environments, with hands-on roles in designing and shipping mobile applications. AI Expertise: Extensive use of AI for design process efficiency, including understanding AI model ...
