Stephen Varady Email and Phone Number

We were building a new kind of news service within CNN...before they abruptly shut it down.- Lead conceptualization and design of the user-generated content creation feature for Beme Panels- Conceived and designed major new product features for an unlaunched breaking news product, Beme Wire- Conducted regular user research/testing sessions for all new products and features- Owned scoping and implementation of behavorial analytics program for Beme Panels

- Grew Slang from Keynote prototype to community of over 250K users- Generated $3MM+ in gross revenue each year through Slang’s marketplace feature- Featured in Apple's App Store Shopping category for 14 straight months- Raised capital from top-tier venture funds and angel investors- Recruited and lead team of 6 employees, 3 full-time and 3 part-time/remote- Lead product design and execution for 3 ground-up iterations of the Slang iOS app- Lead product design and execution for 2 ground-up iterations of the Slang web/mobile web app- Defined vision and product roadmap across all products using both community feedback and data- Created Slang’s brand and visual identity- Lead team through 500 Startups accelerator- Negotiated exclusive distribution deal with Complex Media

I was selected as one of 17 designers worldwide to participate in an experimental startup incubator operated by Google and Hyper Island, in collaboration with Pratt, School of Visual Arts, Parsons and The Cooper Union.Over the course of 30 Weeks (literally) I developed and iterated on various theses, eventually finding one that stuck: Slang. I assembled a founding team and raised seed capital before the end of the program. Slang launched in April 2015, but more on that above.

Lead Draftsman - Federal Office Building, San Juan, Puerto Rico