It's probably helpful to distinguish between designer in the visual design or graphic design sense, and in the product maker sense. A strong sense of design is

It's probably helpful to distinguish between designer in the visual design or graphic design sense, and in the product maker sense. A strong sense of design is a crucial attribute in any product maker, which would generally include every member of a startup's founding team, whether technical or business/marketing. It's less important to have a visual/graphic designer in the founding team, and most startups outsource this type of work until they're big enough to warrant a dedicated resource. It's worth noting that in the AirBnB founding team, Brian and Joe are both industrial designers, with Nate the only hacker.