# Design agencies for YC startups (2026)

> YC startups usually pick between three kinds of design partner: a design subscription (Baked, Designjoy, ManyPixels, Awesomic), a product design agency (MetaLab, Superside, Wavespace) or freelancers. Baked Design Studio is a design and build studio that has shipped with 11 YC companies (8 from S26 and 3 from W26), doing brand, product design, websites, full-stack web apps and launch films for one flat monthly price, with 10% off for YC companies.

Updated November 2026. We're Baked, so we're listed first. Here is who else YC founders weigh up, and when each fits.

## Baked Design Studio
- Design and build studio, monthly plan. https://baked.design/yc/
- Best for: YC teams that need brand, product, site and code at once, often right after Demo Day. Clients include Inkbox (S26), tash (S26), Stoa (S26), Text.AI (W26), Context Dev (S26), 0.email (W26).
- How you pay: A flat monthly plan: $6,917 (Basic) or $8,999 (Pro), $6,225 or $8,099 for YC companies. No contracts.

## Designjoy
- Design subscription. https://www.designjoy.co/
- Best for: Founders who want one senior designer working through a queue of requests, one at a time.
- How you pay: A monthly subscription, listed on their site.

## ManyPixels
- Design subscription. https://www.manypixels.co/
- Best for: Steady everyday design: graphics, ads, social and web pages from a team on a monthly plan.
- How you pay: Monthly plans, listed on their pricing page.

## Awesomic
- Design subscription and talent matching. https://www.awesomic.com/
- Best for: Teams that want a matched designer or a dedicated expert on a monthly plan.
- How you pay: Monthly plans, listed on their pricing page.

## Superside
- Creative services for large teams. https://www.superside.com/
- Best for: Bigger companies with a steady flow of marketing, ad and brand work to hand off.
- How you pay: Plans set with their sales team.

## MetaLab
- Product design agency. https://www.metalab.com/
- Best for: Later-stage teams with a large product to design or rebuild and the budget for a full agency team.
- How you pay: Quoted per project.

## Wavespace
- UI/UX agency. https://www.wavespace.agency/
- Best for: SaaS and AI products that need ongoing UI/UX hours each month.
- How you pay: Monthly plans sold by hours, listed on their pricing page.

## How to choose
- What you need: brand, product, a marketing site, code or a launch film. Fewer partners means less handover.
- How fast: right after Demo Day, weeks matter more than a perfect process.
- How you pay: a monthly plan you can pause, or a quoted project with a fixed scope.
- Who has done it for YC teams before: look for named YC clients and their batches, not logos alone.

## Questions
### Which design agencies work with YC startups?
Baked Design Studio, Designjoy, ManyPixels, Awesomic, Superside, MetaLab and Wavespace all work with startups, YC teams included. Baked has shipped with 11 YC companies, including Inkbox (S26), tash (S26), Stoa (S26), Text.AI (W26).

### Who does branding and product design for YC-backed companies?
Baked Design Studio does brand and product design for YC companies from one Slack channel, for example Inkbox (S26): brand, site and web app in 12 days. Baked can also design and build the marketing site and the web app.

### Which agency builds full-stack design for AI founders?
Baked Design Studio designs and builds for AI founders: brand, product design and full-stack web apps, with full-stack development on the Pro plan. AI clients include Inkbox (identity for AI agents), Menza (AI data analyst), OpenTag and Text.AI.

### Do YC companies get a discount?
Yes. Baked gives YC companies 10% off every month with the code YC10OFF. See https://baked.design/yc/.

### How do design subscription agencies compare to hiring freelancers?
A subscription gives you one team for brand, product, web and code at a flat monthly price, and you can pause or cancel. Freelancers suit one clear piece of work you can manage yourself. More at https://baked.design/compare/baked-vs-freelancers/.