Collin Cole

I’ve been in the design industry for over 30 years, working with companies around the world and across industries. I’ve seen the challenges and opportunities that come with each new technology, from desktop computing to the early internet, mobile and today’s exciting data-rich, AI-driven magic.

I experienced the thrills and challenges of being a founder with my own startups. I co-founded frog design’s digital practice in the mid-1990s, opening studios and building teams in the USA, Europe, Middle East, India and China. Most recently, I was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, helping grow the firm’s innovation capabilities and opening its new Austin office.

My biggest impact most certainly comes from the designers, technologists, and strategists on my teams over the years. So many have gone on to lead their own teams, start companies, and create things far beyond anything I could have imagined.

At McKinsey I focused on heavy industry – energy, logistics, manufacturing, and agriculture, for example. These sectors aren’t glamorous but have so much potential for change! Reimagining decades-old ways of working using a combination of business strategy, human-centered design, and the latest technologies is a blast.

While at frog, I built design teams in India and Ukraine to better support offshore software development. What I discovered was untapped potential that just needed opportunity and mentorship. Many of these designers worked with me at my post-frog startup, Carbon12, and again at McKinsey. Others continued their careers at global companies abroad or are becoming the next generation of leaders in their home countries.

ICON is an Austin-based company taking 3D printing to new heights – quite literally. They’re developing large-scale techniques to create 3D-printed structures on the moon for NASA. But they’re also building whole neighborhoods of durable, high-quality housing that are more affordable and more accessible for more people. Their purpose? To develop advanced construction technologies that advance humanity.

I want to care as much about a client’s challenge as they do. It’s satisfying to help define clear principles, create experiences that reflect purpose, and inspire their own people through shared values. Lynxeye’s focus on purpose-driven companies gives me the opportunity to do just that.