Protocol Labs
An open-source R&D company best known for IPFS and Filecoin, Protocol Labs (PL) also invests in organizations using its technology to drive breakthroughs in computing
The Challenge:
The investment management team had built core networking tools—like a member directory, events portal, and office hours scheduler—for PL’s portfolio companies. However, usage was low.
As the lead designer and operator on the team, I needed to increase adoption and prove the value of these tools to both founders and internal leadership, especially our CEO.
6 Weeks
| Web
| Lead Designer & Launch Manager
The Insight:
Founders frequently asked my team for introductions at major crypto conferences. With ETHDenver and one of our own conferences, LabWeek, approaching, I saw an opportunity: what if our tools helped founders connect at conferences on their own terms?
" I'd love to be able to see who is going and what they do, so I can decide if I want to set up a meeting with them in person. "
-Sid, Founder, Polybase
The Founder-led Approach:
To test this idea quickly, I built a hacky sign-up sheet in Google Sheets, got feedback from a few founders, then shared this prototype with our portfolio listserv. It was a familiar, low-friction format already used informally across the crypto community.
86 Responses in
2 Weeks
Building on this early traction, I worked with our PM and newly onboarded contract junior designer to scope a lightweight, web-based version of the sign-up sheet, called IRL Gatherings, to be launched in 4 weeks for LabWeek.
I returned to founders who helped build the prototype and surveyed additional users to better understand what information helped them decide who to meet. The goal: surface the most relevant attendee data while keeping the form easy to complete.
Surfacing Better Matching Data:
In early iterations, we showed RSVP timestamps. Through user input, I replaced this with:
Auto-filled Profile Picture and Role from our existing directory
Open-ended “What are you hoping to connect on?”
These small changes turned a generic list into a matchmaking tool founders actually found useful.
Fast-Track Onboarding:
To access IRL Gatherings, users needed to log in—but our standard account creation process was lengthy and a major drop-off point. Just a week before launch, I uncovered this in usability testing.
Since we didn't have enough time to shorten the account creation process, I designed a fast-track sign-up flow using Airtable that reduced the number of fields from 25 to 6. This made it dramatically easier for first-time users to access the tool.
24 fields
Full Name
Profile Picture
Skills
City
State
Country
Calendar
Team or Project Team Website
Role
Discord
Telegram
Personal Twitter
Personal Github
Personal LinkedIn
Funding State
Industry Tags
Description
Tag Line
Team Email
Team Twitter
Team Github
Team LinkedIn
6 fields
Full Name
Team or Project or new Website
Role
Skills
Profile Photo
The Outcome:
IRL Gatherings launched in beta just in time for LabWeek. Although LabWeek was a smaller conference than ETHDenver, the feature saw significant uplift.
increase in signups vs GSheet
increase in first time users
Founders also loved the prominent Telegram group link—something they usually struggled to find at in-person events. Many reported making connections directly through IRL Gatherings.
Even our initially skeptical CEO was impressed. His support for our in-house tools increased after seeing what we delivered under tight timelines and resource constraints. This led to additional development in our network tools and budget to grow our contractor engineering team.
The beta release for IRL Gatherings is now a full fledged tool with a page set up for every conference in 2204 and 2025.