How Strategic Design Helped Umoja Raise $2M to Revolutionize DeFi Risk Management

When Umoja set out to bring hedge fund-style risk management tools to everyday users, they had an ambitious vision—build DeFi’s first accessible asset risk management platform and tap into a $500T global market. I had the opportunity to lead the product design for this groundbreaking initiative, and I’m proud to share that Umoja has successfully raised $2M in seed funding with backing from Coinbase Ventures, Quantstamp, and more.

Designing for a Complex Problem.
Umoja’s mission was bold: democratize financial risk strategies traditionally reserved for hedge funds, across crypto, fiat, digital bonds, real estate, and commodities. That meant the product had to make sophisticated financial instruments approachable, transparent, and intuitive for a wider audience.

My work focused on transforming complex mechanics—automated hedging, risk triggers, strategy creation—into a clear and usable interface that builds trust while empowering users to take control of their financial risk.

Crafting a Scalable Foundation.
From early UX research to wireframing, prototyping, and final visual design, the goal was to build a product that investors could understand and users could trust. I worked closely with the founding team to iterate on flows and features that would reflect the depth of the technology without overwhelming users. We also built a flexible design system to support future expansion across different asset classes and integrations—key for long-term growth.

Results: Validation Through Funding.
The product became a core part of Umoja’s investor narrative—demonstrating not just what the technology could do, but how it would be experienced by end users. The clarity and vision in the product experience helped secure $2M in funding from top-tier investors, setting the stage for a powerful DeFi risk management platform.