Diagram
A website redesign for a Montreal venture studio building the next generation of FinTech and ClimateTech companies
Client
Diagram via Temper And Forge
Scope
Web Design, Brand Extension
Year
2024
About
Diagram operates a unique model in venture: part venture studio, part early-stage investor. The challenge was to make that model clear for ambitious founders evaluating whether Diagram was the right partner.
The site needed to communicate the scale of the organization — 27+ ventures supported, $303M+ raised, 4 funds, 2,274+ jobs created, and a network of 300+ LPs — while still feeling bold, founder-focused, and distinct from the conventions of institutional finance.
With Diagram’s expansion from FinTech into ClimateTech, the project also had to signal a broader evolution: from a proven company-building platform to an organization betting on the next frontier.
strategy
A venture studio and investor differ significantly. Founders seeking investment must grasp what Diagram offers beyond capital: a network, operational support, and a community of 60+ founders with $15B in exits. Those wanting to co-build with Diagram should understand its venture creation model, idea validation, partnership structure, and what launching a company with Diagram entails.
The site’s architecture gives each model a clear path — Venture Builder and Investor as distinct yet complementary. The homepage frames it: Building companies by connecting ideas, capital, and founders. This mirrors how Diagram presents: philosophy first, then track record, then proof from founders.
user experience
The portfolio section was designed as a credential wall, not a list. The visual presentation of 27+ company logos — Dialogue, Nesto, Synctera, Baselane, Novisto, Trice, Obeo, Walnut, and the rest — functions as an argument in itself. Founders in the FinTech and ClimateTech space recognize these names.
Founder testimonials carry the site’s most important content. The voices of Peter Hazelhurst at Synctera, Anna Chif at Dialogue, Mathias Korder at Baselane, and others are the core evidence. Each one speaks to a specific dimension of the Diagram partnership: talent, network, capital, strategic counsel. Together they build a portrait of what working with Diagram actually means.
design
Black, electric blue, and vibrant orange — the palette is confident without being corporate, energetic without being juvenile. Combined with the bold, clean Diagram wordmark and the geometric pebble motifs that appear throughout the brand system, the visual language positions Diagram as a place that thinks seriously about design — which signals something meaningful to the founder-designers who make up a significant portion of its portfolio.
results
Within 8 weeks of launch:
+118% average session time
–37% bounce rate on key pages
16 keywords (e.g. “climatetech venture builder”) moved to page 1
CMS time for case studies reduced from 2 hours to 20 minutes
Organic founder inquiries increased, leading to a pause in paid acquisition