Upfront Ventures
Upfront Ventures built its reputation by betting early on people, not just pitches. As the firm matured, its workspace needed to catch up - without overcorrecting into the sterile polish that signals arrival but forgets origin.
role designer
+design direction
+furniture
company M Moser
project type workplace
art creative art partners
custom furniture Henry Alan, Goldfish
photography Madeline Tolle
where Los Angeles
when 2025
The brief was deceptively simple: credible enough for institutional LPs, comfortable enough for a founder's first nervous pitch. Impressive without intimidating. Adult without stiff.
We landed on a design language rooted in LA modernism - clean lines softened by natural materials, careful restraint punctuated by moments of warmth and wit. The palette is confident but never cold. Textured wood, warm stone, and layered lighting keep the space from tipping into corporate anonymity.
Spatially, hierarchy takes a back seat. Partners and associates share identical workstations in clustered pods, a deliberate flattening that mirrors how the firm actually operates. Private focus rooms and informal gathering areas support the rhythm of deep work and spontaneous collaboration.
The result feels less like a VC office and more like a place where serious people do creative work - grounded, human, and just self-aware enough not to take itself too seriously.
