In this episode, I had the pleasure of conversing with Liz Young, the founder of StudioLabs, a 20-year-old custom software development agency with 45 dedicated team members. Liz's journey began in a unique way when, at the age of 25, she launched her agency on the spot in her first client's lobby. At that time, she was among the few women in the industry. In this episode, she shares the intriguing story of StudioLabs' inception and how she now leads the agency.
Liz delves into the day-to-day operations of the agency, highlighting the systems that keep everything running smoothly. She emphasizes the agency's deliberate efforts to cultivate strong leaders and maintain a vibrant company culture. Tune in to gain insights into how Liz has transformed StudioLabs from a trusted resource for other agencies into a powerhouse that develops software solutions for some of the world's most prominent brands.
After graduating from the University of Hartford as a two-sport D1 athlete, majoring in graphic design and minoring in illustration, Liz started her career in New York City with work ranging from digital design to illustration and storyboarding. Along the way, she learned frontend web development technologies and began building the things she designed. Liz’s passion for technology grew and began to change the way she approached creative conception and execution.
From 2000 until 2003, Liz was fortunate enough to have been part of an incredibly talented, visionary team of creative and engineering professionals who hopped from the agency world, to the publishing world, and back to the agency world again, creating award-winning digital products for Fortune 500 companies and some of the world’s most recognizable brands. It was as part of this team that Liz had the opportunity to help design and build the world’s first-ever live webcast of an international sporting event - the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
In 2003, at the age of 25, Liz founded StudioLabs, a product design and development studio that focuses on creative technology. Through her work at StudioLabs, she has helped create software applications, mobile applications, websites, games, and other digital products for clients such as Estee Lauder and ESPN, and she’s partnered with some of the world’s most talented creative teams at agencies like Ogilvy & Mather and RG/A.
Liz’s current responsibilities as CEO and Creative Director have her tasked with leading both creative strategy and business operations. She works hand-in-hand with the StudioLabs internal team and the client-side stakeholders, ensuring that the team is delivering well-designed, smart, engaging digital products that resonate with the end user.
Liz is also a co-founder, board member, and investor in multiple other companies and startups, predominantly in the SaaS (Software as a Service) industry.
Contact Liz.