About Joshua Francis
From finance to design to AI. I've worked across all three, and that's what makes the products I build different.
I started my career in finance at BMO and State Street, building financial models, automating reporting processes, and analyzing data. That's where I learned how businesses actually work, and it gave me a foundation most designers and developers don't have.
I moved into product design because I wanted to build things people use, not just analyze them. I spent years designing products as a freelancer, then joined SynthMinds as founding design lead, where I built the brand and platform for an AI consulting firm serving NVIDIA, PwC, and Kraft Heinz.
Now I help businesses build and ship AI products. I've designed AI systems at enterprise scale, built RoomLab from idea to live SaaS product, and taught AI image creation to professionals at Uplimit.
When I consult, you get someone who understands the business case, can design the experience, and can build and ship the product. That's not typical, and it's why the things I build actually work.
My Approach
How I work
Ship, Don't Slide
I don't hand off a strategy deck and disappear. I design it, build it, and ship it. You get a working product, not a presentation about one.
Design-Led, AI-Powered
Most AI products are built by engineers and look like it. I come from design, so the products I build are ones people actually want to use.
Business-Aware
I spent four years in finance before I ever touched design. I understand unit economics, ROI, and business cases, not just pixels and prompts.
Background
Experience
AI Consultant & Developer
Helping businesses design, build, and ship AI products. Experienced across SaaS platforms, AI agents, and LLM-powered tools.
AI Image Course Instructor
Uplimit
Designed and taught an AI image creation course that earned a perfect 100/100 feedback score, 89 NPS, and 74.5% completion rate.
Founding Design Lead
SynthMinds
Built the brand identity and web platform for an AI consulting firm serving NVIDIA, PwC, HP, and Kraft Heinz. Led design strategy across consulting, education, and product.
Freelance Product Designer
Designed and shipped products for startups and enterprises, including conversion-focused websites and AI-powered SaaS tools like RoomLab.
Senior Analyst, Finance
BMO Financial Group
Led automation of reporting processes saving ~$25K annually. Tested and provided UX feedback on pre-release S/4 HANA updates. Built financial models for FX-denominated asset and P&L verification.