Dylan Field
Dylan Field is the co-founder and CEO of Figma, the collaborative design platform that changed how teams build software. He founded Figma in 2012 after winning a Thiel Fellowship and launched the browser-based tool in 2016. Under his leadership, Figma reached a $20 billion valuation and went public in 2025.
Dylan Field's Bio
Dylan Field grew up in Penngrove, California, showing an early aptitude for math and computers. He attended Brown University, where he studied computer science before leaving in 2012 to accept a Thiel Fellowship.
Field co-founded Figma with Evan Wallace in October 2012, moving to San Francisco to build a revolutionary browser-based design tool. The team spent four years in development before launching Figma to the public in 2016.
Under Field's leadership, Figma attracted major enterprise clients and raised multiple funding rounds, reaching a $2 billion valuation by 2020 and going public on the NYSE in July 2025.
Field's approach to design collaboration transformed how product teams work, making real-time design collaboration as intuitive as editing a shared document.
Career Timeline
1992 — Born in Penngrove, California
Grew up in Northern California, developing an early aptitude for math and computers.
2009 — Enrolled at Brown University
Began studying computer science at Brown University, where he would later co-found Figma.
2011 — Organized Brown University hackathon
Demonstrated early technical leadership by organizing a university-wide hackathon.
2012 — Co-founded Figma with Evan Wallace
Launched Figma with Brown classmate Evan Wallace after winning a Thiel Fellowship, leaving school to pursue the venture full-time.
2012 — Awarded Thiel Fellowship
Received a $100,000 Thiel Fellowship, enabling him to leave Brown University and co-found Figma full-time.
2015 — Named to Forbes 30 Under 30
Recognized by Forbes as one of the most influential young people in business.
2016 — Figma launched to the public
After four years of development, Figma opened to the public as a browser-based collaborative design tool.
2025 — Figma went public on NYSE
Led Figma to a nearly $20 billion valuation with its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange.
