Open to opportunities

William Rutter

@willrutter

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I lead startup strategy, product design, and operations to build impactful, scalable ventures.

United States

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What I'm looking for

I'm seeking a chief of staff role or mid-level/senior roles in product management, and strategy/ops at small teams obsessed with building amazing experiences for their customers.

I am a strategy-focused product designer and operator with experience spanning product, operations, business development for early-stage ventures.

As COO at a molecular diagnostics startup, I lead operations, product, business development, and funding strategy. I also founded and operated Wrye Design Lab, a boutique consulting firm focused on building long-term engagements around strategy, design, and innovation for the startup ecosystem.

My portfolio includes UX/HFE research, design projects, and end-to-end product management for organizations such as iBiology, UChicago Medicine, and Far Eastern Group, along with contributions to MLUXSF. I bring applied data analysis skills (Python, R) and extensive usability testing experience.

I hold a physics degree from MIT and graduate design and business credentials (MDes, MA, MBA). I co-founded the Positive Sum Design Institute and emphasize interdisciplinary rigor, user-centered methods, and scalable, positive-sum outcomes.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Chief Operating Officer

Current

ILYTICA, LLC

Dec 2024 - Present (8 months)

Oversee operations, product design, and business development, and funding strategy for a molecular diagnostics startup, driving product roadmap and commercialization efforts.

Go To Market Strategy Cross Functional Collaboration Start Up Operations Startup Operations Operations Management Product Design Business Development Strategic Planning Team Leadership

Current

Stategist & Entrepreneur-in-Residence

Current

Synergenics

Aug 2024 - Present (1 year)

I work with the Synergenics c-suite and portfolio companies to craft funding, market, and communication strategy.

Venture Capital Portfolio Strategy Medical Devices Biotechnology Industry Funding Strategies Communications Strategy

Current

Founding Contributor

Current

Positive Sum Design Institute

Sep 2021 - Present (3 years 11 months)

Co-founded the Positive Sum Design Institute to support creation of positive-sum systems and reduce zero-sum bias in design and culture.

Systems Design Design Thinking Organizational Design Research Advocacy

Current

Founder & Principal

Current

Wrye Design Lab, LLC

May 2018 - Present (7 years 3 months)

Oversee operations of a boutique design firm delivering strategy, product design, and innovation services to startups and early-stage companies.

Product Design Design Strategy UX Research Operations Management Innovation Project Management Stakeholder Management

Design Specialist

Far Eastern Group

May 2023 - Jul 2023 (2 months)

Provided strategic and design direction for Far Eastern's City'Super market chain to integrate local and organic produce into their product portfolio.

Product Strategy Design Strategy Research Stakeholder Engagement Service Design

Healthcare Innovation Designer

UChicago Medicine

Jun 2022 - Aug 2022 (2 months)

Designed healthcare delivery and innovation solutions to improve clinical workflows and patient-facing services during a three-month engagement.

Healthcare Design Service Design UX Research Human Centered Design Prototyping

Design Lead & Product Manager

iBiology

Nov 2017 - Apr 2018 (5 months)

Led user research and managed UX research, design, and development strategy for a web-based, accessibility-centered, open-source multimedia biology textbook.

UX Research Accessibility Program Management User Testing Content Strategy Multimedia Design

Usability Research & Design Consultant

Abbott

Jul 2017 - Apr 2018 (9 months)

Planned, performed, and analyzed FDA-mandated human factors and usability studies for consumer-facing medical technology and advised stakeholders on design and development.

Usability Testing UX Research Medical Devices Data Analysis Prototyping

UX Researcher and Designer

GrowthX Academy

Sep 2017 - Dec 2017 (3 months)

Worked in agile teams delivering information architecture, task flows, and interaction recommendations for mobile, desktop, and web applications.

UX Research Information Architecture Interaction Design Agile Prototyping Client Engagement

Freelance Data Scientist

Freelance

Sep 2016 - Aug 2017 (11 months)

Applied MATLAB, R, and analysis tools to organize, analyze, and visualize data for clients in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Matlab R Data Analysis Data Visualization Statistical Analysis Experimental Design

Private Tutor

William Rutter Tutoring

Aug 2016 - Aug 2017 (1 year)

Provided private tutoring in natural sciences, mathematics, and writing for students in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Tutoring Curriculum Development Mathematics Writing

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Stuart School of Business, Illinois Institute of Technology

Master of Business Administration, Business Administration and Management

2022 - 2024

Completed a Master of Business Administration at the Stuart School of Business, Illinois Institute of Technology, from January 2022 to May 2024.

IIT Institute of Design

Master of Design, Design

2022 - 2024

Completed a Master of Design at the IIT Institute of Design from January 2022 to May 2024.

Carnegie Mellon University

Master of Arts, Design

2020 - 2021

Completed a Master of Arts in Design at Carnegie Mellon University from 2020 to 2021.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Bachelor of Science, Physics

2012 - 2016

Completed a Bachelor of Science in Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 2012 to 2016, including undergraduate research across multiple labs.