Founded in 2012 by Dylan Field and Evan Wallace, Figma was built on the radical idea of bringing professional design tools entirely into the browser, making real-time collaboration possible for the first time in design. The two met at Brown University where Evan had pioneered the use of WebGL for browser-based graphics. Figma launched in 2016 and quickly became the go-to tool for product designers at top tech companies. By 2021 it reached a $10 billion valuation. Adobe announced an acquisition for $20 billion in 2022, which was abandoned in 2023 due to regulatory concerns, after which Figma continued independently and filed for an IPO.
Active Founders
Dylan Field
Founder / CEO
Dylan Field is the co-founder and CEO of Figma. He studied computer science at Brown University before dropping out after receiving a Thiel Fellowship, a $100,000 grant for young entrepreneurs to pursue their ideas instead of college. Dylan spent the fellowship exploring ideas around computational design before committing to Figma. He is widely credited with democratizing the design process by making powerful tools accessible to anyone with a browser.
Evan Wallace
Co-Founder / CTO
Evan Wallace is the co-founder and former CTO of Figma. A brilliant graphics engineer, Evan pioneered the use of WebGL for high-performance browser applications and built much of Figma's core rendering engine. His technical innovations made it possible to run a professional-grade design tool entirely in the browser without compromising on performance. Evan stepped back from Figma in 2021, leaving behind a world-class engineering foundation.