Summary
Andrew joined Distro as Head of Product Design in the early stages of the company. He defined the design system, helped design the platform, and partnered cross-functionally to shape the roadmap, brand, and user experience.
Role
Head of Product Design
2025 – Present
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I joined Distro—a Y Combinator-backed startup (S24)—because I saw a rare opportunity to establish product and design at a critical inflection point. As Head of Product Design, I lead design across the company: helping to define the product's foundation, creating its design system, conducting user research, and partnering across engineering, customer success, sales, and marketing.
I've worked to determine how we create product at Distro—how we observe, learn, and build. I've run countless user interviews, usability studies, and contextual research sessions. I also designed and implemented the Distro marketing website, which helped clarify our brand and support go-to-market efforts. Design at Distro isn't downstream. It is a critical input to the product vision.
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Why I joined
After co-founding Hey Healthcare (YC S19) and later helping various startups define their products, I knew I was ready to go deep again. I wanted to join an early-stage startup where I could apply everything I've learned in my career, from Flexport to Google to founding and advising startups.
Distro reminded me of Flexport in all the best ways: a small, ambitious team tackling a real, gritty problem in the physical economy. At Flexport, we rebuilt international freight forwarding from the ground up. At Distro, we're reinventing sales for industrial distributors—a space just as foundational and underserved by high technology.
Responsibilities
• Collaborating to define the product roadmap
• Designing AI-driven user flows
• Building Distro's design system
• Conducting qualitative user research
• Designing responsive user interfaces
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I've spent most of my career designing enterprise software. I'm obsessed with building tools that improve how work gets done. Distro is where I get to apply my skills as a designer, product thinker, and operator to shape how the real economy works—and help define a new kind of enterprise software in the age of artificial intelligence.
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What Distro does
Distro is building the AI sales platform for distribution. Our mission is to empower inside and counter sales reps with AI that enhances, not replaces, their work.
Distributors are facing a generational challenge. Tribal knowledge is leaving as experienced reps retire. Quoting is complex. Inventory is volatile, especially with trade policy uncertainty. And counter reps are harder than ever to hire and train.
Our platform helps counter and inside sales reps quote faster, respond smarter, and sell more effectively. We've designed AI tools that integrate directly into reps' workflows—no rip-and-replace required.
This isn't theoretical. We built Distro by embedding ourselves within the workflows of real distributors across HVAC/R, electrical, and plumbing. We listened, prototyped, iterated, and built a product that meets reps where they are—and we've only just begun.
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Design audit and early improvements
When I first joined, I rolled up my sleeves and conducted a full design audit, cleaned up visual inconsistencies, fixed usability issues, and tightened up the UI to create a more cohesive and reliable experience. Quick wins go a long way in an early-stage product—they build trust, reduce friction, and create momentum.
Defining the design system
I then turned my attention to establishing a design system to support scale. I defined a component library, interaction patterns, typography, spacing, color tokens, and documentation. This system ensures we can move fast without sacrificing quality, and keeps the experience consistent across a growing set of features.
I led the design of several key product initiatives:
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AutoBid – Automating RFQ processing
AutoBid parses RFQs, bid lists, and purchase orders. It helps reps generate accurate quotes in seconds based on real-time ERP data. I designed the interface to prioritize speed, confidence, and transparency, so that reps trust what they see and move fast.
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QuoteTech – Commercial quoting made simple
Commercial quoting is a complex, high-stakes workflow. QuoteTech streamlines this process for HVAC and refrigeration reps with an intuitive UI, contextual guidance, and smart defaults. Even new reps can generate professional, multi-step commercial quotes in minutes.
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RepBot – AI-powered chat for product guidance
RepBot is our AI chat agent that helps reps answer real-time technical product questions. I designed the interface and interaction model, making it feel less like a chatbot and more like a teammate. The design emphasizes speed, clarity, and trust.
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AI is rewriting enterprise software. But the real unlock isn't just AI—it's user experience.
The companies that win this decade won't just be the ones with the best models. They'll be the ones that harness those models in products people actually want to use. That means intuitive design. That means fast feedback. That means trust, polish, performance, and precision.
Distro's mission is to lead in this new era. We're not chasing flashy demos. We're building deep, vertical-specific tools that unlock productivity and empower people to do their best work. Design is how we turn powerful AI into real-world value.
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At Distro, we're building toward:
Network effects through collaboration tools that map and amplify the distributor-contractor ecosystem. AI advantage via predictive pricing, automated follow-ups, and margin optimization. Operational scale through low-friction onboarding and self-serve tools. Brand leadership through beautiful interfaces, thoughtful experiences, and a clear mission
We aim to set the gold standard for user experience in AI-powered sales automation. The best enterprise tools of the future will feel like magic because the design makes them feel effortless.
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Design is what translates intelligence into impact. It's what takes a raw model and makes it understandable, trustworthy, and embedded in the way people work. Without great design, even the most advanced AI becomes shelfware. With it, AI becomes indispensable.
At Distro, we're not just building an AI co-pilot—we're building the interface between human judgment and machine intelligence. We're shaping tools that fit seamlessly into existing workflows and subtly reshape those workflows for the better. That's what we're building at Distro. And that's what excites me most.
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