Industrial Designer New York · In-Office · Three months · $2,500 a month

Sunspell is a venture lab building AI-native companies at the edge of culture, design, and technology. Most studios build one company at a time. We are building the system that builds companies. We create products from zero, develop the people who can lead them, and turn the lessons from every venture into shared infrastructure through our internal operating system, so each launch makes the next one faster. The beliefs underneath are simple: taste is the moat, systems compound, ownership beats consensus, and the best work is day-one useful. Design is not the output of the lab. It is one of the ways we discover, test, and make new companies real. This is for people who want to build companies, not just work at them. We are looking for an industrial designer to design, 3D model, and 3D print exterior shell prototypes for a new AI hardware product. The seat Make a small piece of technology into an object worth keeping. You help design, 3D model, and 3D print exterior shell prototypes for a new AI hardware product: a compact, private device built around one promise. It listens only to you, never interrupts, and helps you reflect on your life in your own voice. It is not meant to feel like another gadget, assistant, or notification device. It is meant to feel like a quiet mirror: a beautiful physical object that earns a place in everyday life. This role is hands-on and prototype-heavy. You move quickly from sketches and references to CAD models, 3D-printed shells, fit tests, surface studies, and refined physical prototypes. The brief The million-dollar product standard Every form, material, finish, seam, weight, curve, and button has to pass one question: would someone who does not usually buy tech want this, simply because of how it looks, feels, and sits in their life? The target is Oura Ring or Whoop level execution: premium from first touch, never generic, never obviously a tech gadget, and compelling enough that early users become evangelists. For v0, we are exploring premium exterior forms for compact audio hardware. The challenge is to make the physical object feel original, intentional, and desirable. The work What you will build Exterior shell concepts for small AI audio hardware CAD models that can be 3D printed, tested, revised, and presented Part splits, seams, wall thickness, tolerances, fit, and assembly logic Access for charging, microphones, buttons, clips, magnets, or attachment points Surface finish, perceived weight, hand-feel, and premium physical presence Iterations that make the object feel less like a gadget and more like jewelry, sculpture, or a design object The work Responsibilities Create CAD models for exterior shell concepts for compact AI hardware Prepare files for 3D printing using FDM, SLA, SLS, or similar processes Build and iterate physical prototypes to test form, fit, scale, feel, assembly, and usability Design around compact internal hardware while keeping the exterior original and intentional Refine wall thickness, seams, fillets, openings, buttons, ports, parting lines, and surface transitions Make quick study models and more polished appearance prototypes Test prototypes in real contexts: in hand, on body, and in founder review sessions Document iterations with photos, notes, measurements, CAD exports, and design rationale Contribute to early CMF exploration: material, color, finish, texture, and perceived quality Keep CAD files organized and export clean STL, STEP, and rendering files for handoff The fit What we are looking for Someone who can make physical things quickly and beautifully. The strongest portfolio shows real objects, not just renderings: how you think through form, how you solve fit and tolerance problems, how you iterate, and how your prototypes improve over time. The questions Questions you will chew on How do we make AI hardware feel less like surveillance and more like a personal object? How do we build a premium exterior around compact audio hardware? What makes a small object feel expensive, calm, personal, and worth keeping? How can 3D-printed prototypes quickly test shape, scale, proportion, and emotional response? How can a physical product feel more like an object of desire than a piece of tech? Requirements Qualifications Pursuing or recently completed a degree in industrial design, product design, mechanical design, or a related field Strong CAD skills in Fusion 360, Rhino, SolidWorks, Onshape, or similar Hands-on experience with 3D printing and physical prototyping Able to prepare clean 3D-printable files and iterate from physical test results A portfolio of physical prototypes: small products, enclosures, wearables, jewelry, accessories, consumer electronics, or sculpture A strong sense of form, proportion, surface transitions, and detail A basic grasp of tolerances, wall thickness, part splits, assembly, fasteners, snap-fits, and magnets Taste and sensitivity to materiality, finish, weight, and how objects feel in the hand Bonus Nice to have Experience designing small consumer electronics, wearables, jewelry, or premium lifestyle hardware Experience designing around PCBs, microphones, batteries, magnets, ports, buttons, or charging interfaces SLA resin, Bambu or Prusa FDM, SLS, sanding, painting, finishing, silicone casting, or appearance models Rendering in KeyShot, Blender, or similar Interest in fashion, jewelry, sculpture, interiors, or design objects Interest in AI-assisted design tools for concept exploration Please include a portfolio that shows your process and physical prototyping ability: CAD models, 3D-printed prototypes, photos of real objects (not only renders), iterations from rough concept to refined prototype, and examples of fit, tolerance, or enclosure problem-solving. We are especially interested in the messy middle: failed prints, fit problems, proportion changes, surface refinements, and how the final object improved. The particulars The details This is a three-month paid internship in New York, in person, with potential to extend. You receive a $2,500 monthly stipend throughout. You work closely with product, industrial design, UI/UX, brand, and engineering as we take the product from concept through physical prototype and early user testing. Culture Make it physical. Prototypes beat abstract debate. Move fast, but with taste. Speed matters, never at the expense of detail. Show the work. Share sketches, CAD, prints, photos, failures, and rationale early. Iterate without ego. Feedback is part of making. Care about the object. Every curve, seam, and finish serves the feeling the object is going for. Sprint when needed. Evenings or weekends happen around prototype reviews or launch milestones, balanced with recovery. #J-18808-Ljbffr sunspell