Design Chat with Dylan Babbs, CTO at Profound
- Date
- 2026-05-07
- Location
- New York, NY, USA
- Host
- South Park Commons
About this event
Good design conversations are rarely about pixels alone. They’re about how ideas turn into products, how teams make decisions under real constraints, and how thoughtful people sharpen each other’s thinking. Design Chat with Dylan Babbs, CTO at Profound is a chance to step into that kind of discussion in person with a room full of people who care about building well. If you’re looking for a polished conference stage, this is probably not that. If you want a smart, grounded evening in New York where design, product, technology, and community intersect through honest conversation, this is exactly the kind of event worth showing up for. About the Event This event is an in-person design-focused meetup and conversation featuring Dylan Babbs, CTO at Profound. The format centers on discussion rather than distance: the goal is to create a space where attendees can hear from an experienced technology leader, engage with ideas in real time, and connect with others who are equally interested in how design and product thinking actually play out in practice. Because it sits at the intersection of community, networking, meetup, and social gathering, the evening is built to be approachable. You do not need to arrive with a perfect portfolio pitch or a rehearsed question. You can come curious, ready to listen, ready to ask something specific, or simply ready to meet people who care about similar problems. What makes this kind of event valuable is the mix of perspectives it invites into the room. A CTO brings one lens. Designers, founders, engineers, product thinkers, and creative operators bring others. That combination tends to lead to the kinds of conversations that don’t happen when everyone shares the same role, title, or assumptions. What to Expect Expect an evening that balances conversation, insight, and connection. The event is designed to feel human-scale and interactive, giving you space not only to hear ideas but also to discuss them with the people around you. A likely flow for the evening includes: Arrival and informal mingling with other attendees A featured design chat with Dylan Babbs Time for questions, discussion, or audience interaction Additional networking and social conversation after the main chat The discussion itself will likely be most useful when it gets specific: how design decisions are made, how technical and product tradeoffs shape outcomes, how teams collaborate across disciplines, and what strong execution looks like beyond theory. The value of an event like this is not abstract inspiration; it’s hearing how experienced builders think through real-world complexity. You should also expect the room to be part of the experience. Meetup-style events work best when attendees participate, so there is real value in bringing your own perspective. A thoughtful question, a recent challenge from your team, or a conversation you’ve been wanting to have about design and product can all become good entry points during the evening. Why Attend If you care about design as a serious part of building products, this event gives you a better kind of access than a generic panel or a large conference session. You get the chance to hear directly from a CTO while also being close enough to the conversation to make it useful to your own work. You may attend for different reasons, and all of them are valid: You want to better understand how technical leadership and design thinking influence each other You’re looking for a smarter networking environment than a broad industry happy hour You want exposure to how others approach product, collaboration, and decision-making You’re hoping to meet peers in New York who take design and building seriously There’s also a practical benefit to events with this format: they compress a lot of value into one evening. You can leave with a new perspective, a useful contact, a follow-up conversation, or a sharper question about your own work. Sometimes that’s more impactful than a full day of loosely connected talks. For people in design-adjacent roles, this is also a chance to widen the frame. Strong products are shaped by designers, yes, but also by engineers, product leaders, and founders. Hearing those viewpoints in one room can help you communicate more clearly, collaborate more effectively, and make better decisions back at work. Practical Details This is an in-person event in New York, USA on Thursday, May 7 at 5:00 PM EDT. The timing makes it easy to attend after the workday begins to wind down, and the in-person format is a major part of the value: conversations tend to be more candid, more memorable, and more useful when they happen face to face. Because this is a meetup-style gathering, it’s worth arriving ready to engage. You do not need to prepare extensively, but it helps to come with one or two things in mind: a question you’ve been thinking about, a challenge you’re navigating, or a topic you’d be excited to discuss with others in the room. A few practical ways to get more from the evening: Arrive on time so you can settle in before the main conversation begins Be ready to introduce yourself simply and clearly Think about the overlap between design, product, and technology in your own work Leave a little space after the event in case a good conversation runs long If you’re in New York and want an evening that feels more substantive than casual networking and more interactive than a one-way talk, this is a strong room to be in. Show up curious, present, and ready for a real conversation.
Who should attend
This is for people who want thoughtful conversation at the intersection of design, product, and technology, and who prefer real dialogue over passive listening. - You’re a **designer** who wants to better understand how technical leaders think about product decisions, tradeoffs, and collaboration. - You work in **product, engineering, or strategy** and care about design not as decoration, but as part of how strong products get made. - You’re a **founder or early-stage builder** looking for sharper perspective on how design and technical execution influence each other. - You enjoy **meetup-style events** where you can actually talk to people, ask questions, and leave with a few meaningful new connections. - You’re part of the **New York tech or creative community** and want a room that feels grounded, curious, and professionally relevant. - You’re early in your career or more established, but in either case you value hearing how experienced operators think and want to apply those insights to your own work. If you like conversations that get specific, cross-functional, and honest, you’ll likely feel at home here.