First of Kind, an Indie × Soleio Project

About First of Kind, an Indie × Soleio Project

In music, we have genre-defining artists. In software, we have first-of-kind designers. First of Kind is the story of design and tech told through conversations with its pioneers. Hosted by Soleio. Produced by Room 3. Sponsored by Framer, Cursor, Vercel and Profound. The future belongs to designers who build. firstofkind.com

Publisher

@soleio

Category

arts · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Jun 2025

Latest episode

18 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

13 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   18 Mar 2026

   Everett Katigbak: Indie Streak

   What do Anthropic, Facebook, Pinterest and Stripe all have in common? Everett Katigbak has played a foundational creative role at some of the most iconic brands in technology. His film work documents the stories of seminal figures who have shaped culture, such as his documentary projects on Stewart Brand and Luis Valdez. In this in-depth conversation at his beautiful San Francisco home, Everett describes the “golden thread” that weaves through his non-linear career path, the importance of humanizing infrastructure, and why he believes your side hustle is actually your “true form.” As of this recording, Everett has set out on his own to develop an independent creative practice. After years behind the camera, tech’s “brand guru” steps out in front of it. 00:00 Intro: “Your side hustle is your true form” 03:01 Making Facebook Feel Human 05:04 Getting Hired Because You Don’t Fit 08:10 Why San Francisco? Place Before Job 11:33 Analog Research Lab origins & mantras 13:35 Propaganda, Self-Talk, and Shaping Company Culture 16:32 Designing for Engagement vs. Meaning 17:18 Living in Contradictions: Anachronist Meets Futurist 19:27 How to Pick the Right Company (A Nose for What’s Next) 21:03 Expansion vs. Mastery: A Different Kind of Career Path 24:00 Going Independent 26:24 Inside Cursor as a “Cultural Sleuth” 28:49 Stories of Unseen Figures: Luis Valdez, Stewart Brand 32:00 Closing: Advice for Future Pioneers S2:E6 Everett Katigbak: Indie Streak Hosted by Soleio and produced by Room 3: room3nyc.com @room3nyc First of Kind is powered by our sponsors: Framer — framer.com Cursor — cursor.com Vercel — vercel.com Profound — tryprofound.com Website: firstofkind.com YouTube: youtube.com/@firstofkind 𝕏: x.com/firstofkind Threads: threads.com/firstofkind_ Instagram: instagram.com/firstofkind_ Hashtag: #FirstofKind

2. 

   11 Mar 2026

   Joseph Cohen: Infinite Ride

   What if you designed a new class of vehicle from the ground up? Joseph Cohen first cofounded Universe, the mobile-first website builder, before turning his attention to the physical world. He and his brother Eddie Cohen now run Infinite Machine, an automotive company reimagining how people move through cities — not with cars, but with something entirely new, starting with the electric motorcycle. We met at Infinite Machine's headquarters in New York City, where Joe walked us through the design philosophy behind “non-car” vehicles, why electrification unlocks radical new form factors, and what it means to bet on autonomous people over autonomous cars. 00:00 – Intro: Color Outside the Lines 01:50 – A New Symbol for Freedom 05:52 – The Stolen Vespa 09:49 – The P1 vs. The Vision Pro 12:52 – Hard Modernism 17:26 – Painters Who Paint Factories 19:42 – Ten Times the Trips 23:33 – The Vespa Has No Engine 27:51 – Ask New Questions 32:00 – The Company as Medium 34:11 – Outro: What Memories Will You Make S2:E5 Joseph Cohen: Infinite Ride Hosted by Soleio and produced by Room 3: room3nyc.com @room3nyc First of Kind is powered by our sponsors: Framer — framer.com Cursor — cursor.com Vercel — vercel.com Profound — tryprofound.com Website: firstofkind.com YouTube: youtube.com/@firstofkind 𝕏: x.com/firstofkind Threads: threads.com/firstofkind_ Instagram: instagram.com/firstofkind_ Hashtag: #FirstofKind

3. 

   4 Mar 2026

   Koen & Jorn: Framer Reloaded

   When do you know to pivot or surrender? Koen Bok and Jorn van Dijk co-founded Framer, the web design platform that helps designers ship beautiful sites fast. 55% of YC companies run on it. Designers love it. But Framer almost didn't make it. What began as a high-fidelity prototyping tool born inside Facebook's design culture became—after a near-death pivot five years in—the premier site builder for designers who ship. Over drinks at the Lone Palm in San Francisco, Koen and Jorn recall what it took to step back from the brink of oblivion and chart a new course — for themselves and the field of digital design. 00:00 Intro: Lone Palm, Last Call 01:34 What is Framer Today? 02:39 Pick a Problem You Love 06:14 Three Interactions to Fifty 08:20 Rough Riding / Why VC is Good 11:38 Three Options Left 14:31 The Pivotal Lunch 20:46 Act III: Solving the Walkie-Talkie 29:08 Artistry meets Wall Street 32:20 Stay Weird, Keep Building Special thanks to Jane Seabrook and the Lone Palm team for permitting us to film the first ever video podcast at their storied bar. – Koen Bok & Jorn van Dijk: Framer Reloaded First of Kind, S2:E4 Hosted by Soleio and produced by Room 3: room3nyc.com First of Kind is powered by our sponsors: Framer — framer.com Cursor — cursor.com Vercel — vercel.com Profound — tryprofound.com Website: www.firstofkind.com 𝕏: x.com/firstofkind Threads: threads.com/firstofkind_ Instagram: instagram.com/firstofkind_ Hashtag: #FirstofKind

4. 

   25 Feb 2026

   Katie Dill: Quality Control

   What can flying teach us about software design? Katie Dill has built world-class teams at three iconic companies—Stripe, Lyft and Airbnb—proving that thoughtful design can shape quality at industrial scale. In this conversation with Soleio, Katie describes her winding path into technology and how fields as disparate as architecture and aviation shape her approach to leading design at Stripe. 00:00 – Intro: It's All About Mileage 02:18 – What Flying Teaches You About Design 07:01 – From History to Design School 10:30 – The IDEO Moment 18:01 – Saying Yes to the Scary Thing 19:46 – The Chair Pullback 21:16 – The Gray Room at Airbnb 25:47 – Breaking Down the Ivory Tower 30:05 – Put In the Mileage 33:35 – Beauty Builds Trust 36:53 – Steam Gauges and Simple Systems 38:53 – The Best Checkout in the World Katie Dill: Quality Control First of Kind, S2:E3 Hosted by Soleio and produced by Room 3: room3nyc.com First of Kind is powered by our sponsors: Framer — framer.com Cursor — cursor.com Vercel — vercel.com Profound — tryprofound.com Website: www.firstofkind.com 𝕏: x.com/firstofkind_ Threads: threads.com/firstofkind_ Instagram: instagram.com/firstofkind_ Hashtag: #FirstofKind

5. 

   18 Feb 2026

   Ryo Lu: The Way

   What is the future of design in a post-AI world? Ryo Lu pioneered new patterns for collaboration as founding designer at Notion. He now leads design at Cursor, shaping how software gets built through a fusion of design and engineering. In this conversation with Soleio, he explains Cursor's approach to design and how the product will evolve to empower designers who build. 00:00 – Intro: The future of design 01:49 – What is design at Cursor? 02:50 – How the team actually works 04:46 – Generalists, Self-Starters, Ex-Founders 07:34 – Building Cursor inside Cursor 10:45 – The next level: Agents & Abstraction 13:48 – Pattern language 18:24 – A lingua franca for builders 20:34 – Baby Cursor 23:45 – The new shape of designer 26:10 – Does AI distribute or concentrate power? 29:43 – Why Cursor is the tool you should learn 30:54 – A new design philosophy 32:36 – Where the path leads S2:E2 Ryo Lu: The Way Hosted by Soleio and produced by Room 3 (www.room3nyc.com) First of Kind is powered by our sponsors: Framer: framer.com Cursor: cursor.com Vercel: vercel.com Profound: tryprofound.com Website: www.firstofkind.com Threads: threads.com/firstofkind_ Instagram: instagram.com/firstofkind_ X: x.com/firstofkind_ Hashtag: #FirstofKind

6. 

   12 Feb 2026

   Joe Gebbia: Designer-in-Chief

   Why did Joe Gebbia go to Washington? I spoke with America’s first-ever Chief Design Officer last fall to find out. We met on the White House grounds to discuss his newly created role, the formation of @ndstudio, and how Joe plans to weave design into the frabic of U.S. federal government. 00:00 - Intro / Eisenhower Exec Office Bldg 01:34 - From Airbnb to Washington 04:39 - The Federal Retirement Problem 06:31 - The Mine in the Mountain 08:29 - Do Things That Don’t Scale 11:35 - The Julie Prototype 14:20 - Down to 60 Seconds 16:33 - Consumer-Grade Government 18:31 - Nixon’s Federal Beautification 20:22 - The National Design Studio 24:24 - Trust Through Design 27:43 - Building the Dream Team 31:22 - The Silicon Valley Coalition 35:33 - A Golden Age of Design Special thanks to Joe Gebbia and his team for making this conversation possible. S2:E1 Joe Gebbia, Designer-in-Chief Hosted by Soleio: x.com/soleio Produced by Room 3: room3nyc.com First of Kind is powered by our sponsors: Framer: framer.com Cursor: cursor.com Vercel: vercel.com Profound: tryprofound.com Website: www.firstofkind.com Threads: threads.com/firstofkind_ Instagram: instagram.com/firstofkind_ X: x.com/firstofkind_ Hashtag: #FirstofKind

7. 

   5 Jun 2025

   Twiddling Bits with Susan Kare

   Susan Kare discusses her career designing iconic user interface elements, offering insights into the creative process behind visual communication in technology in this interview.

8. 

   5 Jun 2025

   Mercurial Artifacts with Nicholas Jitkoff

   Nicholas Jitkoff discusses mercurial artifacts and their impact on design, offering insights into the evolution of digital tools in this interview.

9. 

   5 Jun 2025

   The Miseducation of Julie Zhuo

   Julie Zhuo discusses her experiences and insights, but the specific topics remain unspecified in this interview.

10. 

    5 Jun 2025

    Jessica Hische’s Little Shop of Wonders

    Jessica Hische discusses her creative process and unique approach to design in this interview episode.

11. 

    5 Jun 2025

    Electric Feel with Colin Dunn

    Colin Dunn discusses the "Electric Feel" topic, but the specific insights or benefits from the conversation are not detailed in the provided description, and it is unclear if this is an interview.

12. 

    5 Jun 2025

    The Curious Case of Henry Modisett

    Henry Modisett's story unfolds, but the core subject matter and insights remain unclear in this episode, which appears to be an interview.

13. 

    5 Jun 2025

    Introducing First of Kind

    The hosts introduce "First of Kind," a series exploring designers in tech who pioneer new approaches, featuring interviews with HENRY MODISETT, COLIN DUNN, JESSICA HISCHE, JULIE ZHUO, NICHOLAS JITKOFF, and SUSAN KARE.

Who has been a guest on First of Kind, an Indie × Soleio Project

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Susan Kare
• Nicholas Jitkoff
• Julie Zhuo
• Jessica Hische
• HENRY MODISETT

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

131,861

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 54 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

74

Social presence

0

YouTube

86

Engagement

0

Contact First of Kind, an Indie × Soleio Project

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.