Accelerating Innovation: The Story Behind Build Week

Build Week

What happens when creativity meets a countdown clock—and community impact is the finish line? Build Week explores how time-boxed sprints, purpose-driven collaboration, and bold, unconventional briefs can unlock meaningful change for underrepresented small businesses.

The Challenge

Startups often lack the funding, resources, and creative muscle that established brands take for granted. Build Week is designed to change that. In just 72 hours, top talent from across the country teams up with founders to unblock critical challenges—delivering tangible outcomes like brand identities, UI kits, and packaging.

What sets Build Week apart isn’t just what we build—it’s how we build it.

This three-day, in-person sprint fosters deep, hands-on collaboration by bringing creatives, strategists, technologists, and founders into the same room. Everyone shares the same space, the same urgency, and the same mission.

The structure breaks down hierarchy, removes approval bottlenecks, and encourages real-time problem solving. Ideas are shaped on the spot—not slowed by silos or weekly reviews. It’s a potent mix of creativity, urgency, and purpose, designed to deliver strategic impact.

How we do it

At Instrument, we believe innovation happens when the right people come together, break down barriers, and build with intention. Build Week puts that belief into motion.

In partnership with Vanport Studio, we selected Portland-area founders for each Build Week sprint—a hackathon-style initiative that propels their businesses forward, fast and at no cost.

We reimagined the agency model by assembling multidisciplinary Instrument teams on-site—each custom-built for the founder partner’s unique needs. Talent was drawn from across the country, bringing a rich mix of skill sets, perspectives, and lived experiences.

After just two Build Week installments, the results speak for themselves: Greater reach. More meaning. Real outcomes.

Meet the Brands

“Since Build Week, sales conversions are up 27%. Redoing the website to align with our brand brought everything into cohesion. The launch gave us a real boost in awareness and sales.”

— Nikki Guerrero, Founder

"Thank you for the fantastic experience! Our marketing plan has had the greatest impact—especially the social media strategy."

—David Ngene, co-founder Pacmodo

“Build Week helped us accelerate the launch of our Trip to Nowhere product, which became one of our most impactful offerings.”

— Rashad Frazier, Co-founder

“Build Week saved us ~$150K. The team used our early screens to accelerate discovery and improved both UX and UI. We left with a stronger identity and prototype.”

— Fresh Roberts, Founder

“Being able to work with the team on building our brand deck, increased our timing with going to market, along with being able to take future orders of the product with logo shots the team provided. They provided the foundation of everything we would need from systems for the logos, to our manifesto and copy to utilize for marketing and pr.”

— Tiquette Bramlett, Founder

Brand | Hot Mama Salsa:

Led by the fearless Nikki Guerrero, Hot Mama Salsa is known for its handmade Mexican-style salsas, hot sauces, chili oils & tortilla chips — all made locally in Oregon.

The Brief: Refresh their digital presence to drive sales and brand awareness.

Deliverables:

3 fully designed web pages
12 annotated wireframes
30-page content and copy strategy
8 original animations

Marketing | Pacmodo:

Product | Camp Yoshi:

Product | Funnr

Funnr is a web-based scheduling platform created by Fresh Roberts to modernize how kids connect and play. Designed with both children and caregivers in mind, Funnr makes it easy for parents and guardians to coordinate playdates—bringing simplicity, safety, and social connection to family calendars.

The Brief: Build and refine a product experience with a UI Kit, a strong concept, and a template for future replication.

Deliverables:

UX/UI strategy
3 app screen designs
3 user flows
3 audience archetypes
Scalable UI kit

Brand | Henderson Ave

Inspired by the Bay Area block where it all began for founder Tiquette Bramlett, Henderson Ave is a canned wine brand built on community, culture, and connection—breaking down wine’s barriers to create space for turning neighbors into friends.

The Brief: Provide visual language, identity and foundation for a new canned wine brand.

Deliverables:

1 brand book
1 brand strategy
1 verbal identity
1 visual identity
2 wine labels

The Results

Impact: 27% increase in sales conversions, boosted brand visibility and awareness, improved internal processes and systems, and drove new leads and client acquisition.

Impact: Doubled engagement rate (10% to 22%), and driving stronger brand visibility and early traction with new audiences.

Impact: $100K profit generated, 80+ new clients acquired, 62% increase in website traffic, 40% increase in inquiries and bookings, press coverage and brand buzz, and a stronger demand from corporate and first-time users.

Impact: ~$150K in product development cost savings, accelerated time to market, and enhanced brand identity and product UX.

Impact: Launch timeline accelerated by one year & new business leads generated.

Additional Value

Build Week has increased our annual pro bono reach by 400%, while delivering real business value to every founder: reduced costs, faster launches, higher web traffic, stronger brand visibility, better conversions, and bigger client pipelines and revenue streams.

Build Week isn’t just another social impact initiative—it’s a new delivery model.

It’s about trust, community, and the kind of creative momentum paid work rarely unlocks. We’re not just building brands—we’re building possibility. Forging new paths. Turning innovation into a force for good. And we’re just getting started.

Our Role

DESIGN

Brand Refresh
Creative Direction
UI & UX Design
Brand Identity & Design Systems
Motion Design
Prototyping

CONTENT

Copywriting
Photography Direction
Photography Production

STRATEGY

Brand Strategy
Brand Platfom
Audience Insights & Definition
User Story Mapping
UX Strategy

Get in Touch