Introduction
As hardware products evolved toward service-based models, the challenge was no longer selling devices — it was designing trust into every touchpoint of ownership.
For Apple’s iSubscriptions, I led design exploration into subscription commerce — unifying product selection, financing, trade-ins, and support into one fluid experience that extended Apple’s ecosystem into recurring revenue services.
At Topi, a Berlin-based fintech specializing in hardware financing, I extended that foundation to the B2B space — building a multi-channel leasing and checkout experience that allowed businesses to instantly subscribe to devices through retailers or online.
The initiative grew from an early seed idea to a funded startup ecosystem:
- Seed round: €4.5M led by Index Ventures
- Series A: €40M (€15M equity + €25M debt financing) led by Creandum and TriplePoint Capital
- Backed by partners including Apple resellers, Samsung, and Deutsche Bank
- Enabled €22M annual recurring revenue (ARR) within the first 18 months of launch
Both projects shared one vision: turn hardware into an adaptive service, where design bridges financial complexity with customer clarity.
Impact
- ↓ 40 % checkout friction, through simplified enrollment and eligibility flow
- ↑ 2.5× increase in completed subscriptions, via pre-approved offers and auto-populated data from CRM
- ↑ 3× faster partner integration, supported by modular design system and configurable components
- €22M ARR achieved within 18 months post-launch at Topi
- €44.5M total funding raised, positioning Topi as a leader in European hardware-as-a-service innovation
- Established Apple’s first service design blueprint for device-as-a-service, influencing global B2B strategy
