Burton Rast Keynote Speaker
- Partner at Strange VC; artist and designer.
- Former Principal Designer at IDEO; design leadership at Google.
- Expert in: product leadership; emerging tech & AI; the circular economy; mentorship, collaboration, and company culture; storytelling, photography, and filmmaking.
Burton Rast's Biography
Burton Rast is a speaker, artist, and designer living in San Francisco, California. He has enjoyed a range of disciplines throughout his more than 20-year career, from product leadership, creative direction, and design innovation, to storytelling, photography, and filmmaking.
Burton is a passionate advocate for mentorship and knowledge-sharing, and believes design can be a powerful instrument for change. He is a frequent presenter at companies, universities, and conferences the world over, and has written and spoken extensively about design and its impact on society.
Burton spent seven years at IDEO as a Principal Designer, and another five in design leadership at Google. He has consulted for companies ranging from startups, to tech giants, to the Fortune 50, and presently serves as a Design Partner at Strange Ventures, a San Francisco-based VC firm, advising and investing in early-stage AI startups.
Burton regularly speaks to audiences about career and life lessons, as well as hard-fought truths, realized both in and out of the workplace. And he cooks a mean omelet; so mean, in fact, that he once made them for the entire IDEO studio.
Burton Rast's Speaking Topics
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The circular economy / circular design
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Emerging tech & AI
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Mentorship and company culture
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Imposter syndrome and the hedonic treadmill
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Lessons learned from the world's top design & tech roles
Why Book Burton Rast as a speaker?
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He brings 20+ years of cross-disciplinary authority spanning product leadership, creative direction and design innovation, helping teams connect craft, strategy and culture in the work that matters most.
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He translates hard-won lessons from seven years at IDEO and five years in design leadership at Google into practical guidance for building products, stories and experiences people genuinely care about.
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He equips leaders to think more creatively about AI and the future of design through his role as Design Partner at Strange Ventures, advising and investing in early-stage startups shaping what comes next.
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He is a compelling, widely sought-after presenter for companies, universities and conferences worldwide, delivering clear, human storytelling that lands with both technical and non-technical audiences.
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His talks strengthen mentorship and knowledge-sharing across organisations, showing how design can be an instrument for change and a lever for more meaningful impact.
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