🧭 Navigate To (Chronological Order): Co-Founding My First StartupOn-the-Ground UC Berkeley Startup Community BuildingRefining My VoiceLearning From GiantsEducating the BuildersCoursework at UC BerkeleySummary Note


LinkedIn | Resume | Contact Me | @joshrafasan


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“Why Did I Make This Page?”

From the very beginning of my career, I was fueled by a belief that technology could change lives, and that I could one day shape the future of that change.

Before I became a UX researcher, growth strategist, or product innovator, I was a student—curious, driven, and already thinking like a builder. These early experiences formed the bedrock of my journey—each one a milestone not just of skill, but of vision.

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→ Global First Step: Co-Founding @ European Innovation Academy 🎢

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📍Portugal | Summer 2018

The first spark came when I joined the European Innovation Academy, a renowned startup accelerator uniting students from around the world. In Portugal, I co-founded Legally PT, an international legal tech project, working at a breakneck pace to validate ideas, pivot business models, and build traction.

Over the last two weeks Daniel, the Chilltime CEO, has been the Chief… | Chilltime

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Upward Trajectory:

Launched marketing campaigns 🚀 ****reaching hundreds of users on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Built prototypes and tested concepts ⚒️ with Google Analytics and customer interviews.

Learned to create from zero 🏗️ — and more important, learned that startups live and die by how well you listen to your users.

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Impact:

This was where I fell in love with the raw energy of startup building. It taught me that I wasn’t just excited about technology— I was wired to innovate.

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→ On-the-Ground: Community Outreach & Growth @ StartupTree (formerly CatalystX) 🔈

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📍UC Berkeley | Fall 2018 - 2019

Returning to Berkeley, I wanted to stay close to the energy of emerging ideas. I joined CatalystX through their Bear Founders initiative— UC Berkeley’s startup community network. At CatalystX, I wasn’t just posting social media banners— I was hustling across campus, knocking on doors, meeting founders, understanding needs.

Home

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Upward Trajectory:

→ Managed community outreach across a 50,000+ student and alumni network. 🤲🏼

→ Executed bi-monthly marketing campaigns 📥blending online growth hacking with offline community-building.

→ Developed an instinct for real customer empathy long before it became a corporate buzzword. 👀

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Impact:

Growth isn’t about metrics alone — it’s about people. I learned how to make products personal, building not for users, but for communities.

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→ Sharpening the Message: Scaling Voice and Content @ Logos News LLC 🧱

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📍UCLA (Remote) | 2019

Extending my professional reach from the Berkeley ecosystem, I joined Logos News, a UCLA startup redefining digital news delivery for young professionals. Here, I learned to scale messaging, managing a growing newsletter audience and fine-tuning how ideas spread.

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Upward Trajectory:

Doubled subscriber base 🪴 by executing targeted content campaigns across LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.

Created user personas and content roadmaps 🙋🏼 blending creative intuition with competitive analytics.

Tested and iterated digital campaigns 📥 with Figma and Mailchimp, tracking engagement with precision.

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Impact:

Good ideas need good storytelling— and I learned how to craft a message that resonates and spreads. It wasn’t enough to build something great; I had to bring people along for the journey.

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