Work

This year, the Privado ID team created a new brand called Billions Network—the missing layer of simplicity and the B2C face of identity.

In just half a year, we developed a new brand design internally that we're very proud of. As part of this effort, we rebranded our customer-facing products.

We launched an Identity Portal for users to start participating in the Billions Network.

We got to design an NFT collection which I also never thought I'd have to do.

Right at the end of the year, we also launched Official Profiles and the new Billions App.

We've a lot of plans for the following year, including launching a token, coming up with ways to safeguard people from malicious AI agents and more.

Identity and privacy are finding a lot of traction recently, which is exciting—privacy itself was never "sexy." Only convenience was.

Being a designer was interesting this year. 2025 was the year I officially became a vibe coder. In fact, this portfolio project is being vibe coded using Cursor, free will, and a bunch of chamomile tea. Since then, I've been feeling this immense power in my hands that's hard to shake off. I'm incredibly excited to get better at it.

I tried out a few new tools that I enjoyed—namely Lottielab, Rive, and Unicornstudio. All of them are animation tools for the most part.

Dreams do come true

I had a dream for many years: to travel for an extended time in Southeast Asia. To start the year, I traveled around Thailand for just over two months.

I took my girlfriend with me, and we visited Phuket, Phi Phi, Krabi, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, and finally Bangkok.

While it was difficult to balance work and leisure while traveling so extensively, it was an amazing glimpse into what Thai culture has to offer.

I also proposed to my girlfriend in a beautiful mountain cabin as the sun set behind the mountain peaks. Couldn't be happier about this and the trip altogether.

Looking back, I'm not sure why it took me so long to make this dream a reality. Maybe it was money or logistics. Maybe I was scared of the unknown. But most likely, it was just excuses all along. Either way, I'll be back for sure - hopefully sooner rather than later.

A double-edged sword

Working in a fast-paced startup as a sole designer for most of the last three years was very fulfilling but challenging at the same time. Unfortunately, it took a toll on my mental and physical health.

I'm immensely grateful for the team who understood this and gave me much-needed time to rest and reflect. I came back to work rejuvenated, more focused, and with much-needed help from another designer.

A different kind of triathlon

I found myself bored with the regular gym routine and unmotivated to repeat the same exercises over and over. So I did what any just-above-30 man would do. I bought myself a kettlebell on impulse.

It turns out I quite enjoy this type of workout. It combines cardio, strength training, and mobility all at once.

I also discovered a passion for bouldering with a few buddies of mine. It became our little tradition once a week. I recently ditched the rental shoes and bought my own pair, cementing this hobby as one to stay.

Finally, I recently came back to running and am trying to find my form again.

So, the trifecta. Bouldering, kettlebell training and running. Seems to be the perfect balance so far.