Early Life
Dylan Field was born in Penngrove, California, in 1992. As an only child, he was raised by working-class parents, with his father working as a respiratory therapist and his mother as a resource specialist teacher. Field showed an early aptitude for learning, mastering algebra by age six. He attended Technology High School, where he developed his interest in computer science, participating in robotics and web development projects. He was named after the poet Dylan Thomas. Field interned at O'Reilly Media as a teenager, expanding his technical skills.
Rise to Success
Field enrolled at Brown University in 2009 to study computer science. During his time at Brown, he interned at LinkedIn and Flipboard. In 2012, Field, along with co-founder Evan Wallace, started Figma. That same year, he received a Thiel Fellowship, a $100,000 grant that allowed him to leave Brown to pursue his entrepreneurial ideas full-time. Figma's first public release was in 2016. In September 2022, Adobe announced its plans to acquire Figma for $20 billion; however, the deal was terminated in December 2023 due to regulatory concerns. Figma went public on July 31, 2025, on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FIG.
Key Business Strategies
Figma's success is attributed to its focus on collaboration and accessibility, distinguishing itself from traditional desktop-based design tools. The browser-based platform facilitated real-time collaboration, attracting a wide range of users. Moreover, Field's user-centric approach and willingness to iterate based on feedback proved crucial. The company has been expanding its product suite, including AI-driven tools like Figma Make, Figma Sites, and Figma Draw.
Philanthropy
While specific philanthropy amounts are not readily available in the search results, Field's co-founder, Evan Wallace, donated a third of his shares to the nonprofit Marin Community Foundation.
