EST. 1993

6:12:51 PM

Mario Gomez-Hall

Founder, Head of Product & Design

Hey, I'm Mario, founder of

Zest

. I'm based in

Oakland, CA

where I specialize in leading design, product, and eng teams that build delightful, useful, and thoughtfully clever software.

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WORK

A few of my favorites:

EXPERIENCE

I care about providing everyone a consumer-grade™ experience.

As a designer, I make things that are simple, clean, and a little fun. I pair a visual eye with product thinking that’s focused on hitting business goals and moving metrics 🆙

As a manager, I build trust and give my team the space and guidance to own their work, while supporting them as humans. The goal is for them to ship products they’re proud to put their name on.

2022 — Current

Co-Founder & CEO

at

Zest

Built a social map and AI agent for finding great food. Know where to eat anywhere, without any work.

I worked with an insanely talented team of 3 engineers (iOS, backend/AI, and a hybrid of both) as the company’s only product and design person. I owned product, strategy, design, and brand, along with everything else involved in running a company.

• Reached 200K+ visits in the first 2 months

• Featured in TechCrunch and WIRED

• Analyzed 80M+ reviews to power recommendations everywhere in the world

2022 — Current

Co-Founder & CEO

at

Zest

Built a social map and AI agent for finding great food. Know where to eat anywhere, without any work.

I worked with an insanely talented team of 3 engineers (iOS, backend/AI, and a hybrid of both) as the company’s only product and design person. I owned product, strategy, design, and brand, along with everything else involved in running a company.

• Reached 200K+ visits in the first 2 months

• Featured in TechCrunch and WIRED

• Analyzed 80M+ reviews to power recommendations everywhere in the world

2021 — 2022

Head of Design

at

Saturn

Built the team from 1 to 7 incredible folks across Product Design, Brand, UXR, and Social Marketing

• Launched all-new Events product (think Partiful but focused on students and recurring events)

• Redesigned core app and oversaw major feature releases and iteration

• Supported growth / marketing team with product releases

Acquired by Snap in 2025

2021 — 2022

Head of Design

at

Saturn

Built the team from 1 to 7 incredible folks across Product Design, Brand, UXR, and Social Marketing

• Launched all-new Events product (think Partiful but focused on students and recurring events)

• Redesigned core app and oversaw major feature releases and iteration

• Supported growth / marketing team with product releases

Acquired by Snap in 2025

2018 — 2021

Staff Designer

at

Lyft

Worked closely with Logan Green & John Zimmer (Lyft Co-Founders), along with Katie Dill (VP of Design)

• Fully redesigned the core Lyft consumer app

• Launched all-new media & advertising service (in-car tablet)

• Launched 3 new core-tier rideshare types (Shared Saver, Wait & Save, Rush)

• Integrated Lyft Bikes, Scooters, Public Transit, and Rental cars all under one app

2018 — 2021

Staff Designer

at

Lyft

Worked closely with Logan Green & John Zimmer (Lyft Co-Founders), along with Katie Dill (VP of Design)

• Fully redesigned the core Lyft consumer app

• Launched all-new media & advertising service (in-car tablet)

• Launched 3 new core-tier rideshare types (Shared Saver, Wait & Save, Rush)

• Integrated Lyft Bikes, Scooters, Public Transit, and Rental cars all under one app

2017 — 2018

Senior Product Designer

at

Square

• Launched Square Card, a business spending card that gives merchants instant access to funds from their sales

• Redesigned Square.com & Square Point of Sale merchant onboardings

• Designer - Point of Sale, Payroll/Time Management, Growth features

• Industrial design & software support on Square Register, Stand 2, and Terminal hardware

2017 — 2018

Senior Product Designer

at

Square

• Launched Square Card, a business spending card that gives merchants instant access to funds from their sales

• Redesigned Square.com & Square Point of Sale merchant onboardings

• Designer - Point of Sale, Payroll/Time Management, Growth features

• Industrial design & software support on Square Register, Stand 2, and Terminal hardware

Testimonials

“I want to hire him again, but if he refuses, you should know, he’s the best.”

Katie Dill

Head of Design at Stripe

"Hands down the best designer to ever work at Lyft.”

Logan Green

Co-Founder & CEO of Lyft

“Working with Jacob on the crypto payment gateway was a privilege. His ability to maintain accessibility compliance while delivering a sleek interface is unmatched.”

Arthur Cabral de Oliveira

iOS Engineer at Zest

“I want to hire him again, but if he refuses, you should know, he’s the best.”

Katie Dill

Head of Design at Stripe

“Hands down the best designer to ever work at Lyft.”

Logan Green

Co-Founder & CEO of Lyft

“Mario makes people feel motivated, not pressured. His management style made me genuinely enjoy working with him.”

Arthur Cabral de Oliveira

iOS Engineer at Zest

STACK

Get to know me

In my free time, I make pizza and coffee, watch + play a lot of soccer, host silly parties, travel, and take lots of photos. Here are some I've been into lately:

Vintage Car Under Palm Trees
Vintage Car Under Palm Trees
Coastal Scene with Boats
Coastal Scene with Boats
Outdoor Café Seating in a Sunlit Alley
Outdoor Café Seating in a Sunlit Alley
Urban Street Fashion Portrait
Urban Street Fashion Portrait

Shot with iPhones & my X100V •

See more on IG

50/50

Sofy

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