It's an evolution of the post web 2.0/37 signals design era. Or as I call it the 1-3-1 design style. I can't believe people are already forgetting this and the youngsters are growing up without knowing it.
And don't waste our time with the old "A/B tested: BS. Not many startups actually do A/B testing. They just read a few articles written by other famous startup founders who did do the real work and/or tech bloggers who report on said work and apply the findings to their own sites.
My advice; look beyond the (now aging and classic) 1-3-1 and develop your own style. Of course this would require having a real designer involved at your startup which some founders miss when looking for engineering staff.
And don't waste our time with the old "A/B tested: BS. Not many startups actually do A/B testing. They just read a few articles written by other famous startup founders who did do the real work and/or tech bloggers who report on said work and apply the findings to their own sites.
My advice; look beyond the (now aging and classic) 1-3-1 and develop your own style. Of course this would require having a real designer involved at your startup which some founders miss when looking for engineering staff.