YJ (Yongjun) Heo is a designer and entrepreneur based in San Francisco and Indianapolis. He founded and manages Midwest Design Lab LLC (MWDL), a web design and product development company. MWDL has released two products over the last year: FLOAT and Publit. FLOAT is a moveable home accessory that holds up devices securely through a patent-pending safety lever and an industrial-grade suction system. Publit is a personal website builder designed for professionals, writers, and students to better market their experiences and enhance their personal branding.

For almost a decade, MWDL has also offered digital design and web development services. From website design for professional athletes and olympians to capturing aerial footage and photography for Oscars events at J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Studios, MWDL provides full service digital support for select clients.

Before establishing Midwest Design Lab, YJ volunteered and worked at College Track, a national college completion program for underserved communities, where he offered direct support to hundreds of students and helped expand post-graduation services for first generation college students.

YJ obtained his undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College, where he double-majored in Biology and Public Policy. At Swarthmore, he was the student body president and a four-year varsity track and field sprinter. After graduation, as a Henry Luce Scholar, he moved to Hanoi, Vietnam, to work at the Institute of Population and Development Studies. During that period, YJ was also awarded a George Mitchell Scholarship to study at University College Dublin for the following year. In these two years abroad, YJ became a self-taught designer, before moving to San Francisco.