Venture Studio

Business Model

A company that builds multiple startups internally, providing capital and shared resources. David Friedberg discusses his experience running a venture studio, which ultimately produced one breakout company (Ohalo) that he decided to lead full-time.


First Mentioned

11/23/2025, 10:18:56 PM

Last Updated

11/23/2025, 10:21:20 PM

Research Retrieved

11/23/2025, 10:21:20 PM

Summary

A venture studio, also known as a startup studio, factory, or foundry, is a business model focused on building multiple startups sequentially through a process called "parallel entrepreneurship." Unlike incubators and accelerators, venture studios typically generate their own business ideas internally or through their networks, rather than accepting external applications, and then assign dedicated teams to develop these concepts. Some venture studios also function as early-stage venture capital investors, combining company building with venture funding. This model aims to de-risk startup creation by providing capital, talent, and operational support, fostering an iterative approach, and opening opportunities for underrepresented founders. David Friedberg's experience transitioning from running a venture studio to becoming CEO of its successful spin-off, Ohalo, illustrates the model's potential for creating new companies and the distinct pressures involved.

Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Process

    Parallel entrepreneurship

  • Funding Role

    Acts as early-stage venture capitalist; provides capital

  • Risk Profile

    De-risked environment; helps uncover and analyze business opportunities early

  • Core Function

    Building multiple startup companies in succession

  • Idea Generation

    Internal team or close network; studio team or external founders

  • Team Assignment

    Assigns internal, dedicated teams to develop concepts

  • Support Provided

    Capital, talent, operational support, experienced teams, product development, go-to-market strategies, securing funding

  • Alternative Names

    Startup studio, Startup factory, Startup foundry, Venture builder

  • Operational Model

    Iterative; focuses on speed and scalability; can be segmented by industry

  • Geographic Presence

    Not limited to tech hubs; found across Midwest (e.g., Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit)

  • Target Beneficiaries

    Founders, especially underrepresented founders lacking financing or support networks

Startup studio

A startup studio, also known as a startup factory, or a startup foundry, or a venture studio, is a studio-like company that aims at building several startup companies in succession. This style of business building is referred to as "parallel entrepreneurship". Unlike business incubators and accelerators, venture builders generally don't accept applications, and the companies instead pull business ideas from within the team itself, or their close network, and assign internal teams to develop them. Some startup studios also act as early stage venture capitalists.

Web Search Results
  • Venture Studios: How They Work and Support Startups - J.P. Morgan

    A venture studio, also referred to as a startup studio, combines company building with venture funding to create, launch and grow startups. The studio team or external founders may generate ideas, or the studio and external founders may develop concepts collaboratively. From ideation through growth, the studio acts as a co-founder and provides capital, talent and operational support. [...] Lower risk: Venture studios help uncover and analyze business opportunities early on, sometimes before a founder joins the process. This can help prevent founders from learning too late that their ideas aren’t viable for fundraising. Opportunities for underrepresented founders: By helping to reduce risks, studios can open up opportunities to founders typically underrepresented in the venture ecosystem—especially those who lack financing and a startup support network. [...] Hands-on support: Venture studios provide access to experienced teams who work alongside startup founders on product development, go-to-market strategies and securing funding. This practical guidance can help entrepreneurs navigate challenges and accelerate progress.

  • What is a Venture Studio? - Founders Factory

    Accelerators, incubators, and now the Venture Studio—the latest popular model for supporting founders and creating innovative new businesses. But what is a Venture Studio? Venture Studios are organisations that create startups. From forming and testing the very initial idea, to assembling the founding team, to investing early capital, the Venture Studio model is an iterative way of building ventures in a considerably de-risked environment. [...] Bias towards diversity. By derisking ideas before founders join, venture studios open up opportunities to founders typically underrepresented by the venture ecosystem (particularly those who can’t financially afford the risk, or who lack access to the support network that can assist you in starting a business). [...] The Venture Studio model is defined by being iterative. To date, the Founders Factory Venture Studio has spun out over 70 ventures. The process is adaptive: we constantly review and refresh our approach depending on changes in the wider market, internal factors that impact how we operate, as well as past successes and failures. Throughout the journey, the central question is: “How can we improve?” Key aspects of iteration are:

  • 13 Best Venture Studios for Startups in 2025 - Pitchdrive

    A venture studio is an engine for creating startups, bringing together a mix of experienced entrepreneurs and industry experts dedicated to turning ideas into successful businesses. At its core, a venture studio generates and validates new business ideas through comprehensive market research, customer interviews, and trend analysis. Once a concept is deemed viable, the studio assembles a specialized team—often including roles such as CEO, CTO, and CMO—to develop and launch the startup. Beyond

  • What is a Venture Studio? | High Alpha

    ## What is a Venture Studio? Venture studios are tasked with staying steps ahead of the market and anticipating the needs of companies or consumers. Because of this, they may focus on a certain industry, from fashion to food to artificial intelligence to B2B SaaS technology (like High Alpha). Venture studios aren’t limited to tech hubs like San Francisco, Boston, or New York either — you’ll find them across the Midwest, in places like Chicago, Indianapolis, and Detroit. [...] ## High Alpha Venture Studio The venture studio model is a new model for entrepreneurship, combining company building with venture funding in order to compress time, iterate quickly, and scale faster. We’re always looking for entrepreneurs with ideas who want to start a company inside a venture studio. Check out the ideas we're currently exploring, or tell us one of your own. Learn More ## Other Resources ### Stages of Startup Funding ### Techstars vs Y Combinator [...] Venture production studios, which are also called venture factories, provide funding that allows startups to streamline processes and drive revenue. Speed and scalability are the bread and butter of these studios. They are often very segmented and focus only on a specific type of work, which allows them to be streamlined and to function more like a factory. A drawback of the venture production studio approach is that much of the experience is templated. These studios often also have very strict

  • The Rise of Venture Studios: What are they and Why are ... - LinkedIn

    ## A Venture Studio Primer A venture studio is a company that creates and builds multiple startups at the same time. This is in contrast to a traditional startup which focuses on one idea, and accelerator or incubator programs, which helps a large cohort of startups grow and scale. Venture studios typically have a team of experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and other experts who work together to create and launch new startups. ## Efficient and Effective [...] Venture studios are also becoming more popular because they offer a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs and investors. For entrepreneurs, working with a venture studio provides access to a team of experienced entrepreneurs and experts who can help guide the development of their business. For investors, venture studios offer a way to invest in multiple startups at the same time, which can lead to greater diversification and reduced risk. [...] One of the key reasons why venture studios are becoming more popular is that they allow for a more efficient and effective startup creation process. By working on multiple startups at the same time, venture studios can leverage their expertise and resources to create and launch new businesses more quickly and cost-effectively. This can also lead to greater success, as the team is able to share knowledge and resources between startups and identify new business opportunities more easily.

Location Data

Venture Studio, Drive-in Road, Usmanpura, Navrangpura, SabarmatiTaluka, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, 380009, India

private sector

Coordinates: 23.0397885, 72.5536202

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