Anyone who follows hip-hop agrees that the rapper Nas’ magnum opus is his 1994 debut, Illmatic. When asked what he meant by the distinctive title of the album, Nas replied: “Illmatic is supreme ill. It’s as ill as ill gets. That sh*t is a science of everything ill.”
Think of startup studios as the home of the supreme startup. It’s as startup as a startup gets. This sh*t we’re doing in the studio model — the science of everything startup.
Every startup that I’ve been a part of building is equal parts exhilarating and terrifying. It demands grit, grind, and growth. We all know the challenges — those impossible hurdles, pride-swallowing moments, and sleepless nights that cause us to question our sanity. On good days, I see it as a quasi-spiritual commitment; on bad days, sheer irrationality. But there’s a reason we’re here, in the midst of the chaos: the thrill of creation, the ultimate triumph, and the raw-as-it-gets elements of company-building.
So, what’s so great about the startup studio model? Let me break down five common misconceptions.
1. “A startup studio is kind of like an incubator, right?”
Let’s clear the air: startup studios, incubators, accelerators — they’re all different species.
An accelerator is a time-bound program that educates and supports a class of founders, culminating in a graduation or Demo Day. Accelerators remind me of College. Incubators are then like a Ph.D. program, offering minimal structured guidance and a focus on self-navigation by entrepreneurs.
Studio models, in contrast, fully seed fund investments with more resources than an accelerator or incubator. Studios, at least super{set}, are in it for the long ride. We don’t disappear once another investor arrives on the cap table. We’re hands-on, mostly at the seed stage, and critical moments of truth down the line. Studios are real life, not the University.
Just what is the difference between a “Venture Studio” and a “Startup Studio?” I’ve wondered that, too, and come to the conclusion that some say “Venture Studio” to sound closer to “Venture Capitalist.” But no entrepreneur worth their salt calls their baby company a “venture” — which is why we refer to super{set} as a “Startup Studio.”
2. “So you get your ideas from running Google search ads?”
Some have this idea that studios are out there just fishing for markets – maybe by throwing together a couple of Google search ads and seeing if anyone takes the bait on their cat-walking app.
This doesn’t cut it if what you want to build is a category-defining, home-run product. The formation process in a startup studio has to be rigorous, or it just doesn’t work. To begin, a good studio has a thesis. At the studio I cofounded, super{set}, data is our steel thread. Every company we pursue solves a market problem through transformational data & AI solutions.
The key phrase in that last sentence? “Solves a market problem.” That means digging into and turfing up pain from potential customers, activating our network, and getting in front of potential users to make sure that there is someone out there with their hair on fire in need of a solution.
3. “Startup studios only help in the initial stages and then leave companies to fend for themselves.”
Startup Studios, done well, are finishers, not launchers. They can’t countenance the idea of leaving a half-finished product on the table. The same challenge facing any entrepreneur is the same one confronting entrepreneurs in a startup studio: you have the idea, now you have to build it, and more than just build it, you have to have a vision for the long-term staging and sequencing of a product to match an unfolding market and opportunity.
On top of these well-made plans, we have to get dirt under our fingernails. A Startup Studio is active from day 1 in hiring top-notch talent, building a winning culture within the team, igniting go-to-market and a sales engine, fundraising with follow-on investors, and working with the board as the startup matures. Out of any other model, startup studios are the most involved in grinding it out day after day, year after year, to craft companies and guide long-term success.
4. “Studio cofounders have less of a stake in the game.”
At super{set}, our first outside hire is a Head of Engineering or Head of Product who can drive the build-out and initial growth spurt for the company. This is a compelling, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Don’t take it from me; read what one of our co-founders, Gal Vered has to say about it.
Gal, our co-founder at GenAI software quality platform, Checksum.ai, faced a choice between becoming a solo founder, an early employee at a startup, or just staying in Big Tech when he left Google. Luckily for us, he jumped at the chance of a 4th option: become a super{set} co-founder.
Co-founders like Gal in the studio model are highly incentivized to grow the company. But more than that, they’ve been chosen for their growth mindset – they join for the economic upside but also the opportunities for growth, live-fire company-building, and intellectual nourishment along the way. My co-founder Vivek Vaidya calls this “high-velocity personal growth.” People are the beating heart of the studio model, and that is why we prioritize a culture that motivates talent, drives success, and brings joy.
5. “So you’re like a VC, right?.”
I’ll conclude with this: while we have a venture fund at super{set} and fund our companies in the seed stage and beyond, we aren’t VCs.
First, we actually build product: we’re engrossed with solving hard problems through data+AI solutions and having the grit to stay up through the night to fix a problem.
Second, we’re obsessed with building for the long haul, grinding it out through every step of the way.
Third, we’re not just about identifying idiosyncratic college dropouts or founders from the same alumni network. While identifying the right talent is important, getting results through people and creating the soil conditions for growth over the long haul constitute our fundamental reason for being.
This is what we mean when we say we’re a startup studio — It’s as startup as a startup gets. This sh*t we’re doing in the studio model — it’s the science of everything startup. Big ups to Nas.
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