Skip to main content
    Beta — Features may not work as expected.
    Back to Podcasts

    Building Scalable Companies via Venture Studios

    MB
    Matthew BurrisThe Venture Studio Forum — Senior Director of Research
    0 views
    Share:

    A venture studio acts as a central engine that simultaneously builds and scales multiple startups. Unlike traditional accelerators, it offers long-term, hands-on involvement by integrating the roles of entrepreneur, operator, and investor. According to Matt Burris, a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on Venture Studios and a partner at the 9point8 Collective and a Senior Director at the Venture Studio Forum, notes in a podcast with Sugata Sanyal (Founder & CEO of ZINFI), this model provides essential day-one capital and operational support, allowing founders to prioritize product-market fit over administrative tasks. By centralizing resources, studios function similarly to ZINFI’s Unified Partner Management platform, orchestrating complex variables into a streamlined infrastructure. As we move through 2026, the studio model has emerged as a powerful alternative to standard venture capital. It is particularly effective for corporate innovators and seasoned entrepreneurs seeking to minimize risk while launching high-growth, scalable companies.

    TL;DR

    Matthew Burris explores the rise of the venture studio model as a distinct asset class. He explains how studios act as entrepreneurs, operators, and investors to reduce startup risk and improve success rates. The discussion covers the importance of community building, global trends in capital flow, and how personal branding can accelerate venture growth.

    "The venture studio is a company that builds other companies by playing three core roles in every enterprise it creates: entrepreneur, operator, and investor."

    — Matthew Burris

    What We Discussed

    Defining the Venture Studio Identity

    Matthew Burris emphasizes that a venture studio is not just an investment vehicle. It is a specialized company designed to birth other companies. To be successful, it must play three roles simultaneously: the entrepreneur who generates ideas, the operator who executes the business plan, and the investor who provides the necessary runway. This triple-threat approach distinguishes studios from venture capital firms and accelerators.

    • •A venture studio is a company that builds companies as its primary product.
    • •The entrepreneur role involves vetting and selecting the best business ideas.
    • •The operator role provides the startup with shared services like HR and finance.
    • •The investor role ensures the company is capitalized through its most critical stages.
    • •This model creates a repeatable process for innovation and market entry.
    • •Distinguishing these roles helps clarify the studio's identity in the market.

    The Power of Digital Networking and LinkedIn

    One of the most surprising parts of Burris’s journey was his rapid rise on LinkedIn. After attending a venture studio bootcamp, he was encouraged to share his knowledge online. A single viral post led to over 1.5 million impressions and hundreds of direct messages. This experience confirmed that there is a massive global hunger for structured insights into how venture studios actually work and succeed.

    • •Consistent posting on LinkedIn helped Burris reach a global audience.
    • •Viral content can lead to hundreds of connections with industry leaders.
    • •Digital platforms allow for the collection of global market data.
    • •Burris used his online presence to conduct over 500 studio interviews.
    • •Insights gained from these talks helped form design practices for new studios.
    • •Networking is essential for finding talent, capital, and startup partners.

    Historical Influences and the High Alpha Model

    The conversation touches on the history of the studio model, noting influences from the 2008-2009 era. Organizations like High Alpha in Indianapolis played a pivotal role in refining the modern studio structure. By observing these early movers, Burris was able to see how a venture studio could thrive outside of traditional venture capital hubs like Silicon Valley, focusing on SaaS and enterprise solutions.

    • •The High Alpha model is one of the most respected blueprints in the industry.
    • •Regional studios prove that innovation is not limited to the West Coast.
    • •Early studio experiments in the late 2000s laid the foundation for today.
    • •Studying these entities helps identify what makes a studio scalable.
    • •High Alpha’s partners helped influence the core design of the asset class.
    • •SaaS companies are a popular choice for studios due to their predictability.

    Establishing a New Asset Class

    The mission of the Venture Studio Forum is to formally establish venture studios as a recognized asset class. This involves creating a unified definition and teaching investors how to evaluate these entities. By elevating the model, the forum helps more founders find the resources they need. Burris believes that despite industry changes, the promise of the studio model remains strong.

    • •The Venture Studio Forum is a non-profit trade association.
    • •Formalizing the asset class helps attract institutional capital.
    • •Studios offer a unique risk-return profile compared to solo startups.
    • •Establishing standards makes it easier to track industry-wide performance.
    • •The forum aim to educate the next generation of studio operators.
    • •Clear definitions prevent the term 'venture studio' from being misused.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Key Takeaways

    Studio RoleAct as an entrepreneur, operator, and investor.
    Studio ModelFormalize the studio model as a scalable asset class.
    Market InsightsUse LinkedIn to gather market insights and build a network.
    Failure ReductionProvide a structured environment to reduce startup failure.
    Global TractionGain global traction beyond traditional tech hubs.
    Studio DesignDefine foundational design practices for a successful studio.
    Market