For Founders

A venture studio is an organization that builds companies from the ground up. Unlike accelerators or traditional VCs, we don't just invest in existing companies—we work hands-on with founders to conceive, validate, build, and scale new ventures. We provide capital, technical expertise, operational support, and strategic guidance throughout the entire journey.

We focus exclusively on AI-driven solutions for critical industries like healthcare, life sciences, climate, defense, infrastructure, and education. Our team has deep technical expertise in building and scaling AI systems, combined with domain knowledge in these high-impact sectors. We're also a Public Benefit Corporation, meaning we're committed to creating positive societal value alongside financial returns.

No. We work with founders at the earliest stages, including those who are still exploring ideas. If you have deep expertise in a critical industry and see an opportunity for AI to solve important problems, we want to talk—whether you have a company formed or not.

We're interested in practical AI applications that solve real problems in critical industries. This includes everything from machine learning models for diagnostics, natural language processing for scientific literature, computer vision for infrastructure inspection, optimization algorithms for supply chains, and more. The key is that the solution addresses a meaningful problem and has a clear path to adoption.

We provide capital investment to cover early-stage development, with follow-on funding as companies hit milestones. Investment terms are tailored to each venture, but we typically take a meaningful equity stake reflecting our deep involvement in building the company. We're aligned for the long term and support companies through subsequent fundraising rounds.

Not necessarily, though being in the Research Triangle area offers significant advantages given our local network and resources. We evaluate this on a case-by-case basis. Remote collaboration is possible, but expect regular in-person working sessions, especially in the early stages.

Our most intensive involvement is typically in the first 12-24 months as we build the foundation and achieve initial traction. However, we remain long-term partners and investors, providing ongoing strategic guidance as companies scale and raise additional capital. Think of it as a transition from co-building to advisory support.

We look for deep technical or domain expertise, a unique insight into a problem, the ability to execute quickly, and genuine commitment to building something meaningful. Previous startup experience is valuable but not required. What matters most is technical depth, learning velocity, and alignment on creating positive societal impact.

The best way to start is by reaching out through our contact page. Tell us about your background, the problem you're passionate about solving, and why you think AI can make a difference. We review all inquiries and respond to those that align with our focus areas.

We start with an initial conversation to understand your background and vision. If there's potential alignment, we'll do a deeper dive into the problem space, market opportunity, and technical approach. For ventures we decide to pursue, we'll work together on validation and planning before formalizing the partnership. The entire process typically takes 4-8 weeks.

Absolutely. We love talking with technical founders who are thinking about big problems in critical industries. Reach out through our contact page or connect with us directly on LinkedIn. We're always happy to have exploratory conversations, even if you're still figuring things out.