How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital. · Foundersuite.com - software for raising capital

Ep. 292 How I Raised It with Matthew Burris of Venture Studio Associates

·51 min·3 clips

Matt Burris says a venture studio is “a company that builds other companies.”

Nathan Beckerton opens by framing the show as an inside, unfiltered look at how real entrepreneurs and VCs raise capital. He introduces Matt Burris, whose firm helps people design and build venture studios or startup studios. The episode focuses on venture studios and the questions founders should ask before getting involved with one. Matt and Nathan walk through the two types of venture studios. They also spend time on how a founder can decide whether a studio is the right fit. The conversation asks what venture studios are looking for in entrepreneurs. It keeps circling back to the basic structure of the model so the idea does not drift into fuzziness. Matt explains that the studio idea grew out of the logic of organizing creative work in cohorts. He points to eLab as an early modern version of the model. He also brings in Bill Gross and the influence of film studios in the LA, Pasadena area. The comparison helps make the model feel less like startup jargon and more like a repeatable operating method. The show emphasizes that studios do not just build one company at a time. They build a set of projects and carry lessons forward from one effort to the next. That is part of why the studio model can improve over time. Matt also notes that studios have often focused on their portfolio companies rather than the studio concept itself. He says that has made the asset class easier to overlook. To answer the objection that studios are everywhere but rarely discussed, he points to recognizable outcomes. He mentions Liquid Death and Dollar Shave Club. He also cites Moderna, which came out of Flagship Pioneering in Boston. He brings up Atomic and hims & hers as other examples. Snowflake comes up too, along with Sutter Hill Ventures and its role in helping launch the company. The discussion makes clear that some firms can function like venture funds and studios at the same time. It closes on a simple invitation for people to find Matt on LinkedIn and follow his work there. The overall tone stays measured, curious, and practical throughout.

As heard by us

A practical tour of venture studios, with real examples instead of hype.

This episode gives a clear, practical look at venture studios: what they are, the two types mentioned here, how a founder might judge one, what studios tend to want from entrepreneurs, and a few notable examples.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Trying to make sense of venture studios before you pick one or build one?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from How I Raised It - The podcast where we interview startup founders who raised capital.