11 Top Venture Studios for Startups in 2024

If you're a startup founder focused on building up your company, you’ve likely heard the term “venture studio” before, but what is a venture studio?

Simply put, a venture studio — sometimes called a startup studio or a venture builder — is a company that ideates, funds, and builds startups from scratch. They’re often characterized by their ingenuity, resources, and the top-notch business assistance they can provide – especially to newer founders who could use an experienced helping hand. 

Let's dive into the world of venture studios for startups and explore some of the best companies out there that could give your startup the extra edge you need.

Nobody Studios, established in 2020 as the brainchild of Mark S. McNally, is a revolutionary venture studio with a mission to incubate 100 novel companies within half a decade span. Their unique method involves harnessing the power of crowdfunding to speed up the processes of idea generation validation and company development.

Their key focus is on fostering socially responsible businesses that actively contribute to society. The impressive portfolio of Nobody Studios includes remarkable startups like Webdelics, a groundbreaking educational platform for plant medicine, and ThoughtForma, an astute no-code platform enabling rapid digital app development.

In an industry often criticized for its exclusivity, Nobody Studios stands out for its commitment to fostering an inclusive environment and ultimately making entrepreneurship more attainable for all.

Established in 2012, Atomic is a startup studio that takes an innovative approach to catalyze the creation of new companies. Co-founded by Jack Abraham and Steph Mui, Atomic makes it their mission to partner with driven entrepreneurs and equip them with resources, expertise, and capital. Through this hands-on approach, Atomic is all about accelerating ideas and mitigating risks. 

Their portfolio is diverse, spanning industries such as healthcare, facial recognition, and co-living, and they’ve successfully co-founded over a dozen ventures within the past year alone. Atomic's comprehensive and holistic support to founders is the key to their success. They have invested in over 20 companies, including the likes of Terminal, Hims, and Hers.

Atomic's primary goal is to foster a culture of entrepreneurship, which they do by providing budding entrepreneurs with a supportive platform to bring their transformative new companies to life. With a substantial fund of $260 million, they continue to empower and encourage innovation. The firm looks for seasoned individuals with leadership skills, perseverance and innovative insights into untapped areas.

Based in the heart of Indianapolis, High Alpha is a unique venture studio that was founded in 2015. This innovative firm was started by four seasoned entrepreneurs, Scott Dorsey, Eric Tobias, Kristian Andersen, and Mike Fitzgerald, who sought to revolutionize the formation of SaaS enterprises. 

High Alpha doesn't just invest in startups, but they partner with capable pioneers to conceptually jumpstart and systematically scale new businesses. The firm offers its know-how, resources, and financial support, adhering to a model that has led to the successful launch of over 35 companies and support for more than 80 founders.

High Alpha's “modus operandi” is to diversify how it partners with entrepreneurs; they might collaboratively explore fresh business ideas, intensify the development of pre-existing companies, or place passionate individuals within its impressive portfolio companies. Some of the companies included in their portfolio have already made waves in their respective industries.

Unsurprisingly, High Alpha's efforts haven't gone unnoticed, and many top venture capital organizations back their endeavors. They've successfully nurtured an empathetic community and culture for founders.

Betaworks, a New York-based investor and builder of early-stage businesses, was founded in 2007 by Andy Weissman, Billy Chasen, and John Borthwick. Their venture studio demonstrates a remarkable knack for identifying, investing in, and nurturing startups that show promising potential in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and Web3. 

Known for being both a developer and investor, Betaworks has been instrumental in the growth and success of products like Giphy, Bitly, and Tweetdeck. Its portfolio is filled with notable names such as Twitter, Tumblr, Kickstarter, and Rec Room – all of whom are a testament to their success in the digital landscape.

They also operate Betaworks Camp, which is an accelerator program aimed at funding and supporting startups within emerging tech sectors. 

Pioneer Square Labs, based in the heart of Seattle, is a venture capital fund and startup studio established by a team of five co-founders: Ben Gilbert, Geoff Entress, Greg Gottesman, Julie Sandler, and Mike Galgon back in 2015. The company operates with a mission to not just bring big ideas to life but to actively partner with exceptional founders who can transform these ideas into world-changing companies.

With two distinct programs, they offer early-stage funding and guidance through their Ventures offering or a chance for founders to start their own enterprise through their Studio program. Their investment portfolio is impressive, containing the likes of the popular podcast outlet Acquired and Starfish Spaces.

Pioneer Square Labs also has a keen interest in evolving technology, leveraging the power of generative AI to assist businesses in testing automatically created ideas.

Founded by Jon Bradford and Michael Buchanan in 2013, Colab is not your average venture studio. Nestled in the heart of Los Angeles, it's a hub where bright ideas, invaluable resources, and experts come together to form trailblazing companies. Colab is on a mission to solve big challenges, having established over 100 companies with impressive portfolio exits exceeding $2 billion.

From the spark of an idea to the complexities of fundraising, Colab is hands-on, providing extensive support every step of the way. Among the companies they've successfully collaborated with are Experience Music Together and NoCap. NoCap is a revolutionary live-streaming platform for artists that has made waves in the industry. To date, it has hosted over 200 concerts and reimbursed artists with a whopping $6 million.

Colab does more than merely partner with startups. They become a key part of the team, ready to scale up or down according to the evolving needs of the business.

Located in the heart of the UK, Founders Factory was brought to life by Brent Hoberman, Henry Lane Fox, and George Northcott in 2015. With a shared vision, these entrepreneurs set out to provide fellow idea-makers with the tools needed to transform their concepts into high-growth companies.

Under the Founders Factory umbrella, ambitious entrepreneurs can find not just funding but also dedicated support teams and access to a range of partners such as Aviva, Reckitt, and Nesta. These prominent partner organizations each cater to different areas, including fintech, home/hygiene, and social impact.

The Venture Studio at Founders Factory also fosters a vibrant community of innovators from different backgrounds. They work equally with first-time founders filled with passion to serial entrepreneurs who have it down to a science.

Established in the year 2013 by visionary entrepreneurs Garrett Camp and Kristin Stannard, Expa Studio has been transforming budding business ideas into resounding successes. 

With an extensive service offering, including branding, product design, and operational support, Expa stands as a comprehensive incubation hub for aspiring founders and their young companies, including names like Current, Haus, Aero, and Drip.

But there's more to Expa than just monetary backing – they serve as a crucial link between founders and prominent investors from circles such as Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital. They've built up an ecosystem that fosters growth not just through resource provision but also by cultivating connections. 

For anyone with a bold idea and a burning desire to succeed, Expa Studio lays the groundwork for a journey from conceptualization to growth, all within a community that inspires action and stimulates positive impact.

In Santa Monica, California, the venture studio Science Inc. was set in motion in 2011 by founders Alex Kehr, Greg Gilman, Michael Jones, Mike Macadaan, Peter Pham, and Tom Dare. This firm specializes in scouting, investing in, and bolstering early-stage technology front runners.

At the core of Science Inc.'s approach is an intelligent mix of uncanny trend identification, a strategic fusion of promising ideas, top-tier talent, and funding through their versatile platform. With a stunning track record of over 60 company investments under their belt, $500 million in subsequent financing, and over $1.3 billion in acquisitions, they’re a definite leader in the venture studio space.

They've carved out an impressive niche in diverse sectors, including ecommerce, marketplaces, social networks, and blockchain technology.

Borgfy is a venture studio that strives to revolutionize digital transformation. The company was started in 2021 by a dynamic entrepreneur, Abdullah Imran, who envisioned a world where technology and business ideas converge to bring about innovation. Exemplifying this vision, Borgfy provides all-encompassing product development services guiding businesses right from the birth of an idea to a successful market launch.

The firm's expertise spans app development, artificial intelligence, and UI/UX design. With a portfolio featuring an influencer booking app and a Qatari travel app, Borgfy established itself as a trailblazer in driving digital initiatives for enterprises and startups alike.

As a venture studio, Borgfy continuously mentors aspiring entrepreneurs, providing them with funding and co-founding roles. This unique business model significantly mitigates risks and facilitates faster growth, making Borgfy's success rate soar 30% higher than other contemporary models.

Alien Technology Transfer, a brainchild of Fabio Manzi and Alessandro Rufo, has grown from a small London-based startup in 2013 to become a beacon of global innovation today. With offices across three continents, this venture studio has made a name for itself by managing a multitalented team and overseeing an impressive $310 million in raised funds for European and US clients.

In 2021 alone, Alien helped land a significant €3.3 million ($3.5 million) grant from the European Innovation Council for its first venture studio project, Astound. 

With its pioneering Vision to “crush evolutionary constraints” and empower budding companies to revolutionize the industry, Alien does more than fund projects. They provide end-to-end support in R&D, business model development, and executive selection, as well as guidance in critical business functions such as HR, admin, legal, IT, and marketing communication. 

This unique approach allows companies to focus on what they do best – progress their projects and get their breakthrough technologies to market.