Matthew Burris’ Post

Great explanation, after years of running various incubation and acceleration programs, it seems to me that the venture studio model is likely the most appropriate for developing deep tech projects.

VC, Accelerator, Studio: What’s the Difference? When it comes to funding and growing a new business, you have likely heard of Venture Capital (VC) firms, Accelerators, and Venture Studios. While they all exist to help startups succeed, they operate in very different ways. For founders, understanding these distinctions is critical when choosing the right partner. Venture Capital (VC) firms provide capital in exchange for equity. They act as financial investors, offering strategic guidance while leaving day-to-day operations to the founding team. VCs usually invest in later-stage startups that already have traction and a proven product. Their involvement is less hands-on, focusing on board-level decisions and high-value connections. Accelerators are short-term programs designed to fast-track growth. They typically provide a set amount of funding, mentorship, and a structured program, often culminating in a demo day where founders pitch to investors. Accelerators are more hands-on than VCs, but their involvement is time-boxed and temporary. Venture Studios are the most hands-on of all. Rather than simply investing in external ideas, studios generate, build, and launch companies in-house. They act as true co-founders, providing capital, a dedicated team of experts across product, engineering, marketing and growth, and a proven playbook for scaling. From idea validation to launch, studios are deeply involved in execution, systematically reducing risk and increasing the odds of success. In short: - VCs supply capital and connections. - Accelerators offer a structured, time-limited boost. - Venture Studios partner in the trenches, building alongside founders from day one. While VCs and accelerators support external founders, venture studios operate as intimate partners, providing the resources and operational expertise most early-stage startups cannot access alone. #Startups #VentureCapital #Accelerators #VentureStudio #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #BusinessGrowth #StartupStrategy #ScalingStartups #Founders

Alabama is quietly rewriting the playbook for startup funding. Let me explain. Innovate Alabama’s Venture Studio and Fund are connecting founders, industry, and capital in a public-private partnership that actually works. By building from ideation to commercialization and creating “deal flow gravity,” the state is proving you don’t need a Silicon Valley zip code to launch a high-growth startup. This is how overlooked markets create thriving ecosystems: one founder, one problem, one partnership at a time.

Venture capital firm a16z is now accepting applications for its sixth startup accelerator, which will start in January 2026. The program gives founders the chance to get up to $1 million in investment, along with expert help and tools to grow their businesses. Applications are open until September 28, 2025, and founders are encouraged to apply soon because the firm plans to invest up to $100 million in the next 30 days. The accelerator will run for 12 weeks from January 26 to April 12, 2026, and will take place at a16z’s SOMA headquarters. Founders will also get in-person meetings, private dinners, and talks from people who started successful companies like Carta, DoorDash, Zynga, Behance, Airtable, Twilio, and Figma. Andrew Chen, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, wrote on X: "Quit whatever it is that you're doing, and in 2026 come to SF and work with us out of Andreessen Horowitz's office in SOMA, alongside over a hundred other founders, building the startup you've always wanted to build. We will help you -- both myself and the a16z speedrun team." Full story: https://lnkd.in/gnRpK_rv

Founders in FI Vietnam Autumn 2025 cohort are going to meet Linh Nguyen, Investment Associate at Ansible Ventures, a Vietnam-based early-stage venture capital firm that focuses on investing in pre-seed and seed-stage startups. The firm targets investments across sectors such as consumer brands / consumer internet, B2B software, and AI-native applications. Linh Nguyen plays a key role in identifying high-potential startups and supporting portfolio companies, helping them scale in the fast-evolving startup ecosystem. The AMA with VCs (Ask-Me-Anything with Venture Capitalists) series, hosted by Founder Institute Vietnam, VMCG Capital, and our partners offers a unique opportunity for founders to gain insights into early-stage investments and the evolving venture capital landscape in the world and in Vietnam. What Founders Will Learn: – What venture capitalists are really looking for in early-stage founders. – A VC’s perspective on Vietnam’s startup ecosystem. – Straightforward, practical answers to your startup questions — directly from a VC. If you are a founder looking to refine your business model or secure strategic funding, join the Founder Institute accelerator program now at: https://fi.co/vietnam/

A new venture capital firm is challenging traditional investment paradigms by launching a $290 million fund dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs in emerging tech ecosystems across the United States. Run Ventures, founded by Brandon Tidwell and Ben Dahl, is strategically positioned to support ambitious founders building transformative companies in artificial intelligence and high-growth sectors. Unlike conventional venture capital approaches that concentrate primarily on coastal tech hubs, Run Ventures deliberately targets markets like Austin, Denver, and Atlanta. Their philosophy centers on being 'running partners' to founders - providing hands-on support, strategic guidance, and capital. The firm's founding partners bring significant credibility, having previously invested together at Signal Peak Ventures. Their portfolio includes successful companies like Filevine, Authenticx, and Bark, demonstrating a proven track record of identifying and nurturing innovative startups. 'We're witnessing a powerful convergence of talent, opportunity, and technology across rising tech centers,' said Tidwell. The firm's approach reflects a deep understanding that groundbreaking innovation isn't limited to traditional tech corridors. By combining strategic investment with authentic partnership, Run Ventures aims to accelerate entrepreneurial success and unlock potential in previously overlooked markets.

Seed and early-stage investments offer a steeper learning curve, more adrenaline, and more excitement than growth-stage ones, especially for those driven by impact and learning. 😁 Supporting early-stage startups means joining the founding journey at ground level, where nothing is fixed and the only certainty comes from the team’s passion and execution. Co-working spaces, rough prototypes, audacious experimentation, and countless iterations are all fun experiences that help define a startup’s unique culture. In contrast, growth-stage investing is generally less risky and more predictable. It revolves around scaling and optimising products that have already found market fit, with changes typically being incremental rather than transformative. While these investments have their place, they rarely offer the same sense of adventure or influence as the early stages. For anyone entering venture investing with the goal of making an impact and supporting visionary founders, early-stage investment is where the most meaningful work happens. At Rainmatter by Zerodha, backing startups at their early stage (with some prototype and work already having gone in) has provided invaluable lessons and shaped both our philosophy and portfolio.

Europe's venture capital landscape is undergoing a remarkable transformation, and Dawn Capital's newest partner Shamillah Bankiya provides exclusive insights into this dynamic European venture market. During her recent appearance on the Equity podcast, Bankiya revealed compelling data about investment trends and addressed common misconceptions about European startups. #AIInvestment #Entrepreneurship #EuropeanStartups #Fintech #VentureCapital

NEW PRE-SEED VENTURE FUND ANNOUNCEMENT 🔥 UK based VC, Concept Ventures have announced they’ve closed their new $88m pre-seed fund, looking to write tickets into early-stage tech startups based in Europe ✍️ Concept Ventures are looking to back up to 50 high potential pre-seed startups, with an average ticket of $1m 💵 Some previous big hits from the firm include ElevenLabs and Cliff.ai, amongst many other exciting portfolio companies 🚀 80% of the institutional investors into the fund are based in the United States, showing there’s a real global appetite for European startups right now 💪 I share all the latest startup funding opportunities, accelerator openings, marketing stunts, news and so much more with thousands of Founders in the Innovators Uncensored newsletter. Hit ‘visit my website’ in my bio to sign up.

From YouTube to venture capital—how a French creator built a $12M fund for Y Combinator startups. What this means for the future of digital entrepreneurship. https://shorturl.at/usLux #VentureCapital #CreatorEconomy #Startups