Stack Ventures · Venture studio

We co-found companies. You lead them.

Stack Ventures is a venture studio for AI-native founders. We start companies with you and give you, from day one, what most startups spend a year and their seed round assembling: a senior product team, an AI-native build platform, production-ready systems, go-to-market muscle and a path to capital.

  • Idea to MVP in ~12 weeks
  • Founder-led
  • AI-native from day one
  • India-first, global-ready
Apply to the studio →How the studio works

Applications are open all year. We reply to every founder within two weeks.

12weeks from idea to MVP, our target
3ways to build a company with us
6production-ready systems to start from
10AI agents on every venture team
Quick answer

What is Stack Ventures?

Stack Ventures is Stack18's venture studio for AI-native founders. It co-founds companies with founders, giving them a senior product team, the Agentic SDLC, production-ready systems and go-to-market support from day one. The aim is to take an idea to a working MVP in about 12 weeks.

Why a venture studio

Founders should spend year one on customers, not on plumbing.

Most early-stage time and money goes into assembling a team and rebuilding infrastructure every startup needs. The studio removes that, so you can focus on the problem.

Months lost to hiring

Most founders spend their first six months hunting for a CTO and early engineers.

In the studioA senior product and engineering team from week one.

Rebuilding the same plumbing

Auth, payments, billing, admin, analytics and compliance get rebuilt by every startup.

In the studioProduction-ready systems and modules to start from.

Capital burned before learning

Pre-seed money goes into salaries and tooling before the first customer conversation.

In the studioValidation first, with the studio carrying the build.

Alone at the hardest stage

The first year is where most companies die, usually for reasons a team has seen before.

In the studioOperators, playbooks and a network that has done it before.
The studio stack

Everything a company needs in year one, from day one.

Every venture gets the same foundation Stack18 uses to build for enterprises, plus a team that has launched products before.

Co-founding team

Senior product, design and engineering people working on your venture from day one.

Agentic SDLC

Ten AI agents that draft specs, code, tests and docs, so a small team ships like a large one.

Production-ready systems

Commerce, Customer, FinOps and AI Enterprise OS modules as a head start, not a blank page.

Go-to-market

Positioning, brand, launch, first customers and growth experiments, run with you.

Company operations

Incorporation, legal, finance, compliance and payroll handled by studio shared services.

Path to capital

Investor-ready metrics and data room, and introductions to angels and seed funds when the venture is ready.

Design partners

Introductions to potential pilot customers from the Stack18 network, where there is a fit.

Talent

Help hiring your first employees, and a studio bench to cover gaps until you do.

Three ways to build with us

Pick the track that fits where you are.

Most founders start here

Co-Build

You bring the idea. We become your build co-founder.

Founders with a sharp problem insight or early traction who need product, technology and go-to-market muscle.

You bring
  • The problem, the insight and full-time commitment
  • Domain expertise and early customer access
The studio brings
  • Product and engineering team on the Agentic SDLC
  • Pre-built modules, GTM support and operations
  • Investor readiness and introductions
Typical structureFounders keep the majority. The studio typically holds 10–30%, depending on scope and stage.

12–16 weeks to MVP

Apply for Co-Build
No idea yet? Start here

Founder in Residence

You bring the drive. We bring the idea, the team and the platform.

Experienced operators and domain experts who want to found a company but have not settled on an idea.

You bring
  • Operating experience in the problem space
  • Leadership as founding CEO
The studio brings
  • A studio thesis with early research
  • The full studio team and platform from day one
  • Validation budget and a clear go / no-go process
Typical structureThe founding team typically holds 40–60% with standard vesting. The studio holds 30–45%, with an employee option pool alongside.

6 weeks to validate, then build

Apply for Founder in Residence
For enterprises

Corporate Venture Build

Your assets. Our studio. A new company.

Enterprises launching a new digital business, spin-out or venture next to the core.

You bring
  • Market access, data, brand or distribution
  • An executive sponsor
The studio brings
  • Venture design, validation and build
  • A dedicated venture team and leadership
  • A path to spin-out or integration
Typical structureStudio fee plus equity or revenue share, structured around your control and exit preferences.

16–24 weeks to launch

Talk to the studio team
The studio journey

From first conversation to an independent company.

Every venture moves through five stages. Each ends at a gate where founders and the studio decide together, on evidence, whether to continue, change course or stop.

Weeks 0–2

Explore

Thesis, market map and 20+ problem interviews.

GateA problem worth solving
Weeks 2–6

Validate

Prototype, demand tests and design partners.

GateEvidence that people want it
Weeks 6–16

Build

MVP on the Agentic SDLC with pre-built modules, live pilots.

GateUsers getting real value
Months 4–9

Launch

Go-to-market, first paying customers, unit economics.

GateEarly product-market fit signals
Months 9–15

Raise & scale

Seed round, independent team and board, scaling up.

GateAn independent company
Where we build

Six areas where the studio has an unfair advantage.

Each draws on what Stack18 already builds and runs for businesses every day.

AI-native vertical software

Industries where AI can do the work, not just assist it.

Workflows AI can own end to endProprietary data loops

Agentic enterprise automation

Governed agents for finance, procurement, support and operations.

Clear buyer and budgetMeasurable hours saved

MSME fintech & compliance

Credit, collections, GST and payments infrastructure for India's 6 crore+ small businesses.

Distribution through existing railsRegulatory insight

Commerce & digital-first brands

Commerce infrastructure and D2C brands built on the Stack18 commerce stack.

Repeat purchase economicsOwned customer channels

Supply chain & manufacturing

Visibility, procurement and planning for under-digitised industrial India.

Deep operator insightIntegration into daily work

Developer & AI infrastructure

Tools for building, evaluating and governing AI systems.

Bottom-up adoptionOpen-source or community pull
Who we build with

Founders with insight, not just ideas.

Domain operators

You have run the problem from the inside and know exactly what is broken.

Technical founders

You can build, and want a team that brings product, design and go-to-market.

Repeat founders

You have done it before and want to move faster with less overhead.

Corporate intrapreneurs

You see a new business your company is not set up to build.

What we look for

  • A painful problem you understand better than most
  • A market that can support a venture-scale company
  • Full-time commitment from at least one founder
  • Willingness to validate before building
  • India-first, with a path to global where it fits

Not a fit

  • Services businesses or agencies
  • Ideas without a founder ready to lead
  • Crypto token projects
  • Businesses that depend on regulatory arbitrage
Studio vs the alternatives

More than capital. More than code.

AcceleratorVC fundDev agencyGoing aloneStack Ventures
What you getCohort programme and mentorsCapital and a board seatHired developersEverything yourselfTeam, platform, GTM, operations and a path to capital
TeamNoneNoneContractorsWhoever you can hireSenior studio team from day one
Time to MVPYour problemYour problem3–6 months6–12 monthsAround 12 weeks
Cost to youEquityEquityCash, often your seed roundYour savings and timeEquity, agreed upfront
Involvement3 monthsBoard meetingsUntil the contract endsJust youHands-on until you are independent
Transparent terms

Fair to founders. Clean for your seed round.

Studio equity is earned by doing a large share of the early work. We keep it simple, written down and investor-friendly.

Co-BuildFounders keep the majority. The studio typically holds 10–30%, depending on scope and stage.
Founder in ResidenceThe founding team typically holds 40–60% with standard vesting. The studio holds 30–45%, with an employee option pool alongside.
Corporate Venture BuildStudio fee plus equity or revenue share, structured around your control and exit preferences.

Founder-led, always

You are the CEO and you make the calls. The studio is a co-founder, not a boss.

Seed-ready cap tables

Studio stakes are sized so your seed investors see a founder-led company with room to grow.

Equity tied to delivery

Studio equity vests against milestones we deliver together, not just on signing.

No hidden fees

One clear agreement. If a cash component applies, it is written down upfront.

Typical ranges shown. Every agreement is tailored to the venture and set out in writing before work starts.

For investors and partners

Build the studio with us.

Co-investors

Angels and seed funds who want early access to studio ventures with real teams and real products behind them.

Co-invest with the studio →

Corporate partners

Enterprises that want to build new ventures, or be design partners and first customers for studio companies.

Partner with the studio →
FAQ

Founder questions.

Apply to the studio
Is Stack Ventures an investor?

Stack Ventures is a venture studio. We co-found and build companies with founders. Selected ventures can receive pre-seed support from the studio, and we help every venture raise from angels and seed funds when it is ready.

How much equity does the studio take?

It depends on the track. In Co-Build, founders keep the majority and the studio typically holds 10–30%. For Founder in Residence ventures, founding teams typically hold 40–60%. Every structure is agreed upfront, in writing.

Do I need a technical co-founder?

No. The studio provides product, design and engineering from day one, and helps you hire your own team as the company grows.

What does it cost me?

Studio work is exchanged for equity. In some Co-Build cases a cash component applies for larger builds, agreed upfront. There are no hidden fees.

What if the idea does not validate?

That is what the gates are for. If evidence says stop, we stop early, together, and founders are free to pursue other ideas.

Do I have to be based in India?

Most ventures are India-first, and we work with founders anywhere who are building for India or from India for global markets.

How long does selection take?

We reply to every application within two weeks. Shortlisted founders have an intro call, then a two-week joint sprint before any agreement.

Apply

Build your company with the studio.

Tell us about the problem you want to solve. Founders in Residence can apply without an idea: pick a brief or tell us your domain.

  1. Apply10 minutes
  2. Intro call30 minutes
  3. Joint sprint2 weeks
  4. Agreement & kickoffWeek 3–4

Apply to Stack Ventures

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