Traction Studio

WE BELIEVE SALES AND TRACTION ARE THE #1 INDICATOR FOR STARTUP SUCCESS

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WHAT WE DO

Venture Lane Studio helps B2B software startups find real traction and repeatable success.

We transform early stage B2B software companies with outstanding potential into growth stage ventures through a bespoke 3.5 month program, a proven methodology from experienced entrepreneurs, and a world class support network of peer founders and mentors.

HOW WE DO IT

Real impact through sales success.

We might be a little old fashioned, but we believe the best indicator of startup success is real progress best shown through real revenue, customers, or trials. In our experience, this is best supported by a well tuned organization and an educated approach to fundraising.

FOUNDER TESTIMONIALS

Meet the incredible folks who’ve made up past Venture Lane Studio Cohorts.
This is what they have to say about their time working with Venture Lane Studio and the lasting impact it’s had.

MEET OUR CURRENT COHORT

Augusta uses intelligent software to help senior care business hire the best caregivers, easily. Augusta makes it simple to focus on applicants who are serious about working for your agency, 2X-ing the number of interviews from your current job board.

Novus revolutionizes content creation through customized AI-technology, providing fact-checked, enterprise-specific, and up-to-date content. With the help of Novus’ AI Assistant you’re able to create both visual and written content in just seconds.

MEET COHORT 2

Bitreel is the next phase of e-commerce, empowering brands like Ethan Allen to create, manage, and operate 3D, high-fidelity virtual stores. Bitreel has created an immersive, interactive experience for retail brands that their clientele love.

Nobee empowers large rental property owners to increase occupancy, expedite processes and outsource broker services. Nobee’s platform also reduces broker fees for renters through its next generation rental management system.

Sensegrass has developed a cutting edge sensor equipped with nano-satellite technology and combined it with analytics software to significantly increase crop yield, income and sustainability for the agriculture industry.

MEET COHORT 1

HelloGuru helps you obtain a holistic view of your customer by syncing product usage data from data warehouses into the systems you already use like Salesforce, HubSpot and Intercom, all with #NoCode

Twnel is the productivity tool for extended enterprise in emerging markets, harnessing the magic of mobile messaging to give back control to companies – augmenting their teams & empowering their mobile-first workers.

Humaxa offers Generative AI for on-the-job performance. It’s patented suggested activity engine “Max” is used to predict what people need and where to find it so they can perform their jobs to the best of their ability.

Prism is transforming research & business intelligence for biomedicine using it’s platform to rapidly transform untidy trial-level data into categorized datasets that are analyzed & visualized within customizable, real-time dashboards.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

DEAL

With participation in the Studio Traction Program including lifelong post-program engagement, we receive 4% of the company’s common shares. In addition, we offer an investment of up to $100K upon achieved milestones. Check out our FAQs below for more details on our investment terms.

APPLICATIONS

Venture Lane Studio accepts companies on a rolling basis. We are currently accepting applications for Venture Lane Studio Cohort 4 which will begins on September 11, 2023 and end on December 15, 2023

Interested in joining VLS Cohort 4? Apply using the link below by July 14, 2023.

GO-TO-MARKET SUCCESS

✔  Identify acute customer pain

✔  Solidify target market and beachhead

✔  Define customer personas and messaging

✔  Produce top-of-funnel growth

✔  Create repeatable & scalable sales process & materials

EFFICIENT OPERATING SYSTEM

✔  Recognize priorities according to company stage

✔  Implement metric & result driven company operation system

✔  Set up the foundation for a scalable organization and team

✔  Establish a structure for effective leadership, talent and financial transparency

FUNDRAISING

✔  Develop the right fundraising strategy

✔  Pinpoint best fit investors

✔  Craft a comprehensive and compelling investor narrative

Like what you see? Take the next step and apply for Venture Lane Studio.

CHECK OUT OUR UPCOMING PROGRAMMING

Interested in one of Venture Lane Studio’s upcoming virtual workshops?
Submit each interest form and we’ll reach if spots remain!

5.10.23 – “Why Your Sales Sucks: A Workshop” @ 1PM with Brian Denenberg

5.23.23 – “The Art of Early-Stage Fundraising” @ 12PM with Christian Magel and Jeffrey Beir

WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT

At Venture Lane Studio we approach things a bit differently, but always with the teams and maximum impact in mind.

Traction

We are a traction studio. Our focus is helping you figure out the most efficient  GTM strategy for your startup – market validation. This is one step towards product-market-fit and building a truly scalable business.

Bespoke

We believe that building something great takes time and attention.  We are the antithesis of large scale accelerator programs with dozen or even hundred-company cohorts. We concentrate on 2-4 companies at a time and align with the interests of our founders to develop a bespoke plan for each team.

Community 

Some of the best support comes from like-minded peers who face the same challenges. Our in-person and virtual community of over 2,000+ B2B founders, mentors and investors are here to help and pay it forward.

Network

Boston’s finest mentors are here to coach and advise you. We will carefully select the best matches for your particular company from a pool of over 150 mentors with impressive backgrounds and a deep understanding of the subject matter.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

We’ve created a unique formula to help you.

✔  3.5-month bespoke program
✔  Hybrid program (3 weeks of required founder presence)
✔  Cohorts of 2-6 companies
✔  Focus on Go-To-Market & sales
✔  3 distinct program stages: Basecamp – Climb – Peak
✔  Post-onboarding monthly sprints
✔  Weekly Priority & Metric check-ins
✔  Bespoke program with 1:1 mentoring & workshops
✔  Individual matching from pool of 150 mentors & 700 companies
✔  Ongoing post-program support through community & events

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Four key areas determine fit with our program.

Founders

We are looking for founders that have the drive and resilience to succeed. Aptitude, knowledge, skills and experience are important, but nothing tops integrity, a great attitude, and optimism for solving hard problems and attracting great people.

Company

Our sole focus is early stage B2B software companies that solve a big and important problem for their customers in a large market. You must be incorporated as a Delaware C-corp.

Go-To-Market

Ideally you’ve already found your first real/beta customers to prove that your product solves a customer pain. Your experience with clients will help fine-tune the sales process faster and with more accuracy. We focus on products that sell to private markets.

Product

You built your MVP or product so that customers can test or buy it. We are foremost traction specialists with a focal point of gaining customers – less on building your service or platform.

MEET THE VENTURE LANE TEAM

Learn more about the team behind Venture Lane.

Co-Founder & Managing Partner @ Venture Lane Studio

Co-Founder & Managing
Partner @ Venture Lane Studio

Head of Platform @ Venture Lane Studio

Community Manager @ Venture Lane Startup Hub & Studio

MENTORS

Meet the Venture Lane Studio mentors.

Co-Founder & COO @ Fairmarkit, Prev: Turbonomic (Acq. IBM)

Founder, Customer Experience Consultant & Advisor @ Consult with Shruti, Prev: AOL

GM, Expert Network @ Hunt Club,
Prev: Gradifi (Acq. by
 E*TRADE), PayPal, Trip Advisor

Founder, Product Marketing Leader & Consultant @ Shirin Shahin

Founder & CEO @ Zingeroo,
Prev: ZappRx (Acq. by Allscripts)

Co-Founder @ LinkSquares,
Prev: Ucloser (Acq. by Community Ventures)

Managing Partner & Co-Founder @ RevUp Capital

Managing Partner @ Mentor Foundry, Prev: Dell, IBM, Xerox

Co-Founder & CEO @ Machinery Partner,
Prev: Techstars, Intralinks (Acq. by Synchronoss), docTracker (Acq. by Intralinks)

Head of Partnerships @ Vouch Insurance,
Prev: E*TRADE, IBM, Time

Angel Investor @ TBD Angels & Launchpad Venture Group, Mentor @ MassChallenge & EforAll

Chief Product Officer @ Pixability

VP Customer Success @ Snyk

GM @ Hunt Club, Prev: SVB, EverTrue

Principle Growth Marketer @ Axonius, Prev: Crayon, Hubspot

Partner @ Gunderson Dettmer

Strategic Advisor @ Luminai, Strategic Operations Advisor @ Lauren Taylor, Inc.

Director of Revenue @ Relevize

Co-Founder @ Sales Hunters,
Prev: Intel

VP of Sales @ Profit Isle, Prev: Tive, Texas Instruments

Angel Investor @ Launchpad Venture Group, Prev: Fidelity Investments, Boldwater Capital Management

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

During our 3.5-month Venture Lane Studio program, we work with a cohort of 3-6 companies to nail Go-To-Market strategy, define their sales process, and successfully execute fundraising. Structurally, our program is divided into three stages: Basecamp (2 weeks), Climb (11 weeks), Peak (1 week). Post-onboarding we’ll begin a series of three, one-month sprints during which we do check-ins, host workshops, meet 1:1, and connect you with our pool of mentors. After these three stages we carry on with a post-program that ensures you have all the tools you need to succeed independently. 

We look for a few key things in each of our studio companies: great founders, awesome market opportunity, at minimum a first MVP, first customers, and a B2B software component. These key areas allow us to reach alignment with the founders and startups we help, offering us a “big picture” view of who you are as a company and how we can best support you.

 

The following outlines our investment approach for our Studio cohort companies. With an emphasis on traction, our investment is intended to align investor/team interests by defining and achieving key success milestones. Our investment take three separate forms:

 

    1. Common Shares: In exchange for your participation in our Venture Lane Studio program, you will grant us 4% of your company’s common shares or warrants. This also affords you lifetime access to the Venture Lane community and resources. This grant aligns us with the founders, the team, and your interests with a focus on long term value creation – we only benefit from an exit when you do.
    2. $100K Investment: Venture Lane will invest $50K at the start of the Studio program in the form of a SAFE via an SPV. An additional up to $50K will be invested by the investment committee after the program upon successful attainment of mutually agreed business milestones. The SAFE will have industry standard terms with a post-money cap that is determined by traction and previous capital raised.
    3. Pro-Rata Rights: Venture Lane is provided the right to invest at least 5% in subsequent rounds until Series A.

Prior to the start of each cohort we encourage companies and founders who are interested to apply on the “Studio” page of our website. Once your application is received and reviewed, we will reach out to schedule a call if we think you’d be a good fit for the program. Post phone call we’ll arrange an individual business model workshop with a small number of companies. This allows us to learn more about you and your startup as well as offers you a peek into our Studio style. If we reach alignment with you during this workshop, we’ll proceed with adding you to the cohort.

We call ourselves a “bespoke” program for a reason – it’s up to you! The program can be entirely in-person at our space in downtown Boston or we can adopt a remote model. Please note: Although we offer a remote option we ask that founders be present in-person in Boston during the first week of the program and during the final week of the program.

Of course! That’s one the perks of being a Studio company, you have access to the Venture Lane co-working space during your time in the program. Just let us know in advance if you or your team are planning on working out the space.

We are currently accepting applications for Venture Lane Studio Cohort 4. The deadline to apply is July 14, 2023. Cohort 4 will begin September 11. 2023 and end on December 15, 2023.

We focus primarily on B2B companies that have a software component. If you have contracts with government agencies or organizations that’s okay as well. Our Studio program is not geared towards companies that are strictly hardware focused, have a B2C model or are based in the life sciences.

Companies that apply to the Venture Lane Studio need to be fully incorporated Delaware C-Corps and shall reincorporate in Delaware prior to joining the Venture Lane Studio Program. Companies agree to establish a stock option pool of no less than 15% on a fully-diluted basis (the “Equity Pool”).

Yes! Sometimes timing is the hardest part – perhaps our cohort is full or you experience changes in your business structure / operations. Whatever the case may be, we encourage companies to reapply if they are not admitted their first time around.

There are several ways to learn a bit more about Venture Lane Studio and our approach. Venture Lane offers a myriad of programming and events that offer connection with our community and a deeper understanding of our “why”. Also, you’re always welcome to stop by the VL Space at 55 Court Street, Floor 2 – right in the heart of downtown Boston.

Still have questions about Venture Lane Studio? Drop us a line and we’ll get back to you with answers!