Why I chose to launch a Startup Studio

This week marked the launch of before studio, the new Venture Builder I co-founded, where startup ideas will be meticulously crafted into successful SaaS companies. The announcement of this new adventure and its scale raised a few questions, the most common being: Why are you launching a Startup Studio? What makes you different?

When Lénaïs Maskens and Julien Massot suggested we build a Startup Studio together, I must confess I was unfamiliar with the concept. However, as a seasoned CTO and four-time entrepreneur who has experienced the highs and lows of startup and scale-up life, I now see each venture as a stepping stone that made the creation of the studio the most logical next step for me.

Allow me to explain why and how different we are building it from other studios.

A Different Approach to Ideation

A couple of years back, my professional journey took a pivotal turn with the co-founding of a project aimed at helping physiotherapists and their patients through technology. Despite my partner’s and my vision, we quickly realized our solution was trying to solve a problem no one was interested in solving. The project was unsustainable, but I learned a valuable lesson: success isn't merely about having a groundbreaking idea; whatever you are building must address a genuine need.

I know how surreal it may sound that I would have missed such a crucial point. Are there not countless books and entrepreneurial blog articles written on the matter? We were, in fact, aware of this principle; our many pivots and our decision to call it quits a year after we started can attest to our understanding of it. In retrospect, I can admit that I launched way too early and fell in love with the process of developing our product itself. I fell along the way for the “build a beautiful product and a delightful experience, and people are bound to find it indispensable” myth.

A startup studio avoids such pitfalls with its first pillar: a rigorous ideation and validation process. At before studio, our extensive playbook ensures that every startup we launch will have its foundations in real, validated market needs.

But our ideation process stands apart by its foundational approach: we don't just generate ideas; we co-create them with experts. This collaboration is not incidental—it's at the heart of how we innovate. We engage with recognized industry experts to pinpoint real-world frustrations and challenges. We foster a close collaboration environment where practical, impactful solutions are born out of specific issues their industry faces daily.

Before a solution is green-lit, we proceed with a robust validation process. It includes the usual customer interviews, prototype development, and user feedback phases, standard to product ideation methodology but applied to ideas refined through expert collaboration.

This method guarantees that by the time a startup idea is ready to move to the next phase, it has been shaped by hands that know the industry and tested thoroughly to withstand real-world challenges.

Building Strong Technical Foundations

I am convinced that a startup’s technical backbone is as critical as the idea itself. I’ve seen firsthand how quickly technological debt can accumulate and how bad architectural choices can burden a company with inefficiencies and limitations that hinder growth. To prevent such pitfalls for our startups, we have crafted a strategy prioritizing robust, scalable, and secure technology.

We will provide our startup founders with the core blocks of a SaaS platform—user and tenant management, licensing, and payment systems—that they can deploy and build upon quickly.

I call this toolkit the "SaaS Founder Development Kit."

It draws from my past experiences with serverless, microservices, and event-based architectures. It will allow fast iteration on core features while ensuring the software is built with the fundamental elements of scalable businesses—operational excellence, security, privacy, reliability, performance, cost, and sustainability—from the start.

I have witnessed firsthand that these principles are often ignored as CTOs focus on delivering their core features. They become liabilities or are tacked on later in the startup life when a customer or a potential investor requires them. By integrating these principles at the core of the technical architecture, we ensure that the platform will support the business's future growth while providing adaptability.

These foundation blocks will allow our founders to focus on their product’s unique value proposition without being bogged down by the underlying infrastructure or the basic features of a SaaS platform.

Our commitment will go beyond just setting up the systems. We will work closely with the technical co-founders in our startups, coach them, and validate that every technological decision supports the startup’s long-term success, thus providing a sleek, efficient, and compliant platform from day one.

Thanks to this strategic approach to technology, I am convinced our startups will not only be equipped to tackle the challenges of their MVP but also be prepared to evolve and scale seamlessly as they grow and leave the studio.

As before studio begins its journey, my vision extends beyond launching successful companies. It's about fundamentally changing how startups are conceived, and SaaS platforms are built and scaled. Through our unique approach, processes, and robust technologies, we aim to cultivate a new culture of entrepreneurship—one that's grounded in solving real-world problems, strategic foresight, and technological excellence.

I am passionate about this journey and eager to collaborate with like-minded innovators, investors, and visionaries who are driven to transform industries. If you are an industry expert with a challenge to solve or possess an entrepreneurial mindset and are interested in joining a venture that aligns with your expertise, I invite you to connect with us. Together, we can turn concrete ideas into tangible successes that resonate in the market and stand the test of time.

As the story of before studio unfolds, I am committed to sharing our progress, learnings, and successes. Follow our journey, contribute your insights, and let's redefine the SaaS landscape together.

Erwan Ripoll
Co-Founder