mdxui

Startups.Studio

The platform for building and managing AI-operated startup portfolios

Startups.Studio

Startups.Studio is a venture studio platform that enables building and managing autonomous AI-operated startups at scale. Instead of traditional venture studios requiring large teams, Startups.Studio uses Business-as-Code and AI agents to operate portfolio companies.


The Platform

Startups.Studio provides a complete environment for:

  • Ideation - Capture and validate startup ideas
  • Creation - Generate business definitions declaratively
  • Building - Compose startups from reusable building blocks
  • Operations - AI agents execute business functions
  • Management - Oversee portfolio through lifecycle stages
  • Growth - Scale businesses with minimal human intervention

How It Works

1. Define Your Startup in MDXLD

Start with a declarative business definition:

---
$context: https://schema.org.ai
$type: Startup
$id: https://acme-saas.com
name: Acme SaaS
tagline: AI-powered analytics for e-commerce
stage: Idea
vertical: B2B SaaS
---

# {name}

{tagline}

## Problem

E-commerce businesses struggle to understand customer behavior without expensive data science teams.

## Solution

AI-powered analytics that automatically identifies trends, predicts churn, and recommends actions.

## Business Model

- Pricing: $99/mo - $999/mo based on order volume
- Target: Shopify/WooCommerce stores doing $50k-$5M/year
- GTM: Product-led growth via free analytics report

<LeanCanvas />
<Metrics />
<Team />

2. Compose Building Blocks

Assemble your startup from pre-built components:

import { SaaSProduct } from 'https://products.do/saas'
import { AnalyticsEngine } from 'https://functions.do/analytics'
import { StripeIntegration } from 'https://apis.do/stripe'
import { MarketingSite } from 'https://sites.do/saas-landing'
import { DashboardApp } from 'https://apps.do/saas-dashboard'

export const product = new SaaSProduct({
  name: 'Acme Analytics',
  features: ['trend-detection', 'churn-prediction', 'recommendations'],
  pricing: [
    { tier: 'starter', price: 99, limit: 1000 },
    { tier: 'growth', price: 299, limit: 10000 },
    { tier: 'enterprise', price: 999, limit: 'unlimited' },
  ]
})

export const site = new MarketingSite({
  template: 'saas-landing',
  hero: { title: name, subtitle: tagline },
  sections: ['hero', 'features', 'pricing', 'testimonials', 'cta']
})

export const app = new DashboardApp({
  template: 'analytics',
  features: ['dashboard', 'reports', 'alerts', 'settings']
})

3. Deploy AI Agents to Operate

Assign AI agents to execute business functions:

import { SalesAgent } from 'https://agents.do/sales'
import { SupportAgent } from 'https://agents.do/support'
import { MarketingAgent } from 'https://agents.do/marketing'

export const agents = {
  sales: new SalesAgent({
    tasks: ['qualify-leads', 'send-outreach', 'book-demos'],
    tools: ['crm', 'email', 'calendar']
  }),

  support: new SupportAgent({
    tasks: ['answer-questions', 'troubleshoot', 'escalate'],
    tools: ['knowledge-base', 'ticketing', 'slack']
  }),

  marketing: new MarketingAgent({
    tasks: ['create-content', 'manage-campaigns', 'analyze-performance'],
    tools: ['blog', 'email-marketing', 'analytics']
  })
}

4. Manage Through the Studio

Monitor and manage via the Startups.Studio dashboard:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Startups.Studio Dashboard                              │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Portfolio Overview                                     │
│  ┌─────────┬─────────┬─────────┬─────────┬─────────┐   │
│  │ Idea    │Validate │ Build   │ Launch  │ Scale   │   │
│  │ 12      │ 8       │ 5       │ 3       │ 2       │   │
│  └─────────┴─────────┴─────────┴─────────┴─────────┘   │
│                                                         │
│  Active Startups                                        │
│  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │ Acme SaaS        | Build   | $2k MRR  | 🟢      │  │
│  │ Bolt Marketplace | Launch  | $500 MRR | 🟡      │  │
│  │ Zap Analytics    | Scale   | $10k MRR | 🟢      │  │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                                                         │
│  Recent Activity                                        │
│  • Acme SaaS: 3 new customers this week                 │
│  • Bolt Marketplace: Feature launch completed           │
│  • Zap Analytics: Crossed $10k MRR milestone           │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Studio Architecture

┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│               Startups.Studio Platform                    │
│  (startups.studio)                                        │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                            │
        ┌───────────────────┼───────────────────┐
        ▼                   ▼                   ▼
┌───────────────┐   ┌───────────────┐   ┌──────────────┐
│  Portfolio    │   │  Pipeline     │   │  Studio      │
│  Management   │   │  Management   │   │  Operations  │
└───────────────┘   └───────────────┘   └──────────────┘
        │                   │                   │
        └───────────────────┼───────────────────┘
                            ▼
            ┌───────────────────────────────┐
            │     Individual Startups       │
            │  (each defined in MDXLD)      │
            └───────────────────────────────┘
                            │
        ┌───────────────────┼───────────────────┐
        ▼                   ▼                   ▼
┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐
│ Site         │    │ App          │    │ Agents       │
│ (Marketing)  │    │ (Product)    │    │ (Operations) │
└──────────────┘    └──────────────┘    └──────────────┘

Studio Views

Portfolio View

See all startups across stages:

StartupStageMRRGrowthHealthActions
Acme SaaSBuild$2k+15%🟢[View] [Edit]
Bolt MarketplaceLaunch$500+50%🟡[View] [Edit]
Zap AnalyticsScale$10k+25%🟢[View] [Edit]
Nova AIValidate$0N/A🔵[View] [Edit]

Pipeline View

Track ideas through stages:

Idea (12)           Validation (8)      Build (5)
┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐
│ AI Email     │───▶│ SaaS Metrics │───▶│ Acme SaaS    │
│ Dev Tools    │    │ API Platform │    │ Task Manager │
│ Analytics    │    │ CRM System   │    │ Invoice Tool │
└──────────────┘    └──────────────┘    └──────────────┘
                                                │
Launch (3)          Scale (2)                   ▼
┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐
│ Bolt Market  │◀───│ Zap Analytics│
│ Chat Widget  │    │ Form Builder │
│ Email API    │    └──────────────┘
└──────────────┘

Startup Detail View

Deep dive into a single startup:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Acme SaaS                                    Build 🟢  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Overview                                               │
│  • Stage: Build                                         │
│  • MRR: $2,000 (+15% MoM)                              │
│  • Customers: 20 (+3 this month)                       │
│  • Runway: 8 months                                     │
│                                                         │
│  Business Model                                         │
│  [LeanCanvas Component]                                 │
│                                                         │
│  Metrics                                                │
│  ┌─────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────┐          │
│  │ ARR: $24k   │ Churn: 5%   │ LTV: $800   │          │
│  │ CAC: $200   │ Payback: 3mo│ NRR: 110%   │          │
│  └─────────────┴─────────────┴─────────────┘          │
│                                                         │
│  Team & Agents                                          │
│  • Founders: @alice, @bob                               │
│  • Agents: Sales, Support, Marketing                    │
│                                                         │
│  Links                                                  │
│  • Site: https://acme-saas.com                         │
│  • App: https://app.acme-saas.com                      │
│  • Docs: https://docs.acme-saas.com                    │
│                                                         │
│  Recent Activity                                        │
│  • 3 new signups this week                              │
│  • Dashboard v2 feature launched                        │
│  • 95% uptime, no incidents                            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Startup Lifecycle Management

Startups.Studio provides tools for each lifecycle stage:

Idea Stage

  • Capture ideas in structured format
  • Market research prompts
  • Validation criteria checklists
  • Go/no-go decision framework

Validation Stage

  • Customer discovery interviews
  • Landing page A/B tests
  • Waitlist management
  • Market size estimation

Build Stage

  • Generate initial MDXLD definition
  • Compose from building blocks
  • Configure AI agents
  • Deploy MVP

Launch Stage

  • Go-to-market execution
  • Initial customer acquisition
  • Feedback collection
  • Iteration management

Scale Stage

  • Growth metrics tracking
  • Team expansion (agents + humans)
  • Process optimization
  • Infrastructure scaling

Exit Stage

  • Acquisition preparation
  • Due diligence support
  • Transition planning
  • Portfolio rebalancing

See Lifecycle for detailed guidance.


AI Agent Integration

Each startup can leverage AI agents for operations:

FunctionAgent TypeExample Tasks
SalesSalesAgentLead qualification, outreach, demo booking
SupportSupportAgentAnswer questions, troubleshoot, escalate
MarketingMarketingAgentContent creation, campaigns, analytics
ProductProductAgentFeature research, roadmap planning
EngineeringEngineeringAgentCode generation, testing, deployment
FinanceFinanceAgentInvoicing, reporting, forecasting

Agents are assigned at the startup level and operate autonomously within defined boundaries.


Metrics & Reporting

Portfolio Metrics

  • Total Portfolio Value - Aggregate valuation
  • Active Startups - By stage
  • Portfolio MRR/ARR - Recurring revenue across all startups
  • Growth Rate - MoM/YoY growth
  • Success Rate - Idea → Launch → Scale conversion

Per-Startup Metrics

  • Stage - Current lifecycle stage
  • Health - Overall health score (green/yellow/red)
  • MRR/ARR - Monthly/annual recurring revenue
  • Growth - MoM/YoY growth rate
  • Customers - Total and new
  • Churn - Customer and revenue churn
  • Runway - Months of capital remaining
  • Unit Economics - CAC, LTV, payback period

Agent Performance

  • Tasks Completed - By agent, by startup
  • Success Rate - Task completion rate
  • Cost - AI/compute costs per startup
  • Efficiency - Tasks per dollar spent

Business-as-Code Benefits

Version Control

Every startup definition is version controlled in git. Track changes, branch experiments, merge improvements.

Composability

Reuse building blocks across startups. Build faster with tested components.

Type Safety

TypeScript types ensure correctness. Catch errors before deployment.

Testing

Test business logic like code. Unit tests for functions, integration tests for workflows.

Reproducibility

Clone a startup definition and launch a variation. A/B test entire business models.

Automation

AI agents execute based on the definition. No manual operations required.


Getting Started

1. Create Your First Startup

# Via Startups.Studio UI
https://startups.studio/new

# Or via CLI
bd create --title="My SaaS Idea" --type=startup

2. Define the Business

Fill out the MDXLD template with your business details:

  • Problem/Solution
  • Target market
  • Business model
  • Go-to-market strategy

3. Compose Components

Select and configure:

  • Product type (SaaS, Marketplace, etc.)
  • Site template
  • App template
  • Integrations

4. Assign Agents

Choose AI agents for:

  • Customer acquisition
  • Customer support
  • Marketing
  • Operations

5. Launch & Monitor

Deploy your startup and monitor via the dashboard. Agents handle day-to-day operations while you focus on strategy.


Subdomain Structure

Startups.Studio uses subdomains for organization:

SubdomainPurpose
startups.studioMain dashboard
portfolio.startups.studioPortfolio view
pipeline.startups.studioPipeline/kanban view
{startup}.startups.studioIndividual startup dashboard
ideas.startups.studioIdea backlog
lps.startups.studioLP reporting (for investors)
metrics.startups.studioAggregate metrics

Integration with Other Studios

Startups.Studio integrates with:

  • SaaS.Studio - Build SaaS products
  • Services.Studio - Build service businesses
  • Management.Studio - Operate mature businesses
  • API.Management - Manage startup APIs
  • Agents.Management - Manage AI agent fleet

Example integration:

---
$type: Startup
$id: https://acme-saas.com
name: Acme SaaS
---

# {name}

## Platform Links

- SaaS Builder: {acme}.saas.studio
- Operations: {acme}.management.studio
- APIs: api.management/acme
- Agents: agents.management/acme

Comparison to Traditional Venture Studios

AspectTraditional StudioStartups.Studio
Team Size20-50 people1-5 people + AI agents
Cost per Startup$500k-$2M$5k-$50k
Build Time6-12 months1-4 weeks
Portfolio Size5-10 startups50-100 startups
OperationsManual, human-drivenAutomated, AI-driven
ScalabilityLimited by teamLimited by capital
ConsistencyVaries by teamStandardized via code

Next Steps

  • Composition - Learn how to compose startups from building blocks
  • Lifecycle - Understand the startup lifecycle stages
  • Portfolio - Manage your startup portfolio effectively
  • Vibecode - Generate startup definitions with AI

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