FounderSpacefounderspace.work
- From idea to paying customers in approximately 3 months.
- 100 testing users in the first five days.
- 20 paying customers during validation.
Founder PartnershipStartup Studio
Build your startup while keeping your job.
You bring the idea and industry experience.
Origin Studios is a venture studio that works with you to validate your idea, build the business and win your first paying customers, while you keep your current job.
Keep your salary. Build with an experienced team. See if customers will pay before taking the bigger risk.
Why us
6
Businesses built
$20MIL
Revenue generated
15+
Years building businesses
100+
Tech products built
Track record
Startups we've built from idea to first customers.
FirstUsersfirstusers.tech
- Built and launched as a new product in 2 months.
- More than 300 users in the first week.
BrandScanbrandscan.ro
- From opportunity to working software in approximately 3 months.
- 10 users in 1 week.
We use the same approach with every new Origin venture:
Move quickly. Talk to customers early. Build only what is needed. Find out whether people will pay.
You don't need to find a co-founder or build a startup team before you begin.
Origin gives you the strategy, product, technology and go-to-market team needed to get started.
You bring
- 01Your business idea
- 02Your industry knowledge
- 03Industry knowledge and access to potential customers
- 044–8 hours per week to work with us, speak with customers and make key decisions
- 05The willingness to be the founder and make the calls
We bring
- Business strategy
- Customer and market research
- Positioning and pricing
- Product strategy
- Design and branding
- Software and MVP development
- AI and automation
- Marketing
- Go-to-market execution
- Sales infrastructure
- Ongoing founder support
You focus your limited time on the things only you can do. We help with the rest.
Pricing
Start with a monthly fee. Move to equity only after we find customers.
You pay €2,000 per month while we validate and build the business. We take no equity during this stage. Once the business has its first paying customers and we both decide to continue, the monthly fee stops and Origin becomes your 20% co-founder.
01 · Explore
€2,000
flat
One month to validate your startup idea through market research, customer conversations and pricing tests. At the end, we decide together whether there is enough evidence to continue. You can stop after the first month.
You keep 100% of the company
02 · Validate & Build
€2,000
per month
We build the minimum needed to start selling, then improve it based on what customers tell us.
A
Origin takes no equity during this stage. Everything we build for the venture remains yours.
B
No long-term commitment. You decide each month whether to continue, and if you stop you keep everything we've built.
03 · Structure & Grow
€0
fee · 20% equity
Once the business has its first paying customers and we both decide to continue, Origin becomes your co-founder and receives 20% equity. The monthly fee stops. From that point we keep building the company together and participate through our equity.
You keep 80%
How it works
Three stages. You decide at the end of each one.
Stage 01
Explore
1 month · €2,000 · 0% equity
Is there a business worth pursuing?
Before investing heavily in building, we find out whether there is a business worth pursuing. At the end of the month, we make a decision together — continue, or stop if the opportunity doesn't justify further investment.
If the evidence is strong, we continue. If it isn't, you can stop after one month instead of spending months building the wrong thing — and you can do all of this without leaving your job.
Within 30 days, you should have enough evidence to decide whether to keep building.
Together we
- Define the customer and problem
- Research the market and competitors
- Speak with potential customers
- Test the value proposition
- Test willingness to pay
- Define positioning and pricing
- Identify the simplest path to market
Stage 02
Validate & Build
€2,000 / month · 0% equity
We build the actual business.
If the idea looks promising, we start building and selling at the same time. We create what is needed to win the first customers and put it in front of them as early as possible.
We don't spend twelve months building before testing the market. We build, sell, learn and improve continuously.
Our target is to reach the first paying customers within 3–4 months, although the timing depends on the business and its sales cycle.
Depending on the business
- Brand and positioning
- Website and landing pages
- Product or MVP
- AI-powered tools
- Sales materials
- Pricing and commercial model
- Prospect database and outreach infrastructure
- Marketing experiments
- Customer onboarding
- Analytics and reporting
Stage 03
Structure & Grow
€0 fee · 20% equity
We become co-founders.
After the first paying customers and when we both believe it deserves to continue, we formalize the partnership. Origin receives 20% equity and the monthly fee stops. You own 80%.
From then on, we continue working on the company alongside you without charging a monthly fee. Our return comes from the 20% we own.
As the company grows, you gradually take over more of the day-to-day business. Origin stays involved as your long-term co-founder and venture partner.
That can include
- Delivering for the first customers
- Improving the product
- Finding the next customers
- Building repeatable acquisition channels
- Automating manual processes
- Building internal systems
- Developing additional technology
- Hiring the first team members
- Financial planning
- Fundraising
- Strategic partnerships
- Preparing for international expansion
Before you quit
Start with evidence before you quit your job.
The usual path
- Quit your job
- Use your savings
- Build the product
- Launch it
- Find out whether customers want it
With Origin Studios
- Keep your job
- Validate the opportunity
- Talk to customers
- Build what they need
- Win the first customer
- Decide when going full-time makes sense
You make the biggest commitment after you have evidence, rather than before.
Questions
Questions about building a startup with Origin Studios.
Do I have to quit my job?
No. The program is specifically designed so that you can validate and start building the business while remaining employed. You decide when, or whether, going full-time makes sense. For many founders that decision becomes much easier once the company already has customers and revenue.
What if the opportunity doesn't work?
Then finding out early is a good result. The first stage exists specifically to test the assumptions behind the business before you commit significant time or capital. You can stop after the first month.
Do I need a technical background?
No. Origin provides product, design, software, AI and technology capabilities. Your industry experience and understanding of the customer can be considerably more important at this stage.
Who does the selling?
Both of us. We can help identify prospects, create lists, prepare outreach, develop messaging and build the sales infrastructure. You should still participate directly in customer conversations — understanding your customers is one of the most important parts of becoming the founder of the business.
When does Origin take equity?
Only after the first paying customers, and only if both sides decide to continue building the company together. Until then, you retain 100% ownership.
What happens to the monthly fee then?
The monthly fee stops. We continue helping with product, technology, go-to-market, automation, strategy and company building as your long-term venture partner.
What is a venture studio?
A venture studio works alongside founders to create new companies. Unlike an agency that delivers a project and leaves, Origin helps validate the idea, build the product, find the first customers and continue growing the business as a co-founder.
How is working with Origin different from finding a technical co-founder?
Instead of relying on one person, you work with a team covering business strategy, product, design, software development, AI, marketing and go-to-market. If the business reaches paying customers and we decide to continue together, Origin becomes your long-term co-founder.
You can test it first
Have a startup idea based on something you know well?
Bring us the opportunity. We'll help you validate it, build what customers need and work with you toward the first paying customers. If it works, we keep building the company together.
Keep your job. Test the idea. Build the proof first.