Start with the role you actually want
A venture studio brings company-building work together around new ventures. The work a candidate takes on can vary considerably: discovering a customer problem, building a first product, leading a team, or helping an existing venture execute. Before applying, write down the responsibility you want to own and the evidence that you can do it.
Persist’s careers page and Startupathon program are the starting points for current opportunities. Read the specific opportunity before treating a general description as a promise of a role, funding, or employment. An application is an expression of interest; any eventual arrangement needs its own agreed terms.
Turn an idea into a small customer test
Choose one audience and one recurring problem. “Software for restaurants” is difficult to evaluate. “Help a restaurant manager see which closing tasks remain unfinished” makes the user, moment, and job clearer. Interview a few relevant people, record what they currently do, and separate what they told you from what you inferred.
Build the smallest demonstration that makes the proposed improvement observable. It can be a clickable prototype, a manually delivered service, or a short working flow. Define what would make you change course before collecting feedback. A user saying an idea sounds interesting is different evidence from a user completing the task or asking to use it again.
Bring a compact evidence pack
| Item | What to show | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Customer problem | A specific user, recurring task, and current workaround | A large market claim without a clear first user |
| Product demonstration | A working link or short walkthrough | A deck that hides the actual experience |
| Test results | Dated observations, sample size, and unresolved questions | Calling friendly feedback product-market fit |
| Your contribution | Decisions and work you personally owned | Taking credit for a whole team’s output |
| Next experiment | One measurable question and a practical next step | An elaborate forecast treated as a result |
Ask about the working arrangement
Before accepting a role, ask who makes product decisions, how priorities are set, what support is available, and how the work is evaluated. Confirm the time commitment, location expectations, compensation, ownership, intellectual-property terms, and any trial period with the team handling that opportunity. These details can differ by role and should be written down.
For your next step, use the founder application checklist. It turns this evidence pack into a short preparation sequence you can reuse. The aim is a useful conversation about real work, with enough detail for both sides to decide whether to continue.
Put the guide to work
Practical ways to prepare for building a company: choose a role, assemble evidence, and turn a promising product into a testable customer problem.
Explore current opportunities →