Back to work, and why it works

Author

Michael van Lier
September 30, 2025

September isn’t just about getting back on the grind. It’s about reminding ourselves why the grind exists in the first place. Ventures aren’t just launches, they’re bets on problems worth solving. Funding isn’t just cap tables, it’s the structures that keep founders going. Events aren’t just rooms, they’re systems where peers unpack what really works. And personal lessons? They’re reminders of why we show up every Monday.

This month, we go under the hood.

Inside the Builders way: Systems that compound

These principles aren’t theory — they come straight from the trenches of building ventures, seeing what works, and cutting what doesn’t:

  • One venture. One partner. We’ve learned that ventures stall when ownership is split. By giving one partner full ownership, we get clarity → conviction → compounding speed.

  • Cooldowns after every stage gate. One week off after each major milestone isn’t downtime — it’s a reset. These cooldowns create space to recalibrate, protect long-term value, and avoid chasing short-term grabs.

  • AI-native, not AI-adjacent. Bolting AI on later never sticks. By building AI into the foundation, ventures become context engines — systems that learn from thousands of conversations and improve over time.

👉 We’re hiring: Engineer the future of venture studios. Build the Builders Venture Studio Intelligence platform end‑to‑end (agents, live convo processing, cross‑venture learning). Report to Me & Julia, work with Sharon and Giorgio. Sole developer to start; comp is good, options better. No skin in the game, no play.

Apply here. 🔗

In the loop: Investor House & CTO Network

  • Investor House × Picnic — Solving hard problems. At Picnic HQ, Daniel Gebler (CTO & Co‑founder) reminded us: don’t chase easy problems. Easy problems attract easy competition; hard problems build moats. From stealth as a stage (not a hiding place) to banana‑tagging with vision AI, the night showed how deep tech can rewrite markets. 80+ on the waitlist — November edition coming soon.

  • CTO Network — Back‑to‑build. With DevRev, Everday, Cortena, and Avery, we hit one truth: the future isn’t AI as an add‑on. It’s AI‑native from the ground up. Next session in Amsterdam with AWS & Borski.

Ventures in motion

  • Everday — Performance without theatre. Teamed with Avery to take HR leaders off PowerPoint and onto a padel court. Confessions first, serves after. Check it out. 🔗

  • Avery — The Grand Tour rolled through five cities, mixing comedy, popcorn, and the first public Avery reveal. Rooms change minds faster than landing pages. Watch our vlog. 🔗

  • Cortena — After 250+ validation calls, the pain is clear: lean finance teams need sharper tools. Younger finance leads lean in (“finally”), older ones hesitate (“but can this replace Excel?”). Why it works: we’re not just building features, we’re reshaping habits.

👀 What we’re reading (and writing):

Final word: Do the hard things because they’re hard

Hard problems magnetize rare people. Easy problems fill rooms; hard ones build moats. This month reminded us why we choose the latter. Back to work, because the mission still matters.

Forward, always,

Michael van Lier
Managing Director at Builders