Built differently — Inside the decisions that change everything

Building a company isn’t a straight line; it’s messy.

Every venture, every founder, every team hits a moment where a single decision shifts everything: kill the idea or double down, hire or hold, slow down or move faster.

At Builders, we live inside those moments. Not with endless debate, but with sharp signals, ruthless prioritization, and a team that isn’t afraid to get its hands dirty. That’s why this month’s loop is all about the choices that define us—and the ventures we’re building with.

Inside the Builders way: Partnering, not passing

This month, we doubled down on what it means to build differently.

We ditched the old “hive model”—where a studio partner would work on all ventures—for one that’s sharper, faster, and owner-driven. One builder, one venture, full focus. When we go in, we go deep. That’s how decisions get made—and why every venture we build has real conviction behind it. Also the reason we’re now looking for:

• Studio Partners — founders with scar tissue 🔗

• First Engineer Hire — the minds behind the studio’s own AI engine 🔗

• Founding CTOs — zero-to-one builders 🔗

• Entrepreneurs in Residence — founders who want to build with us 🔗

We shared our full AI Studio Blueprint — now live, full of swimlanes, stage gates, agentic layers, and hard-won lessons. It's not theory. It's our process, made visible. Read it here 🔗

In the loop: CTO Network & Bootcamp energy

• CTO Drinks @ HQ: On July 22, 40 of Europe’s sharpest CTOs and founding engineers gathered—no panels, no fluff—just whiskey, real talk, and raw insights on AI-first building. Full recap. 🔗

• Whay Ying Phuah joins as Entrepreneur in Residence: A global builder with a bold vision for AI-powered team collaboration. Welcome, Whay! 🔗

• Builders Bootcamp: From chaos to clarity: Q2 Bootcamp wrapped with 7 founders finishing stronger than ever. Four Saturdays of ripping up assumptions, killing fluff, and turning messy ideas into sharp narratives. Full recap. 🔗

Ventures in motion

• Avery Beta 2.0 is live! Smarter hiring signals. Faster flows. DM us for access. 🔗

• Everday x Lepaya Roundtable: Real-world AI adoption in HR and ops. Biggest takeaway? Small wins beat big roadmaps. Click for highlights. 🔗

• Cortena: Officially incorporated into the Builders family—10 customers onboard and a public launch coming this September. Check it out. 🔗

👀 What we’re reading (and writing):

• The book every venture studio should read: A must-read for anyone rethinking how studios work (and should).

• When the pipeline’s full but no one’s buying: Why “intent to buy” isn’t the same as urgency—and how we shifted our ICP to match reality.

• Julia’s Venture Notes: From one of our own: tactical, sharp, and refreshingly honest notes from the venture-building front lines.

Final word: Build different, or don’t build at all

The ventures that make it aren’t the prettiest—they’re the ones forged through tough calls, tested assumptions, and teams that refuse to sit still.

This month, we saw founders choose focus over fluff, systems over slides, and progress over comfort.

If you’re building, ask yourself: What’s the decision I’m avoiding that could change everything?

Forward, always,

Michael van Lier
Managing Director at Builders