ShowPoints
“In 30 days, ShowPoints went from idea to MVP. With the support of Builders + Backers and Capital One, I'm building momentum in an overlooked vertical.”
Matthew Stroud
Founder, Fortune 500 Communications Leader
Builders Studio®
Every business started as a scribble somewhere.
Write it down. In a few minutes, you'll be building it. In a few weeks, you'll know whether it's working.
Join 1,000+ builders who started here
What happens next
From a first page to a company you can build.
01
Write your first page
What you want to build, why it matters to you, and how you're feeling about it. No pitch, no plan, no jargon.
02
Get quick feedback
One question worth asking about your idea, and the first few things to figure out as you start spending and building.
03
Claim your notebook and keep going
Build it with AI guidance and real mentors. Everything you figure out gets saved, page by page.
A first page
This is what comes back.
Example venture
Rosa has groomed dogs for twelve years. She wrote down the idea she'd been carrying since her first shaky senior dog.
Her first read showed her why the problem exists, where the opportunity is, and where to go next.
What I want to build
Gentle grooming for senior dogs with sore joints and nerves. At home, no cages, no rush.
Why it matters to me
My own dog, Biscuit, shook through every groom in his last two years. I kept wishing someone would just slow down for him.
Why this problem exists
Groomers are paid per dog. Old dogs need twice the time, so they get rushed.
The opportunity
Owners already spend more to keep older dogs comfortable. A calm groom fits right in.
See your next steps →
Her first read from Builders Studio
Builders
Builders who started exactly where you are.
Real people, real jobs, real ideas, now real ventures. Here are a few examples of what the first step can lead to.
CerTracker
“When we started CerTracker, it wasn't with a grand strategy deck. It was with lived experience, a real problem, and a belief that nurses deserved better systems.”
Devin Patterson
ER Nurse, Director of Innovation, Founder
JetSetGo
“What seemed like a far-fetched idea when I pitched it to my flight instructor has now become an early-stage viable business.”
Jeremy Johnson
Founder & CEO
SprinkleMe Sugar
“Their support played a pivotal role in helping us launch the first-ever exclusive macaron vending machine in the U.S.”
Raina Shults
Luxury Brand Founder
Hidalga Technologies
“Starting Hidalga Technologies was deeply personal, born from firsthand experience navigating the broken systems that delay care for cancer patients.”
Joshua Upshaw, Ph.D.
Founder
Tag! Fundraising
“The pebble fund mattered more than I expected. It created space to experiment, to mess up and rebuild, to focus on learning instead of chasing perfection.”
Joy Moore
Founder
Jasper Float Spa & Wellness
“That seed funding let us validate our concept and launch our storefront. Two years later, we're thriving and have created almost 10 jobs with real economic impact.”
Antwanette Crutcher
Founder & CEO
Can We Talk
“If you're an entrepreneur, or even just sitting on an idea you believe in, I encourage you to apply. This program changes everything.”
KyeJuana Avery
Author, Founder & CEO
Making the Future
“Builders + Backers showed me that innovation doesn't begin with perfection. It begins with action.”
Payal Patel
Industrial Design Engineer, Product Developer
LOVE Mobile
“They were one of the first groups to invest in LOVE Mobile, and they are at it again.”
Koddi Dunn
Co-Founder & CEO
Swipe to see more builders.
How the notebook fills in
Page by page, the way real businesses get built.
We keep you on the next right step, so you're never guessing what to work on.
first
Get clear on the problem
Your coach asks what a good mentor would, until you can say what's broken, for whom, and what they really need, in words your customers would recognize.
then
Find the gap worth building in
We look at what's already out there with you, and help you see exactly where it falls short for the people you want to serve.
and then
Prove it fast, before you go big
We help you put it in front of real people in days, for next to nothing, so you know it's working before you pour in real money.
Who's behind the Studio
Built by founders who turned their own first pages into companies.
Builders + Backers is a team of entrepreneurs who have sat where you're sitting. We built the Studio around what we've seen work for everyday people taking their first real step.
#528 on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies
“I've spent years watching people with genuinely good ideas talk themselves out of finding out if they're real. That's what we built Builders Studio® to fix.”
Donna Harris
Co-founder, Builders + Backers
That idea you keep coming back to? Give it a notebook.
Your first page is free, and your first read comes right back.