• One studio, one topic, one session. We select a single theme both teams feel right now.
• Real cases, not theory. Each side brings decisions, examples, and the scars behind them.
• Actionable outcomes. We finish with a short list of moves worth trying next week.

Edition 01 at a glance

Our first session was co-hosted with High Alpha, a well-known studio from Indianapolis, famous for their extensive portfolio including ventures like Lessonly, Structural and Zylo. They build and fund B2B SaaS out of Indianapolis, and we are building from Europe with a smaller setup. Different markets, similar questions. We chose a topic that shows up early for everyone: founder alignment.

Inside the room

We framed one clear question: where does alignment get made or lost in the earliest phase? Then we walked through concrete scenarios founders hit from discovery to first build. Here are the patterns that stood out, with the lines that stuck with us.

What alignment looked like in practice

1. Rhythm beats chemistry

“Great chemistry” sounds nice. Rhythm is what moves the work. Early on, rhythm shows up through founder-led sales. Can each founder, including technical founders, sit with customers, ask clean questions, test a wedge, and return with one clear decision by the next check-in? That cadence creates shared context and shows how a team learns under pressure.

“We really want founders to be able to do initial founder-led sales, even if they’re a CTO.”

In this session we compared notes on simple cadence habits that make the rhythm visible, like capturing one sentence after each customer call that begins with “Therefore, we will…”. It forces a decision, not a recap.

2. Make the CTO a co-author, not an implementer

Outsourcing a first build and hiring a CTO later looks efficient and usually costs you months. A technical leader who arrives late inherits decisions they did not shape. Energy drops and ownership blurs. We now bring technical founders into discovery itself. They join interviews, help define the first wedge, and argue with evidence. Ownership follows authorship. The room feels different by week two, not month six.

“Outside contractors, building the first version of the MVP without a CTO’s input, just never worked well.”

3. Use constraints to force clarity

Talking about alignment seldom creates it. Constraints do. High Alpha compresses validation into short sprints that end with a one-minute “movie trailer” demo. It is not polished UX. It is just real enough to suspend disbelief and get a clear reaction. We use tight decision windows and early customer commitments for the same reason. A working trailer or a signed commitment is worth more than three more meetings about alignment.

“Think of it more like a movie trailer than a perfect UX flow.”

As a concrete example, we both described seven-day clickthroughs that tell a day-in-the-life and end conversations with a crisp “show me a price” or a specific objection we can act on.

4. Make commitment types explicit

We separate design partners and launch customers. Design partners co-shape and give feedback. Launch customers commit to pay when you ship. High Alpha often bundles this into one group but still pushes for real commitment, ideally in writing. The point is the same. When everyone can point to the same stake in the ground, choices get simpler and the team aligns faster.

To keep stakes clear, we label accounts accordingly during discovery and ask for the next concrete step, not vague enthusiasm.

5. Screen for the wrong fit early

A strong big-company résumé can hide the wrong instincts for zero-resource work. Startups need people who sell, ship, and self-direct with no safety net. Test for that. Ask for scrappy outcomes, not titles. Look for proof that someone owned a problem end-to-end when nothing was set up for them.

What we are taking forward

1. Treat rhythm as the signal. Watch how the team decides, learns, and follows through, especially in real customer conversations.
2. Start alignment earlier. Invite technical partners into discovery so authorship becomes ownership.
3. Bias to constraints. Demos, deadlines, and customer commitments create clarity faster than discussion.

We left the session optimistic. Alignment is not personality magic. It is a set of habits any team can practice. Bring technical in early. Make founder-led customer work explicit. Replace long debates with small, real moves. The room gets lighter, decisions speed up, and momentum sticks.

If you are building ventures at a studio, facing similar challenges and want to compare playbooks - join our Studio Roadshow, reach out and see you there!