Venture Studio Architect - I help you design, launch, and grow your company creation studio.

Most innovation programs fail not because of lack of ideas, but because they lack a system for venture creation.

I help innovation leaders in corporations, universities, and economic development organizations build venture studios that scale and deliver. Backed by data, frameworks, and insights from studying over 500 venture studios globally.

As Senior Director of Research & Data at the Venture Studio Forum, I'm building the empirical backbone of the venture studio asset class. VSF is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing 1,500+ members who have built 650+ companies, 11 unicorns, and $48 billion in enterprise value.

My work establishes venture studios as a formal asset class through:

-Asset Class Analysis in partnership with MIT and Harvard, delivering the first institutionally credible research for LPs and institutional investors
-The Venture Studio Index (VSI) — the first open standard and formal definition for venture studios
-Studio Data Platform (2026) providing structured datasets and benchmarks for researchers and operators
-State of the Studio Report (2026) tracking trends, performance, and sector segmentation
-Policy recommendations for state and federal innovation agencies

Concurrently, as Partner and Head of Insights at 9point8 Collective, I translate this research into practice. We've designed and launched 25+ venture studios. Our approach builds clarity, alignment, and momentum at the intersection of innovation, capital, and impact.

I've spent 20+ years at the intersection of innovation, strategy, and venture building. I launched NCR's first internal accelerator (generating $90M from its first cohort), secured 27+ patents across AI and fintech, and developed investment frameworks that institutional investors now use to allocate capital into the studio model.

Speaking & Workshops: I deliver keynotes and workshops on designing high-performing venture studios, the future of venture creation ecosystems, and turning knowledge engines into commercial engines.

🎤 Book me to speak: VentureStudioForum.org/speaking
 📊 Learn from our research: newsletter.venturestudioforum.org
 🌍 Join the community: venturestudioforum.org
 💼 Work with us: 9point8collective.com

Matthew Burris

Venture Studios have a 100x advantage over accelerators and venture funds.

Studios vs. accelerators vs. VC vs. incubators

One of the simplest ways to compare them? Hands-on support.

Venture capital: maybe 30 minutes per week.

Accelerators: 1–2 hours a week. Mostly group sessions and some limited 1:1.

Incubators: slightly less. Some education, co-working space, network access. But very little operational involvement.

Venture studio: 20 to 100+ hours a week of hands-on execution.
Real operators. Half a person to an entire team building the business with you.

The range of support isn't even close.

P.S. Follow for more venture studio insights

I help innovation leaders build venture studios | Senior Director, Research & Data @ Venture Studio Forum | Partner, Head of Insights @ 9point8 Collective | Keynote Speaker | Trusted by 500+ Studios

Model Comparison.pdf

Venture studios aren’t VC

So why should we try to fit them inside VC frameworks?

The carousel below explains why this is the case (and breaks down an alternative model for venture studios instead).

For more on studio structures, capital efficiency, and the case for new frameworks for venture studios… 

DM/Comment “VSF” to join the venture studio forum (a community for the venture studio ecosystem)

Venture Studios Aren’t  VC Funds.pdf

I've been quiet for about a month. Claude code got me. I had to stop talking and start building.

For the last several weeks, our team at 9point8 has gone deep into Claude Code. Not as a curiosity. Not as an experiment. As a serious exploration of what AI automation can do for venture studio research, operations, and ecosystem development.

I'll be honest. I came into this with a healthy skepticism. I've spent enough time in manufacturing, engineering, and with machine learning to know that most technology hype collapses the moment it meets operational reality. The antidote to hype is always the same: test the claim against what it actually costs, what it actually produces, and whether the economics survive contact with the real world.

So we tested it.

What we found changed how I think about what's possible for this industry. Not in the vague, hand-wavy "AI will change everything" sense. In the specific, measurable, "here is what it produced and here is what it cost" sense.

Over the coming weeks, I'm going to share what we've been building, what worked, what didn't, and what it means for venture studios, for the 9point8 Collective, for the Venture Studio Forum, and for anyone trying to make informed decisions in this space.

The fundamental challenge for venture studios has always been a data problem. The people making decisions about studios, whether they're operators, investors, universities, corporates, or economic development organizations, don't have the evidence base they need. The data is scattered, incomplete, and inconsistent. 

We think we've found a way to start fixing that. At a speed and cost that would have been inconceivable six months ago.

More soon.

What does claude code mean for venture studios?

Corporate Venture Studios are surprisingly common in major corporations. 

Around a third of corporations with Corporate Venture Capital also have a Venture Studio.

Both serve different purposes, and they're distinct operationally, strategically, and financially.

Corporate VC is about gaining strategic access to an external startup, one that the corporation might one day acquire, partner with, or monitor closely.

A Venture Studio works differently, Instead of buying in, you’re building from the ground up.

Usually in a category where the corporation already has deep industry knowledge.

Two powerful tools, but useful for very different parts of the corporate growth strategy.

For more in depth comparison, check the carousel below

P.S. Follow for more venture studio insights

CVS vs. CVC.pdf

6 Common venture studio design mistakes

1. Incorporating Fund Too Soon
2. Picking the Wrong Follow-on Capital
3. Picking the Wrong Founder Archetype
4. Raising Capital Too Early
5. Designing Something Too Fancy
6. Pitching the Model Instead of Yourself

For more in depth breakdown, check the carousel below

The more focused you are early, the better your odds.

P.S. Follow for more venture studio insights

6 Common Mistakes Venture Studios Make Too Early.pdf

I'll be moderating at the Virtual VC Conf on March 31. Topic: “The Cap Table Problem: Do Venture Studios Make Startups Uninvestable for VCs?”  Join me and register free here:  https://vcconf.com?32

9Point8 Collective's Matt Burris moderates a venture studio panel on the cap table problem

We're hosting a live Venture Studio 101 with open AMA.

If you've ever confused a studio with an accelerator, incubator, or VC fund — this is the session that fixes that.

I'm sitting down with JT Benton for the kickoff of the Venture Studio Forum's University Speaker Series to break down:

→ The formal definition of a venture studio and the three roles every studio must play 
→ How studios actually differ from accelerators, incubators, and funds 
→ Why definitional clarity is make-or-break for institutions evaluating or building studios 
→ What organizations get wrong when they try to adopt the model

45 minutes. Interview, open Q&A, real discussion. Come with questions.
📅 Thursday, March 19 · 12:00 PM ET 📍 Circle - Link in comments

Session 1 of 5, running monthly March through July.

A results-oriented and highly accomplished product management executive with extensive strategic leadership, leveraging business acumen and expertise to form high-performance, creative, agile teams. Drives a competitive advantage and grows market share by executing strategic technology investment plans aligned with organizational objectives. A change agent who delivers new thinking solutions for tomorrow's challenges by providing a broad global perspective.

Client Satisfaction | Strategic Planning | Software Development Life Cycle | Design
Support and Delivery | Technology Consulting | Training and Development | Change Development

Georges Mirza

I will be at Shoptalk Spring 2026 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center.

Retail is moving quickly into the age of AI, automation, and smarter technology across the industry. Many solutions are at different stages in their journey. What matters is understanding where they are today and how they can create real value for retailers and CPGs over time.

I am always interested in learning how teams are approaching innovation and solving real retail challenges, so if you’ll be there, let’s connect.

#Shoptalk #RetailInnovation #RetailTech #AIinRetail #ARS2 #InnovatingCategoryManagement

Georges F. Mirza

Global Retail & CPG Technology & Product Strategy Advisor

Innovation in retail and CPG technology is accelerating, but separating meaningful progress from noise is not always easy.

The ECR CatManNetwork Tools & Technology Group (TTG) is launching a new webinar series designed to spotlight innovations that are genuinely advancing category management, retail execution, store automation, and how retailers and CPGs operate.

Each session will feature a small number of solution providers presenting a specific capability or innovation to a global ECR audience of retailers, CPG leaders, and industry experts.

These are not sales webinars. The goal is simple: create constructive industry dialogue around real problems being solved, why they matter now, and what is genuinely new or differentiated.

To help guide the discussion, sessions will be explored through the ARS² lens,  considering how innovations perform in terms of accuracy, repeatability, scalability, and speed in real-world retail environments.

If your organization, or one you work closely with, is developing technology that advances the discipline, we invite you to review the invitation below and consider applying to present.

More details are included in the invitation below.

#ECR #CategoryManagement #InnovatingCategoryManagement #retail #cpg #retailinnovation #ECRTTG
ECR Community ECR CatManNetwork Declan Carolan Jan-Jaap Jansen Julian Plötz Dr. Brian Harris

Invitation: ECR CatManNetwork Tools & Technology Webinar

Proud to be part of the newly launched ECR CatManNetwork (CMN) Expert Group, and specifically the Tools & Technology Group (TTG).

As part of TTG, we are opening requests for innovators to be considered for our 2026 webinar series.

Our objective is straightforward: Provide a credible industry platform to showcase meaningful innovation shaping Category Management, retail execution, store automation, data utilization, and shopper engagement.

We are intentionally open to innovation at different stages of maturity:
• Early-stage startups exploring new approaches
 • Scale-ups seeking pilot or collaboration partners
 • Established providers launching differentiated capabilities
 • Retailers or CPGs advancing new operating models

Solutions do not need to be fully scaled. If you are tackling a real industry problem and advancing the discipline, we welcome the conversation.

Each webinar will feature 3–4 carefully curated presenters.

The focus is on one specific capability or innovation, ideally presented by a product leader, founder, or technical expert.

These sessions are not sales pitches. They are structured industry conversations.

To guide the discussion, we use the ARS² lens, a simple way to explore:
 • How accurately the solution reflects real-world conditions
 • How consistently it performs
 • What scaling might look like
 • How quickly value can be realized
It’s not a scorecard or ranking exercise, just a shared language to encourage transparency and informed dialogue.

If you would like your innovation considered, please reach out with:
 • The capability you would present
 • The proposed presenter and their role

Selected participants will join a short alignment discussion prior to the live session.

Looking forward to highlighting thoughtful innovation, wherever it sits on the maturity curve.

#CategoryManagement #RetailTechnology #CPG #RetailInnovation #AIinRetail #InnovatingCategoryManagement 
ECR Community Jan-Jaap Jansen Julian Plötz Declan Carolan Brian Harris

https://lnkd.in/gQJp5Zk8

ECR Community is delighted to announce the official launch of the new ECR CatManNetwork (CMN) Website.

CMN WEBSITE
The website has been created as a central hub for collaboration, knowledge-sharing and best practice within our #CategoryManagement community. It offers:
🔹 A clear overview of the CatManNetwork mission and objectives
🔹 Insights into the CMN Expert Group, a collection of the founders, senior practitioners and experts in category management throughout the world.
🔹 Dedicated pages outlining the focus areas of each of the five subgroups
🔹 Access to resources, industry perspectives and shared learning
🔹 Information on upcoming events and engagement opportunities

A special highlight of the CMN is the introduction of the CatManNetwork Expert Group, which provides strategic direction and ensures alignment across markets. Supporting the Expert Group are five dedicated subgroups, each focusing on the hottest Category Management priorities for 2026. These subgroups serve as collaborative working forums, driving practical outputs, sharing tools and frameworks and addressing the evolving needs of our industry. 

1️⃣ Tools & Technologies Group
Quarterly webinars featuring the latest innovative and effective technology developments in category management.

2️⃣ Category Management 8 Step Process Group
Quarterly webinars and monthly insight articles to promote the 8 step approach to category management.

3️⃣ AI in Category Management Group
Quarterly webinars to provide the community with a strategic and future-oriented understanding of how Al is reshaping Category Management across the entire value chain, without diving deep into specific tools.

4️⃣ Insights & Research Group
The group will create an ECR Category Management Maturity Index. This scorecard will allow category managers to self assess the attributes of their company’s category management offering and benchmark against other companies accordingly

5️⃣ The Category Management Dept. Group
The ECR Category Management Subgroup will propose recommended governance and model structure.

Together, this structure strengthens our ability to develop expertise, accelerate capability development and create tangible value across the ECR Community.
The CMN Expert Group invites you to explore the website, share it within your networks and join us for the upcoming sessions.

Dr. Brian Harris Alessia Vercesi Frank Bonnamour Jan-Jaap Jansen Luc Demeulenaere Paul Corcoran Steffen Schöne Fatima Merlin Gabriela Valentim Julian Plötz Marilyne Filliger Simon Dunn Antonella Altavilla Francoise Acca Linda van Rijn Georges F. Mirza MICHAEL FORHEZ Sofia Allerby Tatiane Reiner Declan Carolan ECR Ireland Leonel Pava Silvia Scalia Xavier Hua Émilie Chalvignac🔵 Anna Ametova Ebba Kärrlander Ants Kristian Kippar Jordi Mur Zoltán Krázli Ruth Hankin MSc Teresa Mischek-Moritz Ingo Wolters Tímea Berecz George Loizides Carolina Gomez Mateusz Boruta Zoe Tsagkrasouli

Open article: ECR Category Network by ecrcatmannetwork.com

NRF felt different this year, more subdued, but more telling. The conversation is shifting from what’s possible to what actually works.

In this month’s newsletter, I break down the signals coming out of NRF, what to watch heading into Shoptalk, and share the launch of the ARS² framework, focused on evaluating retail technology based on what’s measurable, repeatable, scalable, and fast enough to matter.

Take a look, and let me know what you’re seeing in the market.

#RetailTech #InnovatingCategoryManagement #CPG #RetailInnovation #NRF2026 #Shoptalk2026 #AIinRetail #ARS2
ECR Community ECR CatManNetwork RetailWire

View newsletter: Category Mgt & Retail Robots

The National Retail Federation conference felt different this year. More subdued, but more telling. The conversation is shifting from what’s possible 

Open article: Innovating Category Management - March 2026 by Georges F. Mirza • 3 min read

Innovating Category Management - March 2026

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