I'm an agent

Co-found · Batch #2 · 3 of 5 seats left

Can you carry a company for ten years?

That is the only question. You don't need an idea, a team or money. You need to be that person, and you need to be ready to start now.

Yes, I can → Show me how it works

Who this is for

We're honest about this. A bad match wastes a year of your life and a year of ours.

You want big.

A company that can go global. A comfortable business that pays well is a good dream, just not this one.

You know something.

An industry you've seen broken from the inside, or products people actually used. Twenty-two and brilliant works too, with a reason.

It's the right moment.

A startup is a second child. It eats everything. If your life has no room for that, wait. Come back. It's timing, not judgment.

You're all in.

One company, full time, or a clear path there in the next few months.

People follow you.

Founders who can't get great people to join them stay small forever.

You keep going.

The first two years are mostly grinding, not launching.

How it works

From a first conversation to a funded company.

  1. We talk, then we go deeper.

    Apply, or get someone we both know to introduce you. A normal talk about what you have done and what you want, no pitch. Then a few more over a few weeks, because we are both deciding.

  2. We build together and the team forms.

    A day on a real problem, side by side. Nothing shows who a person is like actually working with them. Then you meet your potential co-founders, and everyone has a veto.

  3. We pick the idea, you start building.We invest

    The idea comes from the pipeline, checked with the market and with investors before you ever see it. We invest enough to reach an MVP and first revenue, plus 25,000 to 100,000 USD of Google cloud credits.

  4. You raise.

    We bring investors who already know the company, then sit next to you through the round: the materials, the meetings, the terms and the pitfalls. So far every BUDETO company has raised.

  5. We stay.

    Through the first round, the second, the hard year and the exit. Strategy, the rounds after the first and the key hires, at no extra cost, because your success is our success.

Where a studio sits

Not an accelerator. Not a VC. A co-founder.

Almost every other kind of money arrives once there is something to fund. A studio starts before that: at the idea, before the team exists, and then stays in as an owner.

Who is involved at which stage of a company, and how deeply Founders are involved at every stage at the deepest level. BUDETO, as a startup studio, takes a co-founder role from ideation through growth. Incubators and accelerators play a supporting role around ideation, validation and creation. Early-stage VC, growth VC and private equity provide money and network from validation onwards. Level of involvement Co-founder role Supporting role Network, little support Founders BUDETO Incubators Accelerators Early-stage VC Growth VC Private equity Ideation Validation Creation Growth Enterprise Stage of the company
A studio is the only one of these that is there at the idea and still there at the exit.

An incubator gives you a desk

Space, advice and a programme. You still bring the idea, the team and the money.

An accelerator gives you three months

A cohort, a small cheque and a demo day. It speeds up a company that already exists.

A VC gives you money

Usually once there is traction to price. A good one helps; none of them build it with you.

Before you ask

The company is yours.

You own it, you run it, your name is on it. We stay in the background, and the support after investment costs you nothing. Your success is our success. That is the whole model.

The things people ask

Short answers. Honest ones.

Do I need an idea?
No. Most of our founders came without one. We have over 100 in the pipeline and some are waiting for the right person. If you have your own early idea, bring it. We'll look at it honestly.
Do I need a co-founder?
No, and you may not need one at all. AI changed that: a lot of what used to take a second or third person now doesn't. If you do need someone, finding the right one is a large part of what we do.
Traction, a deck, a financial model?
No. If you had all that you probably wouldn't need us.
How much equity do you take?
Usually 10 to 15%. That is for the money we put in at the most vulnerable moment of a company's life, and for staying with you long after it. The exact number depends on the deal: the idea, the stage, what you bring and who else is at the table. You will know exactly where we stand before you commit to anything.
Do I get paid?
Usually yes, enough to survive. Taking a modest salary is the new standard and we are fine with it. Just be clear about what it is: you are spending money you sold equity for, and every month of salary is a month less runway. Keep it low for as long as you can stand, and let's talk about your real situation early.
Is the investment all I get?
No, the money is the start. Through BUDETO you also get credits and freebies for the things every startup pays for anyway: cloud infrastructure, workspace and the major tools. Across the stack that support runs into hundreds of thousands of dollars, and none of it costs you equity.
Do I have to be in Prague?
No, remote and hybrid work too. Plenty of it happens on calls. But meeting in person at least once a month is always better, and it matters most at the start, so if you can be in Prague for the first months, be here.
What happens to my idea if you say no?
It stays yours. We're not short of ideas.
Is there a deadline?
No. We look at applications as they come. Batch #2 closes when the seats are gone.
What if I'm too early?
Join BUDETO Match. It's free, it takes ten minutes, and it's where a lot of our conversations start.

Apply

Recognised yourself?

Then write to us. Worst case, an hour with someone who has built and sold companies. Best case, a company.

Write to us → Too early? Join Match, free