Founder in Residence
What This Is
Badge Labs is a venture studio. We provide the technical co-founding team while you bring the idea, industry expertise, and network. Together, we build the company with you—product, brand, go-to-market, the whole thing. You own the business, and we own the build. Both sides have skin in the game.
This is not a dev shop. It's not an agency. It's a co-founding partnership—a venture studio model where we build the company with you, not for you. You might be a senior operator, a consultant, an investor, an exited founder, a franchise or services-firm operator, an industry analyst, or a podcast host.
What You Bring
- 10+ years deep in an industry—know the buyers because you are (or were) one
- An idea, OR the conviction to take one from our shortlist of vetted opportunities (idea is optional—conviction is not)
- Network access to potential first customers
- You've actually run something—not just advised on it
- Capital to commit to a co-founding role (full terms on the landing page)
The Model Looks Like
Your idea is the seed. Before we build, we pressure-test it—market sizing, competitive teardowns, customer research. We take your concept and sharpen it until it's more attractive than anything already out there. Then we ship it in weeks, not the 18 months a traditional team would need.
In six weeks with a practicing attorney, we shipped a full SaaS company from empty repo to live. Product, brand, six languages, investor deck, financial model. Real users. Real payments. He made us co-founder. We're looking for the next two or three operators who fit it.
How It Works
- Apply: Short form + 90-second Loom. Tell us the industry, the gap, why this model.
- 20-minute call: Real conversation, not a screen.
- Scope: We scope the company together: product, go-to-market, capital structure.
- Build: We ship. You launch. Co-founding from day one.
What If It Doesn't Work?
If the market doesn't respond, you walk away with the IP and everything we built. We walk away with the equity reverting. No lockup, no friction.
To Apply
Go to justbadge.com/founding-ceo for full economics, partnership terms, FAQ, and the application form.