Business Models
Shared Services
Also Known As
Studio ServicesPortfolio SupportCentralized Functions
Shared services are operational support functions—such as finance, legal, HR, marketing, and engineering—that a venture studio provides centrally to multiple portfolio companies, reducing costs and accelerating growth.
What are Shared Services?
Shared services are a core part of the venture studio model. Instead of each portfolio company building every function from scratch, the studio maintains centralized teams that serve multiple companies. This creates efficiency and allows startups to move faster.
Common Shared Services
Back Office:
- Finance & accounting
- Legal & compliance
- HR & recruiting
- Office management
Go-to-Market:
- Marketing & branding
- Sales operations
- Customer success frameworks
Technical:
- Engineering support
- Design systems
- DevOps & infrastructure
- Data & analytics
Benefits of Shared Services
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| Cost Efficiency | Split costs across portfolio |
| Speed | Don't wait to hire specialists |
| Quality | Access to senior expertise early |
| Consistency | Proven processes and templates |
| Focus | Founders focus on product & customers |
How It Works
Typically, shared services are:
- Free or subsidized for early-stage portfolio companies
- Charged at cost as companies scale
- Eventually replaced by in-house hires
Studios may also maintain preferred vendor networks for services they don't provide directly.
Example Usage
“Thanks to the studio's shared services, the startup had a CFO-level finance function without hiring a CFO.”