Everything a Fellow needs to know

What is The Studio?

An AI-native venture builder for the Global South.

We co-found AI-native companies with domain experts who have lived real inefficiency. The Studio is supported by Qatar Development Bank and sits within the wider Utopia platform — linking venture creation, capital, and regional access across the GCC, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

What makes The Studio different from an accelerator or VC?

We co-build alongside you — engineers, designers, and operators, from day one.

We are not advisory. Our team ships as co-founders: AI engineers, product builders, designers, and venture operators work next to you from incorporation through first revenue. Capital is part of the package — but the leverage is the build team and the platform.

Why now?

AI capability has crossed a threshold; emerging-market expertise hasn't been packaged into venture form.

Modern AI can meaningfully outperform legacy systems in industrial, infrastructure, and services contexts. The GCC, Southeast Asia, and Africa carry deep domain knowledge but underbuilt venture ecosystems. We bridge that gap — turning insider expertise into companies designed to scale globally.

Where is The Studio based?

Doha, with reach across the GCC, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

Headquartered in Doha at the QFC, with active programs and partners across the GCC, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Fellows can be based anywhere — see the eligibility section below.

What is the Co-build Fellowship?

A bespoke six-month co-build to take a validated insight from concept to incorporated, funded company.

The Fellowship is a structured, individually shaped collaboration between you and The Studio. We move from concept validation to incorporation, paid pilots, and an investable round — with The Studio acting as co-founder and operating partner from day one. Every co-build runs on a null-hypothesis discipline: every assumption about the problem, product, customer, pricing, and go-to-market is tested before it's built on top of.

How long does the Fellowship run?

Six months from the effective date.

The Fellowship Agreement runs for six months. The work is organised around validation, incorporation, product, pilots, and fundraise preparation, with the exact cadence and milestones shaped around the concept and recorded with the Studio team.

Can I keep my full-time job during the Fellowship?

Yes — if you disclose it, secure any required employer consent, and avoid conflicts.

Full-time employment is permitted if you notify the Studio before it starts, obtain any necessary written employer consent, and do not use employer-owned IP, data, or confidential information. You remain responsible for meeting the Fellowship obligations and for claims arising from a breach of your employer obligations.

Is the Fellowship exclusive?

Yes — the concept is built exclusively with The Studio during the term.

During the term you work exclusively with the Studio on the concept and may not pursue another venture or commercial project without prior written consent. A disclosed full-time employee relationship can be permitted under the conditions above.

Do I have to be in Doha?

Not full time — but kick-off, graduation, and at least one key ecosystem event are in Doha.

The required in-person moments are the kick-off sprint, graduation sprint, and at least one key ecosystem event. The Studio may request other Doha attendance with at least five business days written notice. Fellows are responsible for their own visa or right-to-work requirements and related costs; visa support is not guaranteed.

Can I leave the Fellowship early?

Only before the equity trigger, with 14 days written notice and outstanding obligations completed.

A Fellow may terminate before the Trigger Event by giving 14 days written notice and completing outstanding obligations. The Studio may terminate immediately for specified breaches or on 14 days notice. No further stipend or compute support is due after termination; the signed agreement controls the consequences in every case.

How much equity does The Studio take?

A bespoke percentage recorded in your Fellowship Summary Sheet.

There is no universal public equity rate. Your Studio Equity percentage is agreed for the specific co-build and recorded in the Summary Sheet. It is issued to the Studio or its nominee in the HoldCo under the timing and mechanics set out in your agreement.

When does the equity obligation begin?

At the earliest of Month 2, material Studio investment, or starting a financing.

The Trigger Event is the earliest of two months after the effective date, a Material Investment of Assets by the Studio, or the venture initiating a financing. The HoldCo incorporation and Studio Equity issuance are then due within 30 days. These obligations can survive termination and may apply to an aligned venture formed within 12 months, as detailed in the agreement.

Is there a stipend?

USD 7,000, paid in no more than two instalments, plus up to USD 2,000 for approved compute and tooling.

The USD 7,000 stipend is paid during the term in no more than two instalments, with timing and method determined by the Studio. A compute and tooling reserve of up to USD 2,000 is available only after a written request and written Studio confirmation. Both are non-repayable capital investments, not salary or remuneration, and do not require expense reporting.

Does the agreement guarantee follow-on investment?

No. It gives the Studio or its affiliates a discretionary right to invest in the first two rounds.

The Studio and its affiliates are not obligated to invest. They have an option in each of the first two financing rounds to invest up to USD 1 million, capped at 30% of that round, under the agreement's 20% discount mechanics. The agreement also sets out pro-rata rights for later rounds.

Is housing provided in Doha?

It may be offered on a best-endeavours basis, subject to availability — it is not guaranteed.

Accommodation, workspace, and ecosystem access may be provided at the Studio's discretion and subject to availability. These benefits are non-cash, non-transferable, and limited to the Fellowship term. Any confirmed arrangement will be communicated separately.

What else does The Studio bring to the build?

Co-founders in the room: product, AI, design, GTM, comms, and capital.

Beyond capital and stipend you get direct access to The Studio's product, design, AI, and operating talent — including Prototype Engineers, a Design Lead, Marketing and BD leads, an Ops Lead, and the Funds team. You also get The Studio's tooling, design systems, playbooks, warm investor and partner introductions, and a structured cadence of milestone reviews.

Who is the Fellowship for?

Domain experts with a validated insight, inefficiency, or proprietary access.

We partner with operators, engineers, scientists, and specialists who know an industry inside out — and who can see, and prove, an inefficiency that AI can now collapse. You bring access, data, and credibility; we bring the build team and the platform.

Can I apply from anywhere in the world?

Yes — Fellows can be based anywhere globally.

We accept applications from anywhere in the world. Our active focus is the GCC, Southeast Asia, and Africa, but the Fellowship has no nationality or residency requirement. The minimum in-person commitment in Doha is small (see above).

How does the application work?

A short interest form, then conversations with the Studio and investment teams.

The application starts with a short form to capture your background and the concept. Promising applicants then move to a sequence of conversations with the Studio team and the investment team to assess fit on three axes: domain depth, AI-native potential, and co-build chemistry. The process is selective and referral-led; we shape the Fellowship around the people we say yes to.

Is the Fellowship only for first-time founders?

Not necessarily — but the standard Fellowship agreement assumes no company yet exists around the concept.

Repeat founders and experienced operators are welcome. The current standard agreement assumes that no company has been incorporated around the concept at the effective date and that no third party has a claim over it. An already-incorporated business should discuss a separate or amended engagement with the Studio.

Who owns the IP and the concept?

The Fellow owns it before incorporation; the HoldCo owns it after incorporation.

Before incorporation, the Fellow owns the concept IP. Once the HoldCo is formed, that IP must be assigned to the HoldCo. The Studio retains a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual worldwide licence for internal learning, portfolio, and programme purposes. Studio-built code, models, and tools may be licensed perpetually to the HoldCo subject to the Studio Equity conditions, with future hosting, maintenance, and development paid by the HoldCo.

Where do we incorporate the company?

Singapore, ADGM, England and Wales, Delaware, or another jurisdiction approved in writing.

The HoldCo is incorporated in an approved jurisdiction under the agreement. The Studio may also require a Qatar Financial Centre subsidiary by written notice during the term or within 12 months after it ends. The signed agreement and Studio approval determine the final structure.

Will I be ready to sell to enterprise customers?

Yes — by end of Month 2 you have the legal and trust pack procurement teams ask for.

Alongside discovery we run incorporation, the enterprise trust pack (security, data handling, model governance, escalation), and the customer data-rights contracts that protect your moat. The point is simple: when your first enterprise pilot is ready to pay, procurement can't slow you down.

What happens if I stop working on the concept?

After notice and a 30-day cure period, the Studio may develop a similar or identical concept.

If the Studio issues a Cessation Notice and meaningful development does not resume within 30 days, restrictions on the Studio developing a similar or identical concept cease. Separate incorporation, equity, and IP-transfer protections may also apply under the Trigger Event provisions, so the signed agreement controls the exact outcome.

Can I approach partners or investors introduced by The Studio later?

Yes, but the agreement includes a 12-month non-circumvention period.

For 12 months, introduced partners, clients, and investors must not be bypassed in a way that circumvents the Studio. Coordinate follow-up through the agreed process and check the signed agreement before entering a direct transaction.

How long does confidentiality last?

The confidentiality obligations continue indefinitely.

Confidential information shared during the Fellowship must remain protected during and after the term. This applies alongside any third-party confidentiality, data, and IP obligations you already have.

What is the structure of the six months?

Nine modules from onboarding through to fundraise — shaped around what you already bring.

The co-build runs across nine modules: Onboarding, Discovery, Concept, Legal, Brand, Product, GTM, Fundraising, and Operations. Each module has clear outputs and a gate review. The full spine assumes you walk in with nothing — but most Fellows arrive with something. We subtract, compress, and accelerate around what you bring, rather than running a fixed script.

What are the gates for?

Honest checkpoints to make sure we haven't fooled ourselves.

Gates aren't theatre for investors. They're stops where the team — you, the Studio Directors, and selected experts — pressure-test the evidence. Are we right about the problem, the buyer, the moat, the unit economics? Eight gates over six months, plus four "kill signals" that fire automatically if the AI isn't getting smarter, the moat isn't real, accuracy slips, or capability shifts under us.

What does a healthy six months look like?

Incorporated by Month 2. Shipping by Month 5. Raising by Month 6.

By the end of Month 2 you're typically incorporated with legal and brand foundations in place. By Month 5 you've shipped the first real version of the product to design partners. By Month 6 you're running pilots, packaging the data room, and either closing a SAFE, extending the Fellowship, or sunsetting cleanly.

Who exactly will I work with?

Founding partners, two studio directors, and a wider co-build network.

You meet the founding partners up front, then work day-to-day with two Studio Directors — one for Product, one for Technology. Around them sit Prototype Engineers, a Design Lead, Marketing and BD leads, an Ops Lead, the Funds team, and Comms. The cadence and intensity of each relationship is agreed at onboarding, not improvised in crisis.

What is Utopia OS?

The shared technology, capital, and access layer behind every co-built venture.

Utopia OS is the operating system of the Studio — a set of shared components every venture can plug into rather than rebuild from scratch. It compounds across companies: each new Fellow extends it, and inherits everything the Fellows before them helped build.

What's Utopia Cloud?

Sovereign-grade compute and infrastructure access for AI-native ventures.

Utopia Cloud is the infrastructure layer — compute, storage, and secure environments built for AI-native workloads, with regional data residency where it matters. Fellows access it directly during the build and inherit it post spin-out.

What is the AI-native Stack?

Reusable models, evaluation harnesses, agents, and tooling we ship with you.

The AI-native Stack is the set of model orchestration, evaluation, fine-tuning, and agent components we use to ship products fast and keep them honest. It includes the eval harness that catches regressions and the data loops that turn customer use into compounding accuracy.

What is the Quantum AI Sandbox?

An applied research surface for ventures whose moat depends on it.

For ventures where quantum methods are part of the long-term moat — optimisation, materials, cryptography — we run an applied sandbox so Fellows can test what's real now and what to design for next, without standing up infrastructure alone.

What are Utopia Skills?

A library of operating playbooks and capabilities that travels with every venture.

Skills are the institutional knowledge of the Studio in reusable form: design playbooks, BD motions, hiring patterns, fundraise templates, and operating reps from previous co-builds. Every Fellow uses them; every Fellow contributes back.