Inside DŌBRA: the 5 key features that turn big ideas into powerful startups
When the concept of DŌBRA was first put on paper, we knew that our venture studio would work exclusively with our own ideas—ideas that should have the maximum impact. This is our motto. But beyond that, there are five key features that distinguish DŌBRA. Let’s dive into each of them.
1. Building Startups from the Ground Up
As a relatively new phenomenon in the startup industry, venture studios often face misunderstandings and misconceptions. Currently, there are about 870 studios globally (for comparison, there are about 8,000 startup accelerators and 8-10,000 venture capital funds), and they differ greatly in their approaches. Some studios focus on narrow themes, developing 2–3 startups a year, while others are industry-agnostic and launch 20 at once. Some studios are created to drive corporate innovations, while others are founded by seasoned entrepreneurs interested in launching multiple businesses without being solo owners. In this landscape, there are no established rules or best practices yet.
At DŌBRA, our team brings extensive and diverse entrepreneurial experience—from supporting ultra-early-stage startups to collaborating with clients like NASA, Formula 1, Sanofi, Vodafone, and Boeing. This wealth of experience empowers us to launch startups independently, using a unique approach that combines data-driven insights and Ideation, a public track at the beginning of each bunch. Here’s the twist: you can’t bring your startup idea to us, but you can participate in our public track with it.
2. Data-Driven Approach
DŌBRA is a big fan of data. We relied on data to choose our studio’s focus and to decide on the theme for our first bunch (read more about it here). Now, we apply data in two key verticals:
Datasets with Synthetic Data: We use synthetic data generation where it’s particularly effective. For one of our startups, we employ the autogeneration of scenarios via GPT-4o. Additionally, we collect extensive datasets from real users on the web.
Market Research: We analyze data on mobile apps in stores, investment trends in mental health, and conduct comprehensive research on organizations working in the mental wellbeing space. We also track down journalists and influencers who can amplify our message.
Data is the lifeblood of innovation, and we are experts at harnessing its potential.
3. An Opportunity for Everyone to Become a Startup Co-Founder
DŌBRA was founded with the idea of creating an infrastructure where any professional with a big dream can become a co-founder of a startup or participate in inventing solutions to today’s challenges—and, of course, earn money from it.
Currently, three product owners are working on five startups in our bunch:
Eugenia Makarevich, Project & Product Manager in Healthtech and Edtech. Product Owner and Co-Founder of Bear Room & CareCompanion.
Tetiana Kochetkova, Product Lead with a proven track record of supervising digital products. Product Owner and Co-Founder of Magic Mirror and an exciting stealth-mode app for kids and parents.
Max Roslovs, Product Manager in Healthtech and Edtech. Product Owner and Co-Founder of Food for Mood.
Yes, you heard that right: at DŌBRA, one co-founder can develop two projects simultaneously. We believe that in the early stages, it’s crucial to experiment and test different ideas. By the time we reach the Seed round, each product owner will have a single, highly-refined startup to take forward.
We take immense pride in assembling a team with impressive interdisciplinary expertise. Among our core and startup teams are CES and Red Dot award winners, researchers, and product designers who have launched multiple startups in mental wellbeing and brought about 30 tech products to Tier 1 markets.
4. Everything Under One Roof
DŌBRA acts as a full-fledged co-founder, working hand-in-hand with startup teams, covering everything from marketing, legal, and HR to talent acquisition and fundraising. Our core team takes responsibility for project implementation, allowing the product owner (the second co-founder) to focus solely on the product without getting bogged down by these “little things.”
As the startup matures, the team gains more autonomy. By the Seed round, the startup should be independent enough to thrive without ongoing studio support.
Additionally, all of DŌBRA’s startups operate within the mental wellbeing domain, although they develop different tech products. This shared focus allows our teams to exchange insights and strengthen their expertise in the field.
5. Diversification of Investor Risks
One of DŌBRA’s key strengths is offering properly cooked startups to the market—projects with nice metrics, strong teams, and, most importantly, validated traction.
Our unique organizational structure and internal resources allow us to conduct parallel experiments across multiple products and rapidly test hypotheses. This approach enables us to validate more concepts for the same investment, and follow up on those with the most promise, rather than just those that have progressed further. Simultaneously, an average burn rate drops by half compared to a traditional startup rate.
We offer potential investors the opportunity to invest in the entire bunch—a principled stance that enables us to scale our impact. Our non-standard cap table may be new to the market, but we know how to present it in a way that’s clear and appealing to investors.
As we continue to grow and innovate, we invite you to join us on this journey. Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur, an investor searching for the next big thing, or simply someone passionate about the future of mental wellbeing, there’s a place for you at DŌBRA. Stay tuned—our most exciting chapters are yet to come.