Y1: Retrospective

2024 has been a transformative year for Ryft. It marked our first full year as a venture studio, driven by a bold ambition: to build companies that solve real problems, utilize AI as a platform, and have a path to profitability.

As we close out this year, I want to reflect on the journey so far—the challenges, the wins, and the lessons we've learned.

 

A Studio Born to Build

Ryft isn't your typical venture capital firm or startup agency. We're builders at our core. Our mission is to create companies from scratch—fast, focused, and laser-targeted on delivering value.

This year, we committed ourselves to the idea that the venture studio model is more than just an alternative to traditional entrepreneurship. It's a way to minimize risk, maximize resources, and create companies designed to thrive in a fast-moving, AI-driven world.

2024 has been about laying the foundation—defining our processes, building our team across the globe, and launching our first ventures. Every experiment, every pivot, and every conversation has been a step toward crafting a playbook for how great companies are built.

 

How we approached new ventures

This year, while exploring our backlog of ideas and launching experiments, we've been guided by three main principles:

1. Start With the End in Mind

We made a conscious decision to focus on industries where inefficiencies are rampant, and solutions are overdue. But we didn't stop at identifying problems—we built with revenue in mind. Every Ryft venture begins with the same question: Can we create immediate value for users while building a scalable business? This mindset has helped us avoid vanity metrics and focus on what matters most—real-world impact.

2. Small Teams, Big Outcomes

2024 taught us the value of focus. Each Ryft project started lean—a core team of engineers, designers, and operators working in six-week sprints to test and refine ideas. We started the company in February with three people and now have ten team members, with 90% of our team time focused on building, marketing, and selling products. There are no overly complex processes or ceremonies.

By staying nimble and avoiding unnecessary complexity, we've been able to ship faster, pivot when needed, and dedicate resources to what truly works.

3. Be fast and iterate relentlessly

This year wasn't without its challenges. Some ideas didn't pan out; others required multiple iterations before they gained traction. But we embraced these moments as opportunities to learn. Failure isn't the opposite of success—it's a step toward it. And every misstep has sharpened our instincts and refined our approach.

 

What We Built in 2024

Reflecting on our first year, we're proud of the progress we've made and the experiments we've launched:

• Launched the Ryft Zero Fund, giving investors a stake in AI-driven B2B innovation.
• Successfully launched Jane and Tablero, demonstrating our ability to quickly bring innovative solutions to market.
• Expanded our global footprint with talent hubs in São Paulo and Auckland.
• Built strong global partnerships, including a collaboration with US-based Fintech founders.
• Secured a core studio team with a focus on AI talent and product development.

 

Prototyping the Future

Beyond our current ventures, we've been hard at work on several other prototypes targeting industries like healthcare, logistics, and education. While not every experiment will make it to market, each one contributes to our understanding of what works—and what doesn't.

Key Lessons From 2024 Our first year has been a masterclass in entrepreneurship. Here are three lessons that stood out:

1. There is always another idea It's easy to get distracted by shiny ideas, but 2024 reinforced the importance of staying focused on our experiments and opportunities. By narrowing our efforts to a few high-potential ventures, we were able to move faster, launch quickly, and execute better.

2. Collaboration Fuels Innovation Some of our best ideas this year came from conversations—with users, partners, and within our team. Collaboration isn't just a value at Ryft; it's a cornerstone of how we operate.

3. Iterate, Then Iterate Again No venture is perfect on the first try—or the tenth. The willingness to launch early experiments, fail, and try again has been critical to our progress.

 

Looking Ahead: 2025 and Beyond

As we step into 2025, we're doubling down on what worked this year while exploring new opportunities to push the boundaries of what's possible:

• Scaling Jane: Expanding its reach to new markets (USA and Brazil) and integrating additional features based on user feedback.
• Launching Jane for medical practices: Developing a specialized version for the healthcare industry.
• Launching New Ventures: Prototyping and validating ideas in industries where AI can create transformative value.
• Building the Ryft Ecosystem: Strengthening our internal processes and creating a collaborative network of partners and advisors to support our ventures.

Our ultimate goal remains unchanged: to create a portfolio of companies that solve meaningful problems, generate revenue, and propel the next wave of B2B tech companies from APAC onto the global stage.

 

A Word of Thanks

To our team, partners, and early users: thank you for believing in Ryft. This year wouldn't have been possible without your support, insights, and hard work.

We're excited about what lies ahead and can't wait to share more of our journey with you in 2025.

If you're curious about what we're building or want to collaborate, we'd love to hear from you. At Ryft, the future isn't just imagined—it's built.

2024 was just the beginning. We can't wait to show you what's next.