# Building Companies From Scratch: Inside Interplay’s Studio

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/innovation-with-mark-peter-davis-1367720/building-companies-from-scratch-inside-interplay-s-studio
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/innovation-with-mark-peter-davis-1367720/building-companies-from-scratch-inside-interplay-s-studio.md
Podcast: [Innovation with Mark Peter Davis](https://stenobird.com/podcast/innovation-with-mark-peter-davis-1367720)
Published: 2026-05-21T09:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://innovationwithmpd.captivate.fm/episode/building-companies-from-scratch-inside-interplays-studio
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/edd57606-9658-4e4c-95f7-479d76e428a6.mp3
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Duration seconds: 1622

## Resource

Venture studios are quietly becoming one of the most effective models for company creation, but most people still don't understand what happens inside one. For this podcast episode I sat down with Andy Bilinsky , Partner at Interplay leading our Studio, to break down exactly how we build companies from the ground up. During our conversation, we covered: What a venture studio actually is and how it differs from traditional VC Why do we research industries deeply before ever writing a business plan The role of operating partners as true co-founders Why second- and third-time founders are choosing to build with a studio instead of going solo How Interplay went from 3 new companies in Q4 2025 to targeting 10+ in 2026 Big thanks to Andy for pulling back the curtain on how we build. We’re grateful to have him here at Interplay. ⏱️ Chapter Markers: 00:00 Introduction to Andy Bilinsky 01:15 Andy's Entrepreneurial Background 03:30 Early Career: Hyper-Growth at Haute Look 05:45 BeachMint, Science Incubator & Chirp Ads 08:00 Launching Lensable From Scratch 09:30 Why Andy Joined Interplay 13:00 What Is a Venture Studio? 15:30 Interplay's Thesis-Driven Approach 18:00 The Role of Operating Partners 20:30 What Makes a Great Studio CEO 24:00 Why Successful Founders Don't Go Solo 27:30 The Value of a Firm as Co-Founder 30:00 Administrative Support & De-Risking 33:00 Distributed Teams & Geographic Flexibility 35:00 Studio Growth: From 3 Companies to 10+ Links: Andy Blinsky: LinkedIn Interplay: Website , LinkedIn , Twitter MPD: LinkedIn , Twitter

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