Studio Signals

JT Benton is a venture studio founder, operator, and ecosystem builder with more than 20 years of experience across marketing, digital commerce, and venture formation. His work has focused on building companies and operating systems from the inside—designing models, scaling teams, and translating early conviction into durable ventures. He is a co-founder and Managing Partner of the 9point8 Collective, a co-founder of the Venture Studio Forum, and a General Partner at B'More Venture Studio. He lives and works in Bozeman.

Matt Burris is a global thought leader in venture studio classification, research, and standards. His work focuses on bringing clarity and rigor to an emerging asset class—defining what venture studios are, how they operate, and how performance should be measured. He is a co-author of the Venture Studio Index (VSI), a multi-dimensional classification and evaluation framework for venture studios developed by 9point8 Collective and published by the Venture Studio Forum as an open standard. The VSI uses two-factor categorization (formation role × return profile) and cost-structure analysis to enable consistent comparison of studio operating models.

His research has included partnerships with MIT and Harvard University, and he is a published author of multiple Venture Studio Forum Perspective articles examining corporate venture studios, institutional investment barriers, and honest approaches to performance measurement.