OUR MISSION
Our Mission is Threefold
Agility Meets Insight
We blend the speed and creativity of startups with the strategic depth of corporate ventures. We can approach any aspect of the venture-building ecosystem because we’ve built there ourselves.
Bold & Pragmatic
Innovation thrives on the edge of what’s possible, but it must be grounded in real-world impact. We help bridge that balance.
Community Focused
Our network is our strength. We leverage a wide community of founders, investors, and corporate innovators to help ventures thrive in every detail, strategic or practical.
With two decades of experience in venture building, corporate innovation, and startup growth, we understand what it takes to turn early concepts into sustainable success stories. Whether advising on strategic decisions or investing for growth, our goal is to support ventures at every stage of their lifecycle.
What Sets Us Apart
- Deep Expertise: Our experience bridges the gap between technical innovation and business strategy. We’ve built and supported ventures across AI, advanced technologies, and complex organizational ecosystems.
- Tailored Approach: Every venture is unique. That’s why we design bespoke strategies, whether advising startups or leading innovation programs for global enterprises.
- Community-Centered: From fostering communities like Microsoft’s AI & ML network to engaging with international innovation platforms, we thrive at the intersection of collaboration and growth.
- Venture Ecosystem Builders: Fizzy Ventures isn’t just about ideas—it’s about execution. We integrate venture creation, corporate innovation, and ecosystem design into every partnership.
Building Venture Studios: A Proven Track Record
At Fizzy Ventures, we don’t just advise on venture building—we’ve been in the trenches, leading from the front. Taylor Black’s unique ability to design, launch, and scale venture studios stems from firsthand experience creating four distinct and highly impactful studios. These ventures showcase a breadth of innovation across academia, corporate enterprise, and entrepreneurial ecosystems.
1. The New Venture Lab at Gonzaga University
As a pioneer in fostering innovation within academia, Taylor helped establish The New Venture Lab to serve as Gonzaga University’s flagship incubator for student and faculty entrepreneurs. This studio bridged the gap between theoretical learning and practical business creation, providing mentorship, resources, and a structured pathway for turning ideas into viable ventures.
Key Impact:
- Empowered students and faculty to transition academic research into market-ready startups as well as provide consultative services to local entrepreneurs.
- Built an interdisciplinary culture of innovation by combining expertise in business, technology, and creativity.
- Established enduring partnerships with local businesses and investors, cementing Gonzaga’s reputation as a hub for entrepreneurial excellence.
2. The Invention Science Fund at Intellectual Ventures
Taylor’s role with the Invention Science Fund placed him deep in one of the most ambitious attempts to translate deep science and technology breakthroughs into commercial ventures. This studio was dedicated to the high-stakes process of de-risking nascent technologies and building businesses around them.
Key Impact:
- Guided the commercialization of cutting-edge intellectual property across AI, materials science, and other transformative fields.
- Developed frameworks to validate technical feasibility while aligning with market demand.
- Partnered with world-class inventors and researchers to create sustainable and scalable business models from complex, frontier technologies.
3. The Incubation Studio in the CTO’s Office at Microsoft
Innovation within a corporate enterprise demands agility and vision, and Taylor brought both to Microsoft’s Incubation Studio. Embedded within the CTO’s Office, this studio focused on driving disruptive innovation by incubating internal ideas and validating their potential through rigorous frameworks.
Key Impact:
- Built a pipeline for employees to explore innovative ideas, turning concepts into proof-of-concept pilots and market-tested products.
- Delivered cross-functional collaboration by aligning engineering, marketing, and sales teams around shared goals.
- Successfully balanced entrepreneurial thinking with the scale and strategy of one of the world’s largest tech companies.
4. Venture Out: An Early-Stage Idea Validation Studio
Venture Out reflects Taylor’s deep understanding of the startup journey and the critical need for rapid iteration and validation. This early-stage studio worked with entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs to test ideas, evaluate markets, and ensure that only the strongest concepts progressed to the next stage.
Key Impact:
- Developed a repeatable, scalable framework for idea validation that reduced risk and maximized resource efficiency.
- Supported founders in refining pitches, building prototypes, and connecting with early-stage investors.
- Created an ecosystem of innovation by integrating academic institutions, corporate partners, and grassroots entrepreneurs.
The Fizzy Ventures Advantage
With the creation of these four studios, Taylor has not only built ventures but also cultivated ecosystems where innovation thrives. These experiences form the backbone of Fizzy Ventures, informing every project and partnership with real-world expertise, proven methodologies, and a deep understanding of what it takes to build ventures that succeed.
Whether you’re an enterprise seeking to launch a corporate innovation studio, a startup founder looking for guidance, or an investor eager to tap into the next wave of groundbreaking businesses, Fizzy Ventures offers unparalleled insight and support.