Stuvi.space

Our pivots led us here... ?? Find a real problem, then fall in love with solving it. Recently, an eTower fellow of ours, Luis Utrilla, gifted us a book by none other than Uri Levine (the visionary behind Waze). The message that resonated most was the idea of not falling in love with any solution you build, but with the problem at the root of the 'solution'. When we become deeply invested in understanding the problem, we’re more likely to create solutions that truly meet people’s needs in new ways. Take Stuvi, for example. Instead of just offering another way to book music studio time, we noted the real problem was that musicians struggled to find accessible, and affordable, quality recording spaces. So, we put at-home music studios on the map—literally. Now, musicians can find and book quality spaces close by, often at a fraction of the typical cost. But this wasn't our first idea... Initially we envisioned a WeWork-esque building with subscription model access to quality studio spaces... At some point we conceptualized building dozens of music studios out of shipping containers that you can access like a Lime bike... Although these sound crazy now, we were so obsessed with this problem that we were willing to try everything to solve it. Thankfully, we were never obsessed with any of these solutions, and we were willing to let go of any of our own expectations and desires, in order to meet this problem's real needs. Real impact happens when you’re committed to solving a problem—not just building a product

How to Treat Your First Customer ?? The story of Stuvi’s first booking and what it taught us. Stuvi officially launched in Miami toward the end of July, and just a few days later, someone made a booking through our site! We couldn’t believe it. If you didn’t know us and saw our reaction, you would have thought we’d just IPO’d. A complete stranger found our platform useful, and, funnily enough, he booked our own at-home studio. We wanted to know everything: Why did he book? How did he find us? Why our studio? What was his experience with the platform? What made him choose Stuvi over other options? After his session, we asked if he’d be open to an interview to share his story with our community. That’s how we met Hush Forte—a talented artist with over 70,000 monthly listeners. We talked about everything, from his journey as a musician to why he chose Stuvi. To this day, we still ask “why” as often as we can—whether we’re speaking with artists or studio owners—because each answer brings us closer to building something musicians truly need. Check out Hush Forte on Spotify here: https://lnkd.in/eDEfGbbb

Access is the New Ownership ?? How 'flexible access' is fueling today’s economy. Take musicians as an example, the landscape has changed. The new generation of creators needs flexibility, not ownership—spaces they can dip into, be inspired by, and then grow away from. That’s where Stuvi comes in. We designed it as a platform that provides artists access to the creative spaces they need without the long-term commitment. Why? Because we believe that when creators can access what they need, when they need it, they’re free to innovate without limits. The modern creator economy is here, and it’s all about breaking down barriers. Now think about the craze for platforms like ClassPass... Flexible access to different experiences and spaces. It's becoming clear that people are getting bored of the same old same old. Consumers want access to as many new experiences as possible and this is becoming the new form of 'ownership'.

Losing money, to prove a point. ?? How do you disrupt a market as a start-up? Disrupting a Market Starts with Transparency Bringing a new concept to life means building trust first. Sometimes... trust costs money. (normally, money you don't have) When you introduce something truly new, transparency isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential. Take Stuvi as an example. Musicians have long relied on traditional studios, but now, with at-home studios on the rise, a new option is disrupting the industry. When we launched, we noticed a pattern—people DMing us on instagram, excited but hesitant to book. It was clear they didn’t want to be the first to take the leap; they wanted reassurance. So, we added reviews! But here’s the catch: no bookings, no reviews. So... we booked some studios ourselves, used them, and left honest reviews—highlighting the good and bad. That small investment—just a few hundred dollars—was enough to help us build trust with our community. Suddenly, people weren’t afraid to jump in and try Stuvi, and the platform started buzzing.

How to Find the Earliest Early Adopter ?? Every startup needs its first believer. When we decided to launch Stuvi, we knew we had to start with a focus. Through countless conversations with mentors like Ron Levin we realized something crucial: to make a marketplace work, you don’t need studios everywhere—you need density in one place. So, we set our sights on our home town; Miami. Then came the real challenge: finding that first studio willing to take a chance. We started searching everywhere for at-home music studios in Miami, and that’s when we found Richard Padron through a Facebook music studio community group, talking about gear. I reached out, we hopped on a call, and shortly after, he became our very first studio owner. Richard’s studio is one of our favorites- a beautifully designed, inspiring space that truly reflects what Stuvi stands for. We even made a video about it to capture the unique energy the studio brings to the community. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/efsV5b3d

The Only ‘Feature’ Your Startup Needs… ?? For any venture, it’s all about feedback loops. If there’s one feature every entrepreneur should prioritize, it’s a solid feedback loop. Knowing how your customers feel isn’t just a “nice-to-have”; it’s your best competitive advantage. For early-stage startups, that might mean unscalable things like calling each user. But as you grow, it’s just as critical to build feedback systems that can scale. At Stuvi, we answered this by building a feature that lets artists and studio owners rate each other after every session. Here’s why it works: Clear Expectations: Artists and studios know what to expect from each other before booking. Real-Time Insights: We get a continuous pulse on how our users feel, even when we can’t reach everyone personally. Better Experiences: When both sides are accountable, everyone works harder to make the experience great. Here is one of these exchanges on Stuvi: Artist review: "Very hospitable host, the studio was very comfortable and had a beautiful balcony view. Definitely would book again.” Studio owner review: "Very happy to have hosted [Redacted] and his group. Would be glad to host again."

Afraid Someone Will Steal Your Idea? Tell Them Anyway ?? Why sharing your story is essential to scaling a vision. One of the biggest fears for founders is that sharing their story will lead to someone “stealing” their idea. But here’s the truth: if your idea doesn’t get out there, it won’t make any progress. Recently, one of Stuvi's founders, Tadeo A., was featured in an article sharing his journey with Stuvi.space and CHURROMANIA?. He opened up about the mission, the struggles, and what it takes to scale something meaningful. Sharing our story hasn’t just made Stuvi more visible; it’s brought in support, feedback, and insights we could never have reached on our own. If you’re serious about making an impact, don’t hold back. Share your story, put your vision out there, and let the world see what you’re building. Thank you to Vida y éxito for featuring one of our founders! Read the full article on Tadeo’s story here: https://lnkd.in/eYZKDQ7r

Forget Cold Emails. ?? Why we turned our company story into a magazine. As a startup, we’re constantly asked by investors and industry folks for more information on Stuvi. And while we have a deck and emails ready to go, we know what happens—they become just another item in an inbox, competing with hundreds of others. Standing out isn’t just about grabbing attention; it’s about showing what makes you different. Stuvi stands for creativity, inspiration, and originality. We’re all about being unique, so we decided to “Stuvi-fy” our leave-behind deck. Instead of another digital presentation, we created a physical magazine. This magazine represents Stuvi in a way no email or PDF ever could. It’s our way of sharing our mission to make music accessible and to support creators in a format that feels tangible, intentional, and just as unique as the artists we serve. Want to see the digital version? Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/ePa4HjDE

10 Weeks of Failure ?? This is what Stuvi's accelerator experience was like. When we joined the Summer Venture Program, Stuvi was practically just an idea. By the end, we didn’t just have a plan; we had a launched platform, a clear direction, and—most importantly—a fearless approach to failure. For 10 intense weeks, the three of us—Carlos Leonardo Emanuele, Mateo Acosta-Rubio, and Tadeo A.—lived together, worked side by side, and dedicated every moment to Stuvi. Every day was spent talking to users, iterating, brainstorming, and failing... A lot of failing. Failing to meet deadlines, failing to hit KPIs, failing to stay consistent, and often times failing to make progress. But each failure pushed us closer to understanding what Stuvi needed to become, and acted as another path to cross off on our journey to empowering musicians. SVP taught us that it’s not about avoiding failure but about leveraging every setback to build something stronger. Huge thanks to Babson College for pushing us forward with this program, and to everyone who believed in our journey. Special thanks to our mentors Christine Carr, Sarah Ginand, Alexandra Dunk, Cindy Klein Marmer, Sue Nealon, Jessica Lynch... to name a few, and of course, all the incredible ventures and founders who joined us for the ride.

Why Did We Build This? ?? Stuvi is just our excuse. At the end of the day, what we want is to change the future. As three musicians, we believe in a simple philosophy: Music inspires change. But what inspires musicians? S P A C E. A place to let creativity explore and bring ideas to life. We knew from experience that finding the right space to experiment with ideas is one of the most friction-filled parts of the journey for musicians. That’s where Stuvi comes in—a platform designed to remove that friction. Stuvi connects musicians to the creative spaces they need to thrive, experiment, and evolve. Since its conception, we’ve abided by these principles: Spaces inspire music. Music inspires people. People inspire change. Change inspires the future. We want to change the future, and Stuvi is our way to make that happen.