At Smashing Boxes, our journey has always been about more than just design and engineering – it's about partnering with clients to turn their most ambitious visions into reality. As we continue on this path, we’re excited to introduce a new chapter: the launch of Unboxed Venture Studio.
Building the Triangle’s First $1B Venture Studio
Nearly four years in the making, Unboxed Venture Studio represents a bold approach to entrepreneurship. In this model, we’ll bring not only financial resources but also our expertise, time, and energy to cultivate promising concepts into successful, large-scale ventures. We’ve already made significant strides with a portfolio that exceeds $20 million in value and a network of strategic allies we’ve built through Smashing Boxes that’s second to none. Our goal is clear: to become the region’s first $1 billion venture studio.
Why are we doing this? The path to success for startups is often filled with challenges. Great ideas are frequently derailed by issues in execution, team cohesion, market fit, or strategy. There are countless reasons why a venture might stumble, whether it’s because of poor market alignment, a flawed go-to-market plan, or the lack of experienced mentors. But within these challenges lies an enormous opportunity.
At Unboxed Venture Studio, our mission is to seize that opportunity. We’re dedicated to discovering, nurturing, and expanding the most promising ideas into thriving, influential businesses. Our approach takes ventures from the initial concept through incubation, investment, and finally, to scale, ensuring they have the support needed at every stage.
Behind Our Secret Sauce to Entrepreneurship
What makes us unique? My partner, Eric Porper, and I bring nearly four decades of experience as entrepreneurs and creators. Over the years, we’ve built an extensive network of collaborators, visionaries, investors, and top-tier professionals. This extensive network, combined with Smashing Boxes’ in-house design and product development capabilities and Unboxed Talent, our global talent sourcing agency, provides a distinct advantage for building scalable teams.
Having spent close to 20 years cultivating the Triangle’s startup scene, I realized the most significant contribution I can make to our community isn’t just to support it, but to lead it. By building a successful, impactful business, I can help drive the progress our ecosystem needs. If I had to start from scratch, I’d choose the same path—creating solutions, tackling challenges, collaborating with others, and offering guidance. This is my passion and purpose.
While achieving the $1 billion milestone isn’t the sole objective, I believe that setting ambitious goals is vital to attracting the resources our business and community require—particularly when it comes to investment. Drawing in substantial capital is essential for the advancement of the entire ecosystem. It’s about generating exceptional returns and nurturing the development of ventures that will make a lasting difference.
Through it all, Smashing Boxes remains central to our mission. As a key platform partner, we’ve brought in a remarkable growth partner to lead the next wave of Smashing Boxes clients. We will continue to innovate, evolve, and provide exceptional support to our clients, even as we channel energy into the studio. Smashing Boxes is in great hands, and the future looks incredibly promising.
I’m deeply grateful to everyone who has supported us on this journey. We’re just getting started, and we’re eager to continue driving innovation, energy, and impact within our community and beyond.
