Idealab
A
/ Independent Studio · 92/100 · Excellent
Bill Gross's Pasadena studio founded 1996 — the canonical American venture studio. 150+ companies launched (eToys, GoTo.com/Overture acquired by Yahoo, Energy Vault). The longest-operating Western studio with documented repeatability.
/ 01 / Subscore Breakdown
How the grade decomposes.
Repeatability/ 25% weight
96
Capital Efficiency/ 22% weight
88
Operator Bench/ 20% weight
94
Equity Ownership Capture/ 18% weight
92
Portfolio Outcomes/ 15% weight
90
/ 02 / Studio Notes
Best for / Watch out for.
/ Best for
Reference studio for the canonical Western studio architecture: dedicated operator bench, in-house engineering pool, internal incubation periods of 6-18 months.
/ Watch out for
Scale is selective — Idealab launches a few companies per year, not dozens. Not a model for high-throughput studio operations.
/ 03 / Public-Record Timeline
What's on the record.
2024
Energy Vault NYSE-listed; Idealab portfolio continues active
2018
Energy Vault founded as Idealab company
2000
GoTo.com / Overture exits to Yahoo ($1.6B)
1996
Idealab founded by Bill Gross in Pasadena