Built for Donor-Investors
Structured for Scrutiny
Built for Donor-Investors
Structured for Scrutiny
When your team is approaching groundbreaking $30M+ opportunities with business-minded donors, you need materials built for how they make decisions—and structured to survive their scrutiny.
When your team is approaching groundbreaking $30M+ opportunities with business-minded donors, you need materials built for how they make decisions—and structured to survive their scrutiny.
THE BOTTLENECK
THE BOTTLENECK
Your Internal Team Provides Breadth. You Need Specialized Depth.
Your Internal Team Provides Breadth. You Need Specialized Depth.
Your advancement team manages 40+ campaigns across the entire institution. They're excellent at building relationships and managing portfolios.
Your advancement team manages 40+ campaigns across the entire institution. They're excellent at building relationships and managing portfolios.
But when you're approaching donor-investors with $50M+ opportunities in breakthrough medical research, you need more than relationship excellence. You need specialized AMC expertise to identify real competitive differentiators. You need dedicated storyfinding time to build belief in the researcher as a person. And you need investment verification frameworks to structure materials like the memos your donor-investors are used to evaluating.
But when you're approaching donor-investors with $50M+ opportunities in breakthrough medical research, you need more than relationship excellence. You need specialized AMC expertise to identify real competitive differentiators. You need dedicated storyfinding time to build belief in the researcher as a person. And you need investment verification frameworks to structure materials like the memos your donor-investors are used to evaluating.
But when you're approaching donor-investors with $30M+ opportunities in breakthrough medical research, you need more than relationship excellence. You need specialized AMC expertise to identify real competitive differentiators. You need dedicated storyfinding time to build belief in the researcher as a person. And you need investment verification frameworks to structure materials like the memos your donor-investors are used to evaluating.
Your team can't structurally provide 8 weeks of specialized depth on a single campaign while managing dozens of others. That's where Studio Brio comes in. We are strategic partners in revenue generation.
Your team can't structurally provide 8 weeks of specialized depth on a single campaign while managing dozens of others. That's where Studio Brio comes in. We are strategic partners in revenue generation.
Who This is For
Who This is For
VPs for Advancement
You're preparing for a $50M+ ask targeting donor-investors—former CEOs, tech founders, or PE partners. Your team excels at relationship-building but is stretched across 40+ campaigns. These donors evaluate opportunities like investments. You need materials built for that scrutiny: competitive analysis, verified outcomes, and a defensible edge.
You're preparing for a $30M+ ask targeting donor-investors—former CEOs, tech founders, or PE partners. Your team excels at relationship-building but is stretched across 40+ campaigns. These donors evaluate opportunities like investments. You need materials built for that scrutiny: competitive analysis, verified outcomes, and a defensible edge.
VPs for Advancement
You're preparing for a $50M+ ask targeting donor-investors—former CEOs, tech founders, or PE partners. Your team excels at relationship-building but is stretched across 40+ campaigns. These donors evaluate opportunities like investments. You need materials built for that scrutiny: competitive analysis, verified outcomes, and a defensible edge.
VPs for Research
Your faculty are backed by real data—peer-reviewed, federally funded, technically sound. But donor-investors don’t just invest in science. They invest in people. NIH doesn’t ask for founder belief stories. Donors do. You need materials that build confidence not just in the research, but in the researcher—without dumbing it down or turning it into marketing.
VPs for Research
Your faculty are backed by real data—peer-reviewed, federally funded, technically sound. But donor-investors don’t just invest in science. They invest in people. NIH doesn’t ask for founder belief stories. Donors do. You need materials that build confidence not just in the research, but in the researcher—without dumbing it down or turning it into marketing.
Deans of Medicine
You're launching an institute designed to shape medicine's future. Your most sophisticated donors will want the complete investment case: What's the competitive advantage? Why this team? How do we verify success? You need materials that answer those questions with the same rigor you'd expect in a board presentation—not just the vision, but the proof it will win.
Deans of Medicine
You're launching an institute designed to shape medicine's future. Your most sophisticated donors will want the complete investment case: What's the competitive advantage? Why this team? How do we verify success? You need materials that answer those questions with the same rigor you'd expect in a board presentation—not just the vision, but the proof it will win.
If you're approaching donor-investors with breakthrough research and need materials built for how they make decisions, let's talk.
OUR APPROACH
The Complete Investment Case
From Complexity to Capital: A Proven Path
01
Diagnosis: Internal Truth & Market Position
We start by finding your authentic internal story—the human 'why' behind the research. Then we analyze the competitive landscape to prove what makes it unique. This requires deep AMC expertise to build a position that's both compelling and defensible.
Diagnosis: Internal Truth & Market Position
We start by finding your authentic internal story—the human 'why' behind the research. Then we analyze the competitive landscape to prove what makes it unique. This requires deep AMC expertise to build a position that's both compelling and defensible.
Strategy: An Investment Verification Framework
We structure your case using the frameworks donor-investors already use: market opportunity, competitive moats, team capabilities, and verifiable outcomes. This isn't dumbing down science—it's translating it into the decision-making language your donors speak.
Strategy: An Investment Verification Framework
We structure your case using the frameworks donor-investors already use: market opportunity, competitive moats, team capabilities, and verifiable outcomes. This isn't dumbing down science—it's translating it into the decision-making language your donors speak.
02
03
The Leadership Story That Earns Alignment
Donor-investors assess researchers the way they evaluate founders: with sharp focus on vision, credibility, and the ability to deliver. We work directly with your PI to craft a leadership narrative that’s grounded, strategic, and aligned to donor decision-making. It’s not a bio. It’s the rationale a donor needs to say, "This is someone I want to back."
The Leadership Story That Earns Alignment
Donor-investors assess researchers the way they evaluate founders: with sharp focus on vision, credibility, and the ability to deliver. We work directly with your PI to craft a leadership narrative that’s grounded, strategic, and aligned to donor decision-making. It’s not a bio. It’s the rationale a donor needs to say, "This is someone I want to back."
Materials Built to Perform Under Scrutiny
We deliver the complete investment case—the diagnostic, the narrative, the proposal—built for the people who will actually decide: wealth advisors, family office analysts, and board members. These aren't brochures. They are investment-grade tools designed to survive the due diligence of the people who manage the money.
Materials Built to Perform Under Scrutiny
We deliver the complete investment case—the diagnostic, the narrative, the proposal—built for the people who will actually decide: wealth advisors, family office analysts, and board members. These aren't brochures. They are investment-grade tools designed to survive the due diligence of the people who manage the money.
04
THE DELIVERABLES
What We Create
What We Create
Every engagement produces a complete suite of fundraising materials—not recommendations, not strategy decks, but the actual tools your team uses to close gifts:
Competitive Positioning Brief
A focused analysis of what makes your research truly different—and defensible—compared to peer institutions pursuing similar discoveries. Verifiable, strategic, and built to inform donor decisions.
Competitive Positioning Brief
A focused analysis of what makes your research truly different—and defensible—compared to peer institutions pursuing similar discoveries. Verifiable, strategic, and built to inform donor decisions.
The Investment Case Document
Your full case for support, rebuilt as an investment tool: problem, solution, team, institutional edge, and the opportunity to partner. Structured for advisors, board members, and family offices to evaluate with confidence.
The Investment Case Document
Your full case for support, rebuilt as an investment tool: problem, solution, team, institutional edge, and the opportunity to partner. Structured for advisors, board members, and family offices to evaluate with confidence.
Pi Story
Donor-investors fund people. We craft the leadership narrative that shows your researcher’s vision, credibility, and capacity to deliver. Grounded, strategic, and aligned to how investors think—without losing scientific integrity.
Pi Story
Donor-investors fund people. We craft the leadership narrative that shows your researcher’s vision, credibility, and capacity to deliver. Grounded, strategic, and aligned to how investors think—without losing scientific integrity.
Principal Gift Proposal
A tailored opportunity designed around a specific prospect’s philosophy and goals. This isn’t a generic appeal—it’s a strategic alignment document that makes the ask feel inevitable.
Principal Gift Proposal
A tailored opportunity designed around a specific prospect’s philosophy and goals. This isn’t a generic appeal—it’s a strategic alignment document that makes the ask feel inevitable.
The Leadership Toolkit
Presentation-ready materials for presidents, deans, and VPs: talking points, Q&A prep, and communication scaffolds to make the case clearly in high-stakes rooms.
The Leadership Toolkit
Presentation-ready materials for presidents, deans, and VPs: talking points, Q&A prep, and communication scaffolds to make the case clearly in high-stakes rooms.
The Outcomes Framework
A structure for defining success and reporting progress in the language donor-investors expect. Milestones, metrics, and cadence—built to inspire confidence and unlock future investment.
The Outcomes Framework
A structure for defining success and reporting progress in the language donor-investors expect. Milestones, metrics, and cadence—built to inspire confidence and unlock future investment.
Your development team gets everything they need to confidently approach eight and nine figure prospects.
The Guide
The Guide
Hi, I'm Andy — Founder of Studio Brio.
Hi, I'm Andy — Founder of Studio Brio.
Hi, I'm Andy
— Founder of Studio Brio.
I spent 20 years building, scaling, and selling businesses - learning firsthand how entrepreneurs and investors evaluate opportunities. After exiting a seven-figure company, I brought that business lens to medical and research advancement.
At Virginia Tech's veterinary college, I worked with faculty to build donor-facing materials that addressed the questions sophisticated donor-investors actually ask: Why this? Why now? Why this team? The result: philanthropic support grew 425% to over $21 million annually.
The pattern was clear: our donors thought like business partners, not traditional philanthropists. Former CEOs, founders, investors and foundations - they wanted competitive analysis, team credibility, and verifiable outcomes. They evaluated opportunities the way I used to.
That's why I created Studio Brio. I build materials for academic medical centers targeting those donor-investors - structured around the frameworks business-minded donors already use to make decisions.
I spent 20 years building, scaling, and selling businesses - learning firsthand how entrepreneurs and investors evaluate opportunities. After exiting a seven-figure company, I brought that business lens to medical and research advancement.
At Virginia Tech's veterinary college, I worked with faculty to build donor-facing materials that addressed the questions sophisticated donor-investors actually ask: Why this? Why now? Why this team? The result: philanthropic support grew 425% to over $21 million annually.
The pattern was clear: our donors thought like business partners, not traditional philanthropists. Former CEOs, founders, investors and foundations - they wanted competitive analysis, team credibility, and verifiable outcomes. They evaluated opportunities the way I used to.
That's why I created Studio Brio. I build materials for academic medical centers targeting those donor-investors - structured around the frameworks business-minded donors already use to make decisions.
"Breakthroughs don't speak for themselves. But the right materials—built for how donor-investors decide—can."
The Bridge
Your Team Is Excellent at What They Do
Your Team Is Excellent at What They Do
They build relationships. They manage portfolios. They coordinate campaigns across the entire institution.
But when a single $30M+ opportunity needs eight weeks of dedicated focus—deep faculty interviews, competitive analysis, materials built for how business-minded donors actually make decisions—your team doesn't have that capacity. Not because they lack skill. Because they're managing forty other campaigns.
That's the gap Studio Brio fills.
They build relationships. They manage portfolios. They coordinate campaigns across the entire institution.
But when a single $30M+ opportunity needs eight weeks of dedicated focus—deep faculty interviews, competitive analysis, materials built for how business-minded donors actually make decisions—your team doesn't have that capacity. Not because they lack skill. Because they're managing forty other campaigns.
That's the gap Studio Brio fills.
THE DIFFERENCE
THE DIFFERENCE
Traditional Donors
vs. Donor-Investors
Traditional Donors
vs. Donor-Investors
Traditional donors give based on emotional connection and mission alignment. Donor-investors evaluate opportunities the way they built their wealth—looking for competitive advantages, capable teams, and verifiable outcomes.
Your materials need to match how they make decisions. That's what we build.
Traditional donors give based on emotional connection and mission alignment. Donor-investors evaluate opportunities the way they built their wealth—looking for competitive advantages, capable teams, and verifiable outcomes.
Your materials need to match how they make decisions. That's what we build.
Traditional donors give based on emotional connection and mission alignment. Donor-investors add another layer.They evaluate opportunities the way they built their wealth—looking for competitive advantages, capable teams, and verifiable outcomes.
Your materials need to match how they make decisions. That's what we build.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from our internal communications team?
What makes your approach different from other consultancies?
Do you work with our existing advancement staff?
How do you ensure scientific accuracy while making it compelling?
What's the typical engagement timeline?
Do I really need "investment-grade" materials? Won't good storytelling work?
What's the typical investment for an engagement?
How do we get started?
How is this different from our internal communications team?
What makes your approach different from other consultancies?
Do you work with our existing advancement staff?
How do you ensure scientific accuracy while making it compelling?
What's the typical engagement timeline?
Do I really need "investment-grade" materials? Won't good storytelling work?
What's the typical investment for an engagement?
How do we get started?
LET'S TALK
Ready to Transform How You Fund Research?
Ready to Transform How You Fund Research?
Let's start with a conversation about your most pressing research advancement challenge.
What to expect
We'll respond within 24 hours to schedule a brief discovery call. No obligation, no hard sell—just a conversation about your goals and whether Studio Brio is the right partner to help you achieve them.
Most discovery calls are 20-30 minutes. We'll discuss:
Your current research advancement priorities
The specific challenges you're facing
Whether our approach is the right fit
Next steps if there's mutual interest