buildspace's Idea Accelerator for Creatives

The rise of digital careers is far from a minor ordeal, with modern technology greatly shifting the present and, undoubtedly, the future of work. While demand for jobs that were once deemed the most secure, stable, and successful, such as being a doctor or a lawyer, still exists, more people are resorting to flexible and often creative and passion-based careers.

This transformation is undoubtedly correlated to how traditional education has changed quite radically, visible through the vast space of online education. Advancements in new technologies and the internet have made learning anything and everything more easily accessible, no longer demanding those curious to learn to travel across countries or drown in mountains of student debt, though this education system is often still the more mainstream route.

In support of those yearning to turn their passion into revenue-generating careers, Farza Majeed creates buildspace, a place where creatives are given the opportunity, ability, and resources to work on their craft, no matter how big or small.

Education vs. Learning

Farza started his work in the education sector in 2018 when he built ZipHomeschool, software with tools and features that help parents homeschool their children. In 2019 and 2020, Farza and his team created an online elementary school with over 100K students aged 4-11, teaching them subjects they were interested in and curious about.

Following Farza’s years working in the education sector, during which he surrounded himself with others in the sector and witnessed an education revolution, Farza knew that learning is no longer an aspect of life that is generally difficult for anyone to seek. Considering the amount of online education available through free courses on the internet or the educational videos one might find on platforms like YouTube, one can learn anything anywhere.

However, his eyes were opened to a flaw. Farza witnessed the increasing number of individuals who got caught up in the modern educational system, those who endlessly pursued and raced for degrees and certificates only to end up joining the workforce and neglecting their passion.

This was when Farza and his team felt there was no perfect and safe place for those who simply want to learn things they’re passionate about, those who wish to ambitiously work on their passion projects and pursue them as future careers. The revelation, coupled with the team’s core principle of providing the opportunity to receive education and learn, then led to buildspace.

Passion and Focus

buildspace, which is backed by YC and a16z, began running in 2021, followed by the creation of a product called “projects” in 2022 that led to the company making $1.5M a year. “projects” was filled with creators and developers creating educational side-projects, an example being how-to videos on building an NFT-based video game or an AI avatar generator, alongside the company. After only a year, the company witnessed these side projects actually turning into full-fledged, revenue-generating products.

Unexpectedly to some, the company actually stopped working on “projects,” as the team feared that the program was turning buildspace into another typical course platform anyone could find online. Farza faced a revelation once more that a program like “projects” already exists, comparing its smaller-scale impact to what Y Combinator does for startups whose goal is to become the next billion-dollar company. The same applies to the education system harboring students to work for “bigger” careers.

buildspace aimed to create a place that does not view big or small projects as ambitiously differing. buildspace wishes to build a program for those who wish to work on a successful YouTube channel, work on a short or feature-length film, or build an indie SAAS business and feel welcome to do so without prejudice or doubt.

The company made this happen with “nights & weekends,” a six-week program for creatives to start building their craft, firstly by developing any of their ideas from scratch and then followed by their first fans, revenues, downloads, and so on by the end. “nights & weekends” are filled with weekly lectures, funny skit videos, and more content that mixes education and entertainment in just the right amount to push creatives to make progress each week.

The program, essentially an idea accelerator, ran online through email, Discord, YouTube Live, and other platforms and ends with a three-day event where all the program’s graduates come together. Last July, buildspace built a campus in San Francisco that allowed creatives to come together and share their ideas with one another in person, as well.

With buildspace, creatives received resources to pursue career transformation and creative freedom, and the company couldn’t be more satisfied. Over 30k individuals joined “nights & weekends,” and over 3K ended up building and shipping their ideas, receiving fans and revenue.

buildspace’s demo day revealed various products that creatives participating in “nights & weekends” managed to create, such as sustainable wedding services from a startup named Savitri and a fighting game with tech titans and modern icons as characters named Titans of Modernity.

Now gaining exposure, the company anticipates the need to develop buildspace further to help millions pursue their passions. Though Farza and his team haven’t shared much detail yet, they’ve announced a product that will be released in summer 2024, said to be a bigger and better “nights & weekends.”

Source: buildspace

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Job Posting

• buildspace - Growth Hacker - San Francisco, CA (In-Office/Hybrid)

• buildspace - Program Lead, nights & weekends - San Francisco, CA (In-Office/Hybrid)

• buildspace - Product Engineer, Mobile - San Francisco, CA (In-Office/Hybrid)

• buildspace - Product Engineer, Full-Stack Web - San Francisco, CA (In-Office/Hybrid)

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