Systematic Innovation from Los Angeles
SkaFld Studio is a platform for systematic company creation in the AI age. Four integrated divisions share a single proprietary methodology (the SkaFld Ideation Methodology) to conceive, validate, scale, and invest in ventures, from the earliest spark of an idea to the investment decision.
The Partners
Charles Sims
Creator of the SkaFld Ideation Methodology. Former CTO at the LA Clippers and UTA, where he led technology transformation across sports and entertainment.
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Keith Coleman
Stanford ’86. Co-Chair of the UN Joint SDG Fund Breakthrough Alliance overseeing a $290M+ portfolio across 150+ countries. 17 years in policy-aware technology deployment.
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Mike Belloli
COO of SkaFld Studio and Co-Founder of Lyfe AI. Full-stack architect managing platform strategy, financial modeling, and digital infrastructure.
LinkedInOur Approach by Division
Each division applies the SkaFld Ideation Methodology to a different strategic mandate, from zero-to-one venture creation to investing our own capital.
Our Framework
Every division runs on one system: an eleven-phase methodology and the Synthetic Balance Sheet that scores every decision before we build.
From Discovery to Evolution
The SkaFld Ideation Methodology's eleven phases, condensed into four stages: research before opinions, multiple architectures, then quantified validation before a dollar is committed.
Discover
Meta-Framework · Decompose · Research · Synthesize
Map the real constraints, break the problem into six dimensions, then research how 5+ other industries solve the analogous problem, all before a single opinion enters.
Evidence before ego.
Design
Architect · Pre-Mortem
Generate 3–5 genuinely different solution architectures, from Conservative to Breakthrough, then try to kill each one before committing a dollar.
Diversity is mandatory.
Validate
Model · Stress Test · Validate
Quantify every architecture on the Synthetic Balance Sheet, stress it to its breaking point, then let three tiers of experts pressure-test the analysis.
Numbers beat narratives.
Execute
Execute · Evolve
Ship the smallest experiment that tests the core assumption, with kill criteria set in advance, then feed every learning back into the pattern library.
Every project makes the next one better.
The Synthetic Balance Sheet
Every solution is quantified across four dimensions (immediate and future, value and cost) before any commitment. No gut feel. No stories without numbers.
Balance = 50 + ( mean assets − mean liabilities ) ÷ 2
The score a decision is made on. A line with no evidence is not assessed, never scored as zero.
Value = ( IV − IC ) × Certainty + ( FV − FC ) × Probability × Discount
In currency, attached only when real figures exist.
An asset. Revenue impact, cost savings, risk mitigation, and signal value the solution creates now.
A liability. Capital, implementation, change management, and opportunity cost required to launch.
An asset. Market expansion, platform effects, option value, and durable capabilities over time.
A liability. Technical debt, maintenance, obsolescence, and lock-in risk down the line.
The balance answers whether it is worth it. The Executability Score answers whether we can act on it: four factors (Immediate Value, Resources, Path to Scale, Risk Mitigation) at 25 points each, with points lost only for missing evidence. It drives the Decision Gate.
- 80-100
- Execute
- 60-79
- Refine
- 40-59
- Rethink
- 0-39
- Kill
Let's Build Something Worth Building
Whether you have a venture to validate, a growth challenge to solve, or an enterprise ready for AI transformation, we'd love to hear from you.
