One of the most common questions I get about GAS Studio is some version of: "What tools do you actually use?" It's a fair question. When you're running a venture studio with multiple active ventures, the tech stack isn't a nice-to-have — it's the infrastructure that makes the whole model possible.
I've spent more time than I'd like to admit evaluating, testing, switching, and occasionally rage-quitting startup tools. What follows is the honest, complete venture studio tech stack we use today — what we pay for, what we use for free, and what I'd cut if money got tight.
This isn't a "best tools of 2026" listicle. It's what we actually run on, every day, to manage Sundream Stickers, Giveable, Margle Media, and the rest of the portfolio from a small team in Milwaukee.
The Operating System Layer
Every venture studio tech stack needs a backbone — the tools you live inside all day, every day. These are ours.
Project Management: Notion. We tried Asana, Monday, ClickUp, and Linear before landing on Notion. What won me over was flexibility. Notion isn't the best project management tool, the best wiki, or the best database — but it's the best single tool that does all three adequately. For a small team running multiple ventures, having one place where everything lives beats having the "best" tool for each category spread across six different platforms.
Every venture gets its own workspace inside Notion. Shared templates for project briefs, content calendars, and launch checklists mean we're not reinventing the wheel every time we start something new. That's the systems-first philosophy in practice.
Communication: Slack + Email. Slack for internal, real-time coordination. Email for everything external. We keep Slack channels organized by venture — #sundream, #giveable, #gas-studio — so context doesn't bleed across projects. AI tools for startups have made email management significantly less painful; I use AI-assisted drafting and sorting that saves probably an hour a day.
File Storage: Google Workspace. Drive, Docs, Sheets. Nothing sexy, but it works everywhere, shares easily, and costs almost nothing per user. We tried Dropbox. We came back.
Business Automation Tools
This is where a small team punches above its weight. Business automation tools are the reason I can manage multiple ventures without multiple full-time teams.
Zapier. The connective tissue between everything. When a new Etsy order comes in, Zapier logs it. When a form submission arrives on the website, Zapier routes it. When a new journal entry publishes, Zapier distributes it. We run about forty active Zaps across the portfolio, and they collectively save what I estimate is fifteen to twenty hours of manual work per week.
The honest take: Zapier isn't cheap at scale, and the pricing tiers can feel punitive as you add more automations. But the ROI is so clear that it's one of the last tools I'd cut.
Make (formerly Integromat). We use Make for the more complex, multi-step automations that Zapier handles clumsily. Anything with conditional logic, data transformation, or API calls that go beyond basic triggers. The visual workflow builder is superior to Zapier's for complex flows.
Claude and ChatGPT. I use both daily, for different things. Claude for longer-form writing, research synthesis, and strategic thinking. ChatGPT for quick tasks, code generation, and when I need a fast back-and-forth. The key with AI tools for startups is knowing what they're good at (drafting, summarizing, brainstorming) and what they're not (original strategy, brand voice, judgment calls). We covered this in detail in how we use AI to build ventures.
Design and Content
Figma. All design work — venture branding, website mockups, social media templates, pitch decks. The component library we've built means starting a new venture's visual identity takes hours, not weeks.
Canva. For the quick stuff that doesn't need Figma's precision. Social posts, story graphics, simple mockups for Etsy listings. The team plan means everyone has access to brand assets without needing design skills.
Adobe Creative Suite. Specifically Photoshop and Illustrator for the work that Canva and Figma can't handle — complex image editing, print-ready files, detailed illustrations for Sundream's product designs.
Vercel + Next.js. Our web stack. The GAS Studio website runs on Next.js deployed to Vercel, and it's been rock-solid. Fast deploys, preview environments for every branch, and the developer experience is excellent. For a small team that needs to move fast on web properties, this combination is hard to beat.
E-Commerce and Sales
Etsy. Sundream's primary sales channel. The platform handles payments, shipping labels, and customer communication. We've layered our own systems on top for inventory management and design pipeline tracking.
Shopify. For when ventures graduate beyond Etsy and need their own storefront. The app ecosystem is enormous, and the checkout experience converts well. We're building toward this for Sundream's next phase.
Stripe. Payment processing for everything that isn't Etsy or Shopify. Clean API, excellent documentation, and it plays well with every other tool on this list.
Marketing and Analytics
Google Analytics 4 + Vercel Analytics. GA4 for deep traffic analysis and conversion tracking. Vercel Analytics for real-time performance monitoring on our web properties. Between the two, we have a clear picture of what's working.
Meta Business Suite. For paid social advertising across the portfolio. Running campaigns for Margle Media clients and GAS Studio ventures from the same platform means cross-pollination of learnings — what we observe in agency work directly informs our venture marketing.
Mailchimp. Email marketing. Newsletter signups, venture updates, and drip campaigns. It's not the most sophisticated email platform, but it's reliable and the free tier is generous enough for early-stage ventures.
Ahrefs. SEO research and monitoring. We use it to identify keyword opportunities for this Journal and for venture-specific content. The content gap analysis feature is particularly valuable for finding topics where we can realistically rank.
Finance and Legal
QuickBooks Online. Accounting for N-Squared Lifestyle, LLC (the entity behind GAS Studio). Each venture has its own class/category, so we can see profitability at the venture level without maintaining separate books.
Mercury. Business banking. Clean interface, good integrations, and the multi-account structure works well for separating venture finances while keeping everything under one login.
Gusto. Payroll and HR. Simple, compliant, and handles the tax complexity that comes with running ventures across different categories.
What I'd Cut (And What I'd Never Drop)
If I had to slash the budget tomorrow, here's how I'd prioritize.
Never drop: Notion, Zapier, Google Workspace, Vercel. These are the foundation. Without them, the studio model collapses into chaos.
Cut reluctantly: Adobe Creative Suite (switch to Canva + Figma only), Ahrefs (use free alternatives), Mailchimp paid tier (stay on free).
Cut first: Any tool where we're paying for features we don't use, which honestly is most SaaS products. The startup tools landscape in 2026 is designed to upsell you into tiers you don't need. Audit ruthlessly and quarterly.
The Meta-Lesson
The specific tools matter less than the principle behind choosing them: every tool should either save time, reduce errors, or enable something that wouldn't be possible manually. If a tool doesn't clearly do one of those three things, it's clutter.
At GAS Studio, the tech stack is a system — designed, maintained, and optimized just like any other part of the business. It's not a collection of random subscriptions. It's the engine room that maximizes small team productivity and lets us build multiple ventures simultaneously without drowning.
Build your stack with intention. Audit it regularly. And never mistake having more tools for being more productive.
GAS Studio is a venture studio building purpose-driven businesses. Follow the Journal for more behind-the-scenes looks at how we build, or get in touch if you want to compare notes on your stack.
This entry is part of our Systems & Scale series. Subscribe to the GAS Studio Journal RSS feed to stay in the loop.
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