Formation.
Before the money.

A studio for testing the interventions, models, and shared experiences for the Jewish world and Israel-Diaspora relations.

I work with founders, funders, and leadership teams to design and prove new models before they scale.

Alongside building Breakthrough Studio, Aaron works directly with a small number of leaders navigating moments of high-stakes decision-making.

Concept

A studio that tests whether the right experience, built with discipline, can shift Jewish life at scale.

The field has energy, capital, and founders. What it lacks is an independent formation layer: someone whose only job is to test whether an idea actually works before it becomes an organization.

Breakthrough Studio identifies high-leverage problems, designs structured interventions, and proves the model before the money goes in. When something works, the Studio hands it off, ready to raise, ready to scale.

Two to three builds a year. No permanent infrastructure. No predetermined solutions. Discipline before scale.

Advisory

Strategic counsel for leaders at an inflection point.

I work with CEOs, funders, and founders navigating decisions that will shape the next 3 to 5 years of their organization or investment.

Engagements are selective and begin with a focused diagnostic.

Working directly with leadership teams on the decisions and structural challenges that determine whether innovation takes hold or quietly stalls.
A steady, experienced operator beside you on the decisions that matter most, before the board meeting, before the funder conversation, before the announcement.
Helping organizations think clearly about where AI changes the model, where it doesn't, and how to make decisions that hold up as the landscape shifts.
Capital strategy, funder positioning, and sequencing so the money that comes in serves the model, not the other way around. Run a Signal Test →

I've been having a number of conversations with leaders working through these questions in real time. If you're in a similar moment, I'm always open to comparing notes.

Inquire about advisory
Studio

Find. Prove. Hand off.

The field funds the story before it funds the model. The Studio changes that sequence.

01
Source
2–3 builds per year
High-signal concepts through trusted networks. Not the loudest ideas, the ones with the most honest signal.
02
Test
Validate fast
Clarify the engagement loop. Cap the downside. Shut down early if the model doesn't hold.
03
Prove
Model before money
Entry, retention, advocacy, proven before capital goes to infrastructure.
04
Hand off
Ready to raise
De-risk until the idea attracts the capital it deserves. The Studio disappears into the success.
About

Aaron Katler

Thirty years across private, nonprofit, and philanthropic sectors. The last decade as CEO of UpStart, one of North America's leading platforms for Jewish innovation, supporting 230+ ventures that collectively deliver millions of Jewish experiences each year.

Career built at the intersection of entrepreneurship and institutions: starting ventures, scaling others, and working inside major philanthropic organizations to turn vision into execution. Fluent in how founders fail and how foundations decide.

Advises boards, funders, and leadership teams on strategy, innovation, and the future of Jewish communal life. Speaks and teaches on innovation, Jewish communal strategy, and what it takes to build something that lasts. The Studio is the next chapter. In the meantime, Aaron spends his time helping leaders make the decisions that determine whether something actually works.

LinkedIn Writing Speaking