StanForce Labs
AI-Native
Problem Solving
Hands-on AI builds for founders. Platforms, automations, data systems, and AI integrations, shipped by an operator who has built, raised, sold, and scaled. Most write decks. We ship the thing.
Track record
TicketLeap
Acquired
Venmo
Founding Advisor
Loveseat
Bessemer Series A
Wharton
BBA '03
Services
For busy founders who need what's in their head turned into a working system.
StanForce Labs is a flywheel. The consultancy ships work for clients. The YouTube channel tests tools in public and pulls in inbound. The startup studio is where we put our own money where our mouth is. Clients hire us to ship. Sponsors partner with us to reach serious AI operators and founders.
Most clients bring us in for AI builds. The rest is what makes the build actually work.
01
AI Engineering & Builds
Ship the platform, not a deck.
We embed with your team and ship the actual work end-to-end: custom platforms, automation pipelines, data systems, and AI integrations. The AI tooling we use day-to-day lets us compress work that used to take weeks into days.
Founder background built in. We flag the GTM mistake before you make it.
02
Strategic Advisory
Hard problems, fewer scars.
Founder coaching, board work, and problem-shaping for early and growth-stage teams. Whether you need a thinking partner on positioning, a sounding board on a pivot, or a second pair of operator eyes on the org, we bring two decades of pattern recognition to the table.
Founding advisor to Venmo (inception through Braintree). Advised LevelUp ($390M acquired by GrubHub).
03
Investor Strategy & Narrative
We raised. We help you raise.
Pitch dev, investor strategy, deck and narrative work, and warm intros where the network applies. We know what makes a Series A investor lean in because we've been in those rooms on both sides of the table.
Raised $8.5M at TicketLeap (incl. John Legend as angel). Series A from Bessemer at Loveseat. Angel network includes Gabriel Weinberg, Kal Vepuri, Gokul Rajaram.
04
Marketing & Growth
Go-to-market built for the AI era.
Positioning, channel design, demand-gen experiments, and content engines. We build growth systems that compound, not campaigns that don't outlast the budget. Operator-grade, not deck-grade.
Ran ecommerce for NHL, NFL teams, Spirit Halloween, and Spencer's at GSI Commerce. Scaled TicketLeap to $100M+ in annual transactions. 6K+ subs on @StanForce.
05
Operations & Scaling
We helped scale Venmo from SMS to acquisition. We'll help you scale.
Process design, hiring, org structure, and the unglamorous middle of scaling. We've sat in your seat. We know which decisions look small and aren't.
Eleven years as CEO of Loveseat (Bessemer Series A). Wharton '03.
Have something in your head that needs to become a working system? We take a small number of hands-on engagements per quarter.
Get in TouchOn Camera · @StanForce
Testing the AI tools serious builders actually use.
6K+ subscribers. We test the AI tools we'd actually use, kill the ones we wouldn't, and document the builds in real time.
Sponsor · @StanForce
Partner with @StanForce.
I work with select AI, devtool, automation, and founder-focused companies that are genuinely useful to my audience. Available formats include sponsor integrations, dedicated walkthroughs, launch support, and advisory-plus-content partnerships.
I only cover products I can credibly test, understand, and recommend.
Best fit: products for AI builders, technical founders, coding-agent users, automation-heavy teams, and startup operators.
Request sponsorship infoHow We Work
Four principles. No exceptions.
Hands-on
Decks don't ship products. We do. Every engagement ends with working software, not a slide deck and an invoice.
AI-native
AI is leverage, not magic. We use it day-to-day to compress the path from idea to working system. The tools earn their place by working.
Operator-tested
Two decades of founder and operator instincts. We don't just build the technical thing. We build it with fundraising, GTM, and product strategy in mind.
Honest
If a tool doesn't work, we kill it on camera. If your idea has a flaw, we name it. We'd rather lose the engagement than waste your time.
Selected Work
Who we work with.
Web3 · Ticketing
StarkWare
ZK-proof scaling pioneers for Ethereum (Starknet, StarkEx). Embedded as Entrepreneur-in-Residence to develop ticketing and events opportunities on the platform.
Visit siteMartech · Ecommerce
Quikly
Urgency marketing platform powering promotions and offer strategy for top consumer brands and Shopify merchants. 14 years driving urgency-led growth.
Visit siteEdTech
LSAT Lab
Adaptive LSAT prep platform that's helped 40,000+ students raise their scores with personalized study plans built by 20-year teaching veterans.
Visit siteEcommerce · Growth
Downtown Ecommerce Partners
Ecommerce analytics, optimization, and marketing consultancy helping online merchants understand their performance and grow.
Visit siteAuthor · Interactive
Continuance
Near-future thriller by Chris Bennett set in 2030, exploring digital consciousness, identity, and what we'd do to keep the people we love. Paired with an interactive web experience.
Visit site
Meet the Founder
Chris Stanchak
Two-time founder and hands-on AI operator. Founded TicketLeap (sold to Patron Technology after scaling to $100M+ in annual ticket sales), was a founding advisor to Venmo from SMS-era inception through the Braintree acquisition, and co-founded Loveseat, a Bessemer Series A marketplace that ran for 11 years.
Now ships hands-on AI work for founders through StanForce Labs, runs the in-house startup studio, and publishes to a YouTube audience of 6K+ at @StanForce. Wharton '03.
Track Record
Built. Sold. Repeat.
2024 — Present
StanForce Labs
Founder
An AI operator shop building platforms, automations, data systems, and AI integrations for founders. Plus an in-house startup studio and the @StanForce YouTube channel.
2013 — 2024
Loveseat
Cofounder & CEO
A returned goods marketplace giving Wayfair, Overstock, and other retailer returns a second life. Series A from Bessemer Venture Partners. 11-year run, wound down in 2024.
2002 — 2017
TicketLeap
Founder & CEO
Started with a $50k SBA loan. Raised $8.5M in VC (John Legend was an angel; Daymond John advised). Scaled to $100M+ in annual ticket sales before selling to a PE group.
2009 — 2012
Venmo
Founding Advisor
Advised from SMS-era inception, before iPhone apps existed, through the Braintree acquisition in 2012.
In-House Studio
Bets we're building.
We build our own ventures alongside client work. Same hands that ship for you.
5Founders
A mastermind platform bringing small groups of like-minded founders together to help each other in a facilitated and supportive way.
5Founders.comTurnip
Buy and sell children's clothing by the box. Discover adorable outfits that grow with your little ones while saving money and the planet.
TryTurnip.comLaunchSquad
A platform empowering startup founders to document their journey, share progress updates, and build a following as they develop their companies.
LaunchSquad.ioReturnKick
An ecommerce returns liquidation platform finding second homes for millions of returns globally.
Get in Touch
Have something that needs to become real?
We take a small number of hands-on engagements and select sponsor partnerships per quarter. Tell us what you're trying to ship, promote, or validate, and we'll tell you whether there is a fit.