We are a full-service startup studio, birthing projects on a mission to regenerate the planet.

Nature vs. Nurture?

You have a bold and beautiful vision for your business.

This is your unique startup DNA - the nature of the project you are birthing.

But successful manifestation is more than just having a vision. It is the clear, actionable steps you take to bring that vision into form. It is the way you nurture your startup - your strategic implementation, the culture you build, the people you attract, and the values-driven decisions you make each day as your business grows.

It is also the way you nurture yourself through the process of birthing your idea, developing healthy and balanced practices so that you continue to feel inspired and energized with your work.

We are here to help you nurture your startup to bring your vision to life.

We partner with visionary entrepreneurs to make their dreams a reality.

Our Offerings

Whether you need just a few hours of creative brain power, or a complete business plan and branding system - our team is here to support the birth of your regenerative project.

We work with visionary founders in a variety of ways, depending on your needs, budget, and collaborative style:

  • Hire our specialized studio team to complete a custom project for your business, in the areas of branding, business strategy, investor presentation, marketing planning, sales process, etc. View Our Services

  • Join a cohort of entrepreneurs from around the world to bring your project from idea to business plan to fundraising in just 8 weeks. Join Our Online Accelerator

  • Prioritize your business creation and immerse yourself and your team in this in-person regenerative incubator experience. Explore Incubation Residencies

  • Collaborate directly with Kara in 1:1 sessions, completely tailored to whatever you need at the moment. Reserve a Package of Hours

  • Form a long-term partnership with Nurture Studio and our expert leadership to bring your business to life. This is reserved only for projects we feel deep resonance with, and can be structured a variety of ways, including equity exchange, consulting retainer, investment into your business by Nurture Studio, full-time dedicated team, etc. Explore Partnership Opportunity

KARA ALTER, Founder & Principal

Kara is a brand strategist and entrepreneur, committed to designing and supporting regenerative business models - companies whose profits are tied to positive, transformative impact for people and the planet. She has led brand development initiatives for dozens of global for-profits, nonprofits, and startups that have gone on to raise millions in venture funding. Kara has also co-founded several successful startups. Her last tech venture raised $7 million in series Seed and after graduating from the Techstars LA Accelerator in 2017, went on to raise $90M from notable investors as Salesforce, Live Nation, Twilio, and Sony.

Most recently, she is blending her experience in launching businesses with her passion for community building and commitment to ecosystem regeneration, building an ecological neighborhood in Costa Rica called Alegría Village. Alegría is a triple-bottom-line project, transforming 170 acres of cattle pasture into a regenerative community, with integrated food forests, protected biological corridors, a shared organic farm, common spaces, and 145 parcels for homes. Kara developed the branding, vision and storytelling, investor materials, website, marketing/social strategy, sales process and community building strategy for Alegría Village - and brings her learnings and expertise to activate your regenerative community or startup venture. 

  • "Kara is a power house of creativity, innovation, and sheer enthusiasm. I had the pleasure of working with Kara on a re-branding project, and I couldn't have been more thrilled with the results or her contributions to it. She didn't simply guide the group to a better outcome, she made everyone more engaged and creative, really pushing us beyond where we thought we'd go. I would hire Kara for branding, creative, or strategic work any day of the week."

    Robin Daniels, Former CMO WeWork / Matterport / LinkedIn / Salesforce / Box

  • "Kara worked on a project for our organization, Women in the Los Angeles Venture Association to reconstruct the brand. She was thorough, thoughtful, creative, energetic and worked well with the variety of personalities and time frame allotted. Her final presentation and recommendation were dead on right. We are following her recommendations and are seeing the increased success of WinLAVA! I highly recommend Kara as she is whip smart and a delight to work with."

    Laurelle F. Johnson, Women in Los Angeles Venture Association

  • "Kara is not only a joy to work with, she brings tremendous insight and leadership to her clients. I was so impressed with her ability to challenge assumptions while providing structure and incentive to "get it right". Professionalism at its best, Kara exemplifies the type of team player and strategic thinker I'd like to always have on my team."

    Lizzie Alberga, Former CMO, Evite

  • "Kara co-led a strategic consulting project to validate and refine a new value proposition for my employer, a Fortune 500 category leader. She was very result-driven and delivered on time, despite being given an impossible timeline. Kara has terrific consumer insight and was a valuable asset during the consumer sessions."

    Alfred Wang, Former Sr. Dr. Brand Marketing, Apollo Group

  • "There is an uncommon calm, assurance and very insightful personage to Kara which, in the relentless pressure of a startup environment, is the antidote to turbo-charged brainstorming. Always ready with key market insights and competitive landscape facts to guide the thought-partnership, Kara can be counted on to keep the focus directly on the goal."

    Evan MacKenzie, Founder, Bloomers! Education

  • "Kara is by far one of the most savvy, most intuitive, and most capable professionals, let alone brand and business consultants, I've ever worked with. She sees challenges from a holistic view, and pulls from her experience in all domains to narrow down into the core of the problem, and always presents solutions in incredibly well thought through strategic terms. Kara values tangible results and action, and uses incredible strategic thinking to get there - she is adeptly well balanced when it comes to macro and micro thinking."

    Jeremy Tucker, Former Sr. Dr. Brand Development, Innovation Protocol

  • "Kara's personality and positive attitude are infectious. She is the core I would choose to build a team around, simply from her nurturing, open and accepting spirit, attitude, and energy. I could not recommend Kara more highly."

    Jeremy Tucker, Former Sr. Dr. Brand Development, Innovation Protocol

Case Studies

Alegría Village, Costa Rica

  • Alegría Village is an ecological neighborhood in the hills of San Mateo, Costa Rica, dedicated to best practices in regenerative living and design. Alegría is a triple-bottom-line project, transforming 170 acres of deforested land into a regenerative community, with integrated food forests, protected biological corridors, a shared organic farm, common spaces, and 145 parcels for homes.

  • Strategic Brand Development, Investor Positioning & Presentation, Complete Visual Identity, Marketing Plan & Execution, Social Media Strategy, Event Planning, Community Activation, Founding Partnership

LocalCode, Kansas City

  • LocalCode Kansas City (LCKC) is a minority, woman-owned business based in Kansas City’s Eastside. The company is focused on helping low income Eastside communities build wealth and wellbeing through local ownership of businesses and real estate. Kansas City is a deeply divided city with a long history of structural inequities along racial and geographic divides. LCKC aims to counteract these adversities and create the conditions for Eastside communities to transform themselves.

  • Strategic Brand Development, Investor Positioning & Presentation, Pitch Practice & Coaching, Website Creation

Community.com, Los Angeles

  • Community is an SMS marketing platform that connects businesses, brands, political & public figures, creators, musicians, celebrities, and more, to their audiences at scale.


    Each leader gets a unique 10-digit phone number to share with their audience, giving the authentic experience of texting with a friend. Community has over 30 million members, and has enabled 7 billion messages.

  • Original founding team (company was initially called Shimmur, founded 2014), Head of Brand & User Acquisition, Strategic Brand Development, Investor Positioning & Presentation, Complete Visual Identity, Marketing Plan & Execution, Social Media Strategy, Event Planning, Community Activation, Q&A, Product Design