About
What If exists to build businesses from the ground up and own them long enough to matter.
An operator-led company focused on building, running, and scaling software businesses.
Instead of separating ideas from execution, we do both. We identify problems, build products, and operate companies with full ownership, staying close to the work long after the first version ships.
Most venture studios hand things off. Most funds stand back. We do neither. What If is structured around the belief that the best outcomes come from operators who remain inside the business, making product decisions, running execution, and owning the results.
Over time, we selectively invest and advise where we can bring real value, not just capital. But everything starts with building.
Operator-first
We build what we would use and run what we build. Operator experience is the foundation of every decision.
Long-term ownership
We build companies we intend to own. That changes how we hire, what we build, and how we make decisions under pressure.
Selective by design
We focus on a small number of companies at a time. We would rather build one thing well than manage ten things loosely.
Founder
Nicholas Hubert
Founder & CEO, What If Labs · Head of Product, Prospect Markets
Nicholas Hubert founded What If Labs to build and operate software businesses from the ground up, staying inside the work long after the first version ships. What If is built around the belief that the best outcomes come from operators who remain close to the product, the customer, and the decisions that compound over time.
Nicholas brings over a decade of product leadership experience across complex, regulated industries, with a track record of scaling products from early traction to enterprise adoption. He has led teams through zero-to-one product development, portfolio expansion, AI-enabled innovation, and the operational discipline required to scale products in markets where trust, usability, and reliability matter.
Alongside What If, he serves as Head of Product at Prospect Markets, where he leads strategy, product, and design as the company builds toward launch. His broader portfolio includes an investment in Level Access, an advisory and investor role at Lotly, and a shareholder stake in Prospect Markets. Each relationship exists because he believes in the company, not because it fits a thesis.
His experience spans B2B SaaS, accessibility technology, AI-enabled platforms, and design leadership. Across his career, Nicholas has focused on building products that turn complex workflows into intuitive experiences, while developing high-performing teams capable of moving from strategy to execution.
Founder & CEO
What If Labs
Also
Head of Product, Prospect Markets
Background
Product leadership, software engineering, early-stage operations
Philosophy
How we think about building.
These are not values on a wall. They are the lens through which we make decisions: what to start, how to operate, and what to keep.
- 01The best companies start with real problems
- 02Execution matters more than ideas
- 03Ownership drives better decisions
- 04Long-term thinking compounds value
What If is built to create and own businesses that last.