About Kendo
A calm space to build meaningful things together.
Kendo is a community studio where makers come together to shape ideas into real products. We believe the best startups are built by small, focused teams who care deeply about what they're creating.
Our Mission
We're building a place where thoughtful builders can find each other, share ideas openly, and create products that matter.
In a world of noise and hype, Kendo offers something different: a slower, more intentional approach to building startups. We value quality over speed, collaboration over competition, and sustainable growth over viral moments.
Focused
Small teams, clear goals
Thoughtful
Quality over quantity
Collaborative
Build together
Supportive
Lift each other up
How Kendo Works
From initial spark to launched product, here's the complete journey through Kendo's features and how they help you build with a team.
Submit Your Idea
Every project starts as an idea. Describe the problem you want to solve, who it affects, and your initial concept for a solution. Ideas start as drafts (private) until you're ready to share them publicly.
As the author, you decide if you want to build it yourself or invite the community to lead the project. This "builder intent" affects how the project gets started later.
Get Community Feedback
Once published, your idea is open for community input. Members can vote to signal interest and leave structured comments to help refine your thinking.
Comments are categorized by type: general discussion, feature suggestions, risk identification, or technical approach. This makes it easy to organize and act on feedback.
Start a Project
When an idea is ready to become real, it transforms into a project. There's a small $20 activation fee to start a project, which helps ensure commitment and keeps the platform sustainable.
If the idea author wants to lead, they start the project directly. If they prefer the community to build it, others can submit proposals and the author chooses who leads.
Build Your Team
Define the roles you need and find the right people. Create open positions with specific skills, time commitments, and descriptions. Control how people join: open to all, application required, or invite only.
Team members have different roles: leads manage the project, maintainers help with decisions, contributors do the work, and watchers follow along. Once you have 3+ members, you can activate the project.
Work Together
Once active, your team uses a kanban-style task board to coordinate work. Create tasks with descriptions, due dates, and assignments. Drag and drop tasks between columns as work progresses.
Tasks can be categorized by department (design, frontend, backend, marketing, etc.) and include meeting links for collaboration. Direct messaging keeps team communication organized.
Manage & Grow
Project leads have full control over settings: update the project summary, manage team members, review applications, and control project status. Activity tracking helps identify when projects need attention.
Projects can accept donations from supporters. Enable donations in settings, and supporters can contribute with optional public messages. A small platform fee supports Kendo's operations.
Additional Features
What We Believe
Ideas are meant to be shared
The fear of someone "stealing" your idea often prevents it from ever becoming real. We believe ideas grow stronger when exposed to feedback and collaboration.
Small teams move faster
The best products are built by focused groups of 3-7 people who trust each other. We optimize for tight-knit collaboration over large communities.
Process enables creativity
Clear structure doesn't limit creativity. It channels it. Tasks, milestones, and roles help teams stay aligned while leaving room for inspired work.
Building should feel good
Startup culture doesn't have to mean burnout and anxiety. We're creating an environment where building is sustainable, enjoyable, and human.
Ready to build something?
Join our community of makers and start turning ideas into reality.