One week ago, we put together a deck called Building in Chaos for Motion Ventures’ portfolio companies. 

We thought it might be helpful. What happened next proved it was something more: it gave founders and operators a conversation catalyst to explore how to navigate the moment, together. Not fully (after all… there’s only so much 13 slides can dive into) but with enough structure to think sharply about what’s next.

The most surprising part? What surfaced in conversations. Founders didn’t just use the deck internally, they referenced concepts in LP updates, added discussion points to strategy sessions, and even shared screenshots on LinkedIn.

It became less of a broadcast and more of a dialogue. Between founders and VCs. Between operators and the macro environment. Between urgency and conviction.

Why we published the deck in the first place

We didn’t set out to write a macro playbook. We set out to help founders tune out the noise and make sharper decisions when the terrain is uncertain. The market was pulsing with headlines: protectionism, carbon regulation, decarbonisation pressure, and a squeeze on startup capital.

We asked: how do we help founders stress test their approach to building, especially when they’re in the thick of it?

That led to Building in Chaos.

What founder responses are surfacing about #BuildingInChaos

What we heard from founders wasn’t that the market was chaotic. It was that they were navigating sharper ways to respond. This is the work of early-stage capital in volatile times: not just backing ambition, but anchoring it.

Here are five reactions that capture what the ecosystem saw and shared back:

1. "This gave us a new way to talk to our own team."
   One portfolio company used the slide on “What we’re still figuring out” to scaffold their next strategy discussion internally.

2. "It makes sense to consider macro headwinds with this framing." "This helps with timing."
   Founders told us the MEPC 83 timeline, CBAM notes, and Red Sea affirmed what surfaced on their end while sharpening their thinking around what might impact GTM or compliance cycles. Several founders fed back that it made them revisit not just what to prioritise, but when.

3. "I’ll be referencing this in our next quarterly update."
   A founder shared that they used the short ROI and GTM reframing slides to explain their revised targets during a quarterly update.

4. "How we listen to our customers matters."
   Instead of chasing features, one team said they re-centred on urgency and accessible wins that mattered more to customer decision-makers.

5. “There’s more to consider.”
   As founders rightly pointed out, this deck was just a starting point to begin stress testing how they’re approaching a shifting market. For some, #BuildingInChaos flagged opportunities to strengthen existing considerations. For those already operating with clarity and composure, the deck offered reassurance.

What this tells us about where maritime is heading

Early-stage maritime startups aren’t just navigating operational friction.

They’re calibrating to external complexity—shifting regulations, fragile trade lanes, carbon rules in flux—and doing it with fewer resources, tighter sales cycles, and investor expectations that haven’t slowed down.

The startups that responded to Building in Chaos weren’t looking for reassurances. They were looking for thought partners who could support thinking around framing tools, decision scaffolds, and cues on how to stay oriented while the terrain kept moving.

The most resonant insights were the ones that:

• Anchored macro shifts to tactical consequences

• Gave founders permission to simplify their decision-making

• Helped translate market chaos into GTM posture

• Created common language for internal and investor comms

We’re seeing growing appetite for structured, founder-first frameworks that help early teams cut through geopolitics, regulatory churn, and capital pressure—and still keep building.

And when those frameworks work, they don't just help founders focus. They spark a sharper conversation across the ecosystem about what resilience, timing, and leadership look like now.

Building in Chaos:

When pressure builds, so do founders

• For the full Building in Chaos deck: Reach out to request for a copy here or connect with Belle Lim, Anders Vartdal and Cliff Tan from the team.

• If you’re seeing something in your corner of the market, or you’ve got a pattern others should know about, let’s talk.