Forum Ventures, the early-stage B2B venture studio, accelerator, and pre-seed fund, today released performance data from its most recent accelerator cohort. The data highlights that 64.1% of founders in the cohort reached early revenue during the 16-week program, while 58.3% were first-time founders and 25.6% were solo-founder led, according to a press release.
The findings challenge common industry assumptions that favor repeat founders, co-founding teams, and pre-program traction. Michael Cardamone, CEO and Managing Partner of Forum Ventures, stated in the release, "Most accelerators are subconsciously filtering out the founders who need them most. Solo founders, first-timers, founders without a product yet - those are exactly the people we built Forum for. The data shows they can deliver."
The cohort data, drawn from Forum's accelerator program which invests $100K for 7.5% equity via post-money SAFE, reveals independent findings across three dimensions. First, 25.6% of founders entered as solo founders, a group often viewed as higher risk by other accelerators and early-stage funds. Forum pairs each company with a dedicated Managing Director who provides weekly 1:1 support, effectively substituting for a co-founder's operational role. Second, 58.3% were first-time founders without prior startup experience, yet the cohort's revenue and follow-on outcomes aligned with Forum's 3-year averages, including a 65% fund-through rate and an 80+ NPS score. Third, 64.1% achieved early revenue during the program, which Forum attributes to its go-to-market focus and structured support, including 15 hours minimum of 1:1 Managing Director time and 40+ investor introductions per showcase.
Kory Kelly, founder of Legal Karma, which raised $6.8M to date, commented in the release, "The $100k is nice... but the real value comes from having the MDs on your team. Their perspective, energy, and introductions as you grow are worth the investment. Especially for first-time founders who need someone to walk the journey with."
Forum Ventures, founded in 2014 and headquartered in New York City with offices in San Francisco and Toronto, has backed over 550 portfolio companies and 1,000+ founders, with $1B+ in follow-on funding raised across the portfolio. The firm's three investment strategies—the AI Venture Studio ($250K at formation), the Accelerator ($100K, 16 weeks), and the Pre-Seed Fund ($250K-$1M)—make it the only early-stage firm investing from pre-idea through early growth. More information is available at forumvc.com.
