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 offers a detailed look at revenue outcomes, founder backgrounds, and team composition across the program. Three findings stand out: 64.1% of founders reached early revenue during the program, 58.3% are first-time founders, and 25.6% are solo-founder led.
According to Michael Cardamone, CEO & Managing Partner, "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 narrative around early-stage funding has long assumed that the safest bets are repeat founders, co-founding teams, and companies with demonstrated traction before the program begins. Forum's 2026 cohort data offers a different perspective on each of these assumptions. Solo founders can deliver: 25.6% of the cohort are solo-founder led. Many accelerators and early-stage funds favour co-founding teams during evaluation. Forum's approach of pairing each company with a dedicated Managing Director who works 1:1 weekly means solo founders receive the operational support and accountability that a co-founder would typically provide.
First-time founders are not a risk factor: 58.3% of the cohort had never founded a company before. Prior startup experience is often favoured by investors, yet the cohort's revenue and follow-on outcomes are consistent with Forum's 3-year averages: a 65% fund-through rate and an 80+ NPS score across the portfolio. First-time founders who receive structured, hands-on support - 15 hours minimum of 1:1 Managing Director time, 40+ investor introductions per showcase - perform.
Revenue during the program is the real traction benchmark: 64.1% of founders reached early revenue during the 16-week accelerator. The Forum model - focused on go-to-market, customer traction, and fundraise readiness from week one - is designed to produce this outcome regardless of what traction a founder had when they joined.
Kory Kelly, Founder of Legal Karma (raised $6.8M to date), noted, "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's accelerator is a 16-week program investing $100K for 7.5% equity via post-money SAFE. Each company receives a dedicated Managing Director who works with them 1:1 weekly. The program is focused on go-to-market, customer traction, and fundraise readiness. Forum does not run a curriculum; it meets founders where they are. The accelerator is best suited for founders who have raised less than $500K and are pre- or post-MVP. Applications are reviewed individually, and Forum answers every pitch.
Forum Ventures is an early-stage B2B venture studio, accelerator, and pre-seed fund that invests in founders from zero to one. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in New York City, with offices in San Francisco and Toronto, Forum has backed 550+ portfolio companies and 1,000+ founders, with $1B+ in follow-on funding raised across the portfolio. Forum'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. Learn more at forumvc.com.
