Forum Ventures, the early-stage B2B venture studio, accelerator, and pre-seed fund that has backed 550+ companies since 2014, 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.
Across Forum's most recent accelerator cohort, 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. These three data points are independent findings from the same cohort, reflecting different dimensions of who is in the program and what they achieved during it.
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. Many accelerators and early-stage funds favour co-founding teams during evaluation, but Forum's approach of pairing each company with a dedicated Managing Director who works 1:1 weekly means solo founders receive operational support and accountability. First-time founders are not a risk factor: 58.3% had never founded a company before, yet the cohort's revenue and follow-on outcomes are consistent with Forum's 3-year averages, including a 65% fund-through rate and an 80+ NPS score. Revenue during the program is the real traction benchmark: 64.1% reached early revenue during the 16-week accelerator, regardless of what traction they had when they joined.
Michael Cardamone, CEO & Managing Partner of Forum Ventures, said, '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.'
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.
Program terms include $100K for 7.5% equity, post-money SAFE, 16 weeks, 15 hours minimum 1:1 MD time, 40+ investor introductions per showcase, and $100K+ in year-one perks. Forum Ventures was founded in 2014 and is headquartered in New York City, with offices in San Francisco and Toronto. The firm partners with a small number of founders at a time to co-build, validate, and scale B2B software businesses across North America. Forum has backed 550+ portfolio companies and 1,000+ founders, with $1B+ in follow-on funding raised across the portfolio. Learn more at forumvc.com.
