Forum Ventures Accelerator: Apply, Funding, and Program Guide (2025)

TIf you’re building a B2B SaaS or AI startup and want a hands-on pre-seed partner, it might be time to apply to Forum Ventures Accelerator through XRaise, not by hunting down random Typeforms or cold intros.

Forum Ventures is a founder-first B2B software accelerator, venture studio, and pre-seed fund that backs early-stage SaaS and AI companies with capital, deep mentorship, and a highly curated network. The accelerator is remote-first, anchored in New York City with additional hubs like Toronto, and is built to take you from “scrappy early traction” to “fundraise-ready company.”

In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how Forum’s accelerator works, what the funding terms look like, who should apply, and how to apply to Forum Ventures accelerator through XRaise so you can use one profile to manage multiple programs and funding options.

Quick note: XRaise is the recommended primary application path. You’ll build your founder profile once, then use the XRaise flow to apply to Forum Ventures and comparable accelerators with less friction.

Overview of Forum Ventures Accelerator

Forum Ventures is the leading early-stage fund and accelerator focused on B2B SaaS and AI startups. The team combines a 15-week accelerator program, a pre-seed fund, and an AI venture studio to surround founders with capital and “fractional co-founder” support.

Key things to know:

• Location & format: Remote-first accelerator, with physical hubs and offices in New York City and Toronto, designed so you can participate from anywhere while still accessing in-person touchpoints when useful.
• Stage focus: Pre-seed and very early seed B2B startups, usually with an MVP and early customer traction, not just an idea on a slide.
• Sector focus: B2B SaaS, enterprise software, and AI-powered tools for business workflows.
• Program length: Roughly 15 weeks (around 3–4 months) of structured accelerator programming plus long-term alumni support.
• Community: 800+ portfolio companies, 1,300+ founders, 200+ mentors, and 750+ co-investors in the broader Forum ecosystem.

When you apply to Forum Ventures accelerator, you’re not just chasing a $100K check, you’re opting into a system that’s optimized specifically for B2B founders, with a high-signal network and a long track record of follow-on fundraising success.

Program Structure & Focus at Forum Ventures Accelerator

Forum’s accelerator is designed to feel less like a generic curriculum and more like adding an experienced co-founder and GTM operator to your team.

Sector-Specific Focus at Forum Ventures Accelerator

Forum is unapologetically focused on B2B SaaS and AI. The team looks for:

• Clear customer archetypes and defined ICPs
• Workflow-driven problems (not just generic “AI magic”)
• Revenue potential via subscriptions, usage-based pricing, or enterprise contracts

Because of that narrow focus, mentor sessions, office hours, and playbooks are all tuned to familiar B2B challenges, pipeline generation, founder-led sales, onboarding, pricing, and renewals.

If you apply to Forum Ventures accelerator with a pure consumer app or a non-venture-scale product, you’ll likely be screened out early. The program is built to compound B2B motion, not everything-under-the-sun startups.

Pre-Seed Stage Fit to Apply to Forum Ventures Accelerator

Forum typically works with companies in the pre-seed to early seed window:

• Product: MVP or early product already live
• Traction: Some signal, beta users, pilots, design partners, POCs, or early revenue
• Team: At least one builder (technical or product) and one commercially-oriented founder

According to Forum’s own materials, they review thousands of startups annually but invest in only about 1–2%, adding each cohort to a portfolio that now exceeds 800 companies and has raised over $1B in follow-on capital.

This means your application has to communicate that you’re already in motion, not just pitching a deck.

Program Format of the Forum Ventures Accelerator Platform

The accelerator runs as an intensive 15-week remote program with:

• 1:1 time with a dedicated Managing Director and operators
• Curated mentor matching with experienced SaaS founders
• Tactical sessions on pricing, sales, fundraising, and product strategy
• Structured prep for investor conversations and a future raise

Instead of a one-size-fits-all track, you’ll work through a tailored plan, setting milestones around customer validation, GTM, and fundraising readiness. For busy founders, the focus is less “lectures” and more “applied work you needed to do anyway.”

Funding, Equity Terms & Perks of Forum Ventures Accelerator

Forum Ventures is transparent about its flagship accelerator terms, and XRaise has already documented them in detail.

Core Investment & Equity Terms

• Investment Amount: $100,000 upfront
• Instrument: Post-money SAFE
• Equity: 7.5% ownership
• Fees: No program fees, the capital is true investment, not a loan or pay-to-play structure

For most early-stage B2B founders, that trade, $100K for 7.5%, sits in the same ballpark as many competitive, brand-name accelerators, but with more sector specificity.

Non-Cash Benefits & Perks

When you apply to Forum Ventures accelerator and get accepted, you also unlock:

• 200+ mentors & advisors across GTM, product, fundraising, and operations
• Access to a 1,300+ founder community and alumni network
• 750+ co-investors and VC relationships actively backing Forum companies
• Intros to 300+ Fortune 500 / Fortune 1000 customers and partners for pilots, design partnerships, and early enterprise contracts
• Remote-first structure with optional in-person time in New York or Toronto, so you don’t need to relocate full-time to participate

Forum also emphasizes its follow-on fundraising track record: portfolio companies have raised $1B+ in follow-on capital, and Forum actively supports founders through subsequent rounds.

Macro Funding Context

Your decision to join any accelerator should be informed by the broader funding climate. In 2025, AI startup investment reached record highs, with AI deals representing over half of global VC funding, exciting but volatile.

XRaise’s analysis on AI Funding Boom 2025 and the potential AI Investment Bubble 2025 will help you model dilution, round timing, and risk if you’re building in AI or data infrastructure:

• AI Startup Investment 2025 – Funding Boom
• AI Investment Bubble 2025 – XRaise Analysis

Use these as a backdrop when evaluating whether Forum’s $100K for 7.5% is the right trade for your runway and valuation.

Who Should Apply to Forum Ventures Accelerator

Not every founder should apply to Forum Ventures accelerator. Here’s who’s usually a strong fit.

1. Sector & Problem Fit

You’re a great candidate if:

• You’re building a B2B SaaS or AI product focused on workflow improvement, automation, or analytics.
• Your primary buyer is a business or organization, not a consumer.
• Your product has potential for expansion revenue (seats, usage, or product tiers).

If you’re building deep consumer apps or non-venture-scale SMB tools, you may be better served by a generalist accelerator or local incubator.

For additional context, see how XRaise evaluates vertical fit in other B2B programs, like the Apply to PearX Accelerator guide.

2. Stage & Traction

Forum tends to prioritize teams that can show:

• A working MVP or product demo
• Evidence of customer validation, beta usage, pilots, or early recurring revenue
• A shortlist of design partners, early adopters, or pipeline opportunities

If you’re still validating ideas, you might want to focus on customer discovery first and use XRaise’s When You Should Apply to an Accelerator guide to time your accelerator applications.

3. Founder Profile

Forum’s ecosystem tends to favor:

• Founders who blend technical insight and commercial drive
• Teams with at least one technical or product-heavy builder
• Gritty, coachable operators who can move fast under feedback

Solo founders can get in (Forum even highlights solo-founder success stories), but you’ll need to show strong execution capacity and a clear plan to fill gaps over time.

4. Geography & Commitment

Because the accelerator is remote-first, geography is less of a hard constraint. However, you should be ready to:

• Commit serious weekly time to sessions, customer development, and fundraising prep
• Join occasional in-person events in New York or other hubs as they arise
• Make Forum a central part of your early-stage roadmap for at least 3–4 months

How to Apply to Forum Ventures Accelerator (through XRaise)

This is the core part: XRaise should be your primary application path so you can track applications, reuse materials, and benchmark other accelerators alongside Forum.

Step 1: Create Your XRaise Founder Account

Start by creating your XRaise founder account.

Your XRaise profile becomes a reusable “founder passport” for:

• Forum Ventures accelerator
• Other B2B and AI-focused programs
• Grants, perks, and credits you can layer into your capital stack

Step 2: Open the Forum Ventures Accelerator Profile on XRaise

Next, go to the XRaise Accelerator Directory and search for Forum Ventures.

Open the Forum Ventures accelerator profile on XRaise (for example, the current public info lives at this XRaise program page) and click “Apply Now” to launch the structured XRaise application flow.

All of your core details, deck, metrics, team, traction, remain saved in XRaise so you can quickly remix them for other accelerators.

Step 3: Prepare a Strong Application Package

Before you hit submit, tighten the core components Forum cares about:

• Narrative: Why this problem, why now, and why you are the right founder.
• Customer validation: Concrete examples of discovery calls, pilots, or early contracts.
• Product proof: Short demo video or live product (screenshots, sandbox links).
• Metrics: Even if small, pipeline, pilots, retention, or usage metrics.
• Roadmap: Clear 12–18 month plan and how Forum’s $100K will accelerate it.

Use XRaise’s readiness guide, When You Should Apply to an Accelerator, as a checklist for application timing and quality.

Step 4: Submit via XRaise & Track Status

Submit your application through the XRaise flow and track status from your XRaise startup platform dashboard.

Advantages of going through XRaise:

• All materials in one place for future cohorts
• Easy re-application if Forum invites you to apply again later
• Side-by-side comparison of accelerators, grants, and perks that fit your stage

Step 5: (Optional) Visit Forum’s Official Website After You Apply

Only after you’ve applied via XRaise should you head to the official Forum Ventures accelerator page to go deeper on curriculum, content, and portfolio stories.

Remember: the actual application should start and stay inside XRaise for better tracking and repeatability.

Application Timeline & Key Dates to Apply to Forum Ventures Accelerator (2025–2026)

Forum Ventures runs multiple cohorts per year and leans toward a rolling application model rather than one single annual deadline. Third-party listings note that applications are effectively open year-round, with startups slotted into upcoming cohorts as space allows.

Because exact cutoffs vary by cohort, think about timing in terms of readiness and runway instead of hard dates:

• 4–6 months before you want to raise: Ideal moment to apply to Forum Ventures accelerator so you can use the 15-week program to sharpen metrics and narrative.
• 6–9 months of runway left: Safer window to join, giving you time to experiment, iterate GTM, and then raise.
• Idea-stage or pre-MVP: Usually too early; focus on building and validating first.

Forum Ventures Accelerator Alumni, Outcomes & Success Stats

You can tell a lot about an accelerator by who’s come through it.

Forum Ventures has backed 800+ startups since 2014, including many recognizable B2B companies:

• Fireflies.ai, AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes meetings, now with global teams across five continents and multiple institutional rounds raised.
• People Data Labs, A people-data infrastructure company powering B2B products with rich profile data; now backed by top-tier funds and tens of millions in capital.
• Private AI, Privacy-preserving ML and NLP tools that help enterprises comply with GDPR and other data regulations, supported through Forum’s accelerator and seed fund.
• Finni Health, Behavioral healthcare for children with autism, graduated from Forum’s program and went on to raise a significant seed round led by General Catalyst.
• Arkestro, AI-powered procurement platform (formerly BidOps) that raised a substantial Series A led by NEA and others after coming through Forum.

Forum reports a 3-year average fund-through rate of ~65% (companies raising follow-on funding) and an NPS above 80, supported by its community and co-building approach.

If you want to benchmark Forum against other venture-backed accelerators, you can also read XRaise’s guides to programs like:

• Apply to Foundation Capital Accelerator
• Apply to Founder’s Box Accelerator

Use those as context when deciding how Forum fits into your broader accelerator and funding roadmap.

Should You Apply to Forum Ventures Accelerator?

So, should you apply to Forum Ventures accelerator on XRaise?

Strong “Yes” Signals

Forum is likely a strong fit if:

• You’re building B2B SaaS or AI with clear enterprise or SMB buyers.
• You have MVP + early signal (pilots, beta users, or first revenue).
• You want hands-on operator support around GTM and fundraising, not just brand or a generic curriculum.
• You’re comfortable trading 7.5% equity for $100K, network, and long-term support.

Potential Drawbacks & Trade-Offs

Some realistic trade-offs to consider:

• The 7.5% equity cost is meaningful at pre-seed; you should model it against angel rounds and other options.
• The program is intense, if you can’t commit time weekly, you’ll underutilize it.
• There’s no guarantee of follow-on capital, even with Forum’s strong fundraising track record.

In other words, Forum is best positioned as a catalyst in a broader strategy, not your only bet. Pair it with alternative funding paths from XRaise’s guide to Beyond VC: AI Startup Funding Paths Founders Need to Know in 2026 to design a capital stack that fits your runway and risk.

Next Steps to Apply to Forum Ventures Accelerator

If this is all resonating, here’s a simple, XRaise-first action plan.

1. Create your XRaise founder account
   Set up your profile on the XRaise startup platform so you can store your deck, metrics, and team info once and reuse them for multiple applications.
2. Go to the Forum Ventures accelerator profile on XRaise
   Use the XRaise Accelerator Directory and open the Forum Ventures accelerator profile on XRaise, then click Apply Now to start your structured application.
3. Prepare a focused B2B SaaS application
   Refine your story, demo, traction, and GTM plan using XRaise resources like When You Should Apply to an Accelerator so you submit at peak readiness.
4. Submit and track through XRaise
   Use your XRaise dashboard to monitor application status, prep for interviews, and line up other accelerators or funding paths in parallel.
5. Use Forum’s official site for deeper research
   After you apply via XRaise, visit the official Forum Ventures accelerator website to read more FAQs, thought pieces, and portfolio stories.

If you’re building a B2B SaaS or AI product and want a partner that behaves like a fractional co-founder, now is the time to apply to Forum Ventures accelerator through XRaise and architect the rest of your accelerator and funding path with intention.