Forum Ventures

The funding landscape has shifted. The days of easy capital and rapid fundraising cycles are behind us. For early-stage B2B SaaS founders, that means one thing: capital efficiency isn’t just smart—it’s survival. So, how do you extend your runway and build resilience into your startup? In our latest blog, we break down: 🔹 Why longer runways are essential in today’s market 🔹 How to raise with capital efficiency in mind 🔹 What metrics investors care about now 🔹 Real strategies to stretch every dollar while still growing If you’re gearing up to fundraise or rethinking your financial strategy, this is a must-read to ensure your company is built to last. 📖 Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/exA6sRDU

We’ve always believed that early-stage venture capital should move faster, be smarter, and—most importantly—be more founder-friendly. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce our acquisition of vanse.ai, a cutting-edge platform that transforms startup sourcing, due diligence, and investment speed. With Vanse AI’s technology, we’re 10X-ing our ability to identify and invest in high-potential startups. The platform: 📈 🪴 Continuously scans thousands of startups across multiple data sources, surfacing promising companies based on growth signals, market traction, and founder backgrounds. 🏃➡️ Automates due diligence, streamlining financial analysis, market validation, and competitive tracking—allowing us to move at the speed of founders. What’s even more exciting? Vanse AI was born inside our venture studio. Originally built as a solution for external buyers, we quickly realized its game-changing potential and decided to keep it exclusive to Forum. Now, it’s our competitive edge—one that allows us to scale while doubling down on what makes us different: high-touch, hands-on support for founders. 💪 We’re not just accelerating how we invest—we’re reshaping the future of early-stage VC. Let’s build the future together. Read the full release here: https://lnkd.in/gvgyXdB3

One of the hardest (and most crucial) parts of building a startup? #Hiring beyond the founding team. You’ve raised capital—now what? Who do you hire first? How do you avoid costly hiring mistakes? And how do you set up new team members for success? Join MarkOne Health & Forum Ventures for an exclusive workshop & fireside chat designed to help early-stage founders hire, scale, and lead with confidence. 📅 Date: Thursday, February 20 🔹 What We’ll Cover: ✅ When and who to hire first ✅ Common hiring pitfalls and how to avoid them ✅ How to motivate, plan for, and measure success for new hires ✅ Real-world insights from seasoned founders who’ve been there 🔥 Featuring: 👤 Taylor Walker, Head of People @ Forum Ventures 👤 Yair Saperstein, MD MPH, CEO @ AvoMD 👤 Plus two more incredible NYC founders 🗓 Workshop Agenda: 📖 45-min lecture by Taylor Walker on hiring strategy 🍪 10-15 min networking + snacks (because who doesn’t love snacks?) 🔥 45-min fireside chat + audience Q&A If you’re an early-stage founder thinking about scaling your team, you don’t want to miss this. Seats are limited—RSVP now! https://lu.ma/3ywgkld4

Building your MVP is just the beginning—scaling it is the real challenge. Early-stage startups often face critical engineering decisions that can make or break their ability to grow. Move too fast, and you risk tech debt that slows you down later. Over-engineer, and you waste precious time on features that don’t matter. So how do you balance speed and scalability? In our latest blog, Karthik S. shares a tactical guide to help startups go from 0 to 1 efficiently and sustainably. 🔹 Key takeaways: ✅ How to prioritize build vs. buy decisions ✅ The tech stack trade-offs that matter early on ✅ When to optimize vs. ship fast ✅ Lessons from top early-stage B2B SaaS founders 💡 Whether you're a technical founder or an operator hiring your first engineers, this guide will help you make smarter, scalable decisions from day one. Read the full playbook here: https://lnkd.in/exbmgfmB

Less than 2% of VC funding goes to women-led startups. Less than 1% goes to Black founders. The numbers for Latina, Indigenous, and other underrepresented founders? Even smaller. Yet, we know diverse teams outperform. Women-led startups generate more revenue per dollar invested. Black and Latinx founders build high-impact companies, solving problems in overlooked markets. Too often, investors back the familiar: networks that look like them, founders with similar backgrounds, the same schools, the same warm intros. 🚀 What needs to change? ✅ More investors committed to funding underrepresented founders—not as a charity but as a strategy. ✅ More capital flowing to funds that prioritize diversity in their portfolios. ✅ More founders demanding investors who share their values. At Forum Ventures, we actively invest in underrepresented founders because we know the best ideas come from those who have lived the problem they’re solving. Let’s rewrite the stats. If you’re a founder breaking barriers, we want to hear from you.

Congratulations to Ben Emmrich and the entire Tusk Logistics team for their recent Seed round led by Ivy Ventures 🚀 Tusk Logistics, a nationwide network of premier alternative parcel carriers, today unveiled the Tusk Operations Platform—an industry-first solution providing shippers with proactive control and real-time visibility over parcels delivered by Tusk’s network of alternative carriers. The platform drastically cuts the manual overhead of working with multiple alternative carriers, enabling shippers to boost margins, enhance delivery speed and reliability, and scale their operations. https://lnkd.in/edYndX3Y

Last week, we hosted an incredible event in Seattle, diving deep into navigating fundraising pathways with Brex and Cooley LLP. 💡 If you missed it, here are the biggest takeaways from our panellists, Nolan Van Nortwick, Kevin Corliss, and Katherine Sizov that every early-stage founder should know: ⏳ Timing & Readiness: When (and How) to Fundraise 🔹 Just because investors are reaching out doesn’t mean you’re ready to raise. 🔹 Fundraising should accelerate your business, not just keep it afloat. 🔹 Once you raise, the investor expectation cycle begins—"What’s next?" is a constant. Be prepared. 👀 The Investor POV: What Stands Out (and What Doesn’t) 🔹 At the earliest stages, the founder is everything—repeat founders and deep market expertise are strong signals. 🔹 Investors lean on traction if they have doubts about the founder or market. 🔹 The best pitches tell a compelling story—the traditional storytelling arc applies to pitching your company. 📈 Navigating the Fundraising Process & Investor Relations 🔹 Early-stage diligence is quick—sometimes investors are ready to write a check after one meeting. Later stages require deeper financials and a clean cap table. 🔹 Serious investors move fast and make intros to validate your idea—if they’re slow, they’re likely not fully in. 🔹 Build relationships before you need them! Timebox investor meetings—don’t let them become a distraction from building. 🌎 Seattle vs. Bay Area: Fundraising Ecosystem Differences 🔹 Seattle investors are more risk-averse—which means fundraising for moonshot ideas can be harder. 🔹 The good news? More funds are recognizing Seattle’s deep technical talent and starting to make bigger bets. 💰 Beyond VC: Strategic Capital & Alternative Funding 🔹 Not all businesses are venture-backable—if your business doesn’t fit the VC model, don’t waste your time. 🔹 Non-dilutive funding is underutilized—pitch competitions, government grants, and revenue-based financing can be great options. 🔹 Later-stage founders should consider debt financing as a way to grow without giving up equity.

Meet us for coffee in San Francisco ☕ Join Daniela Pico and Sruthi S. from Forum Ventures, Niha Gottiparthy from Emergent Ventures and Drew Lincoln from Puzzle 🧩🚀 to build connections in the early-stage ecosystem. A casual and stress-free meetup designed to bring together founders, investors, and operators in SF. See you there! https://lu.ma/v7ldrzz8

In the second of a two-part series looking at the evolution of seed funding by Gené Teare, Michael Cardamone, CEO of Forum Ventures, highlights a growing challenge in startup fundraising: fewer seed-stage startups are successfully raising a Series A, leading to a longer and riskier journey for founders and investors alike. 🔹 Longer Seed-to-Series A Timelines: The time to reach Series A has stretched beyond two years, with investors demanding stronger traction, clear product-market fit, and sustainable growth metrics. 🔹 The Breakeven Trap: Many startups are prioritizing profitability over growth to extend runway, but this could actually make it harder to attract Series A investors who still prioritize scalability and momentum. 🔹 Impact on Seed Investors: The lower graduation rate to Series A has long-term repercussions—it takes years to see returns on seed investments, and we’re already seeing small and mid-sized funds struggle to raise follow-on capital in this tougher market. What This Means for Founders: ✅ Focus on real, measurable traction—not just runway extension. ✅ Build relationships with investors early to stay on their radar. ✅ Consider alternative funding paths (non-dilutive capital, strategic partnerships). Full article: https://lnkd.in/eQp_Cyew

“I’m worried that my entire identity is my company. It’s seeped into every part of my life—my relationships, my health, even my marriage.” A founder in our portfolio recently opened up to Neal Sarraf, Forum’s Managing Director. It’s raw. It’s honest. And it’s something almost every founder feels at some point—but rarely says out loud. Because when you’re building––and manically focused on your business––the lines can easily blur. Your company’s wins feel like your wins. Its struggles feel like personal failures. But here’s the truth: this isn’t sustainable. You will burn out. So you need to start saying no to things that impede on your personal time and priorities –– and use that time to get back to the people, things, and activities that bring you energy. In this edition of The Midnight Text, Neal shares his own story of realizing he’d lost himself in his startup—and the advice he wishes he'd gotten earlier on in his journey. It’s not just advice. It’s a reflection every founder should read. Read it here (link in the comments 👇 ), and share it with a founder who might need to hear it. #founders #startups #leadership #entrepreneurship #TheMidnightText #ForumVentures