Forum Ventures

Let’s talk about the art of selling the future. 🛠️✨ One of the trickiest challenges in building a startup is validating your product before it’s even built. It’s the ultimate chicken-and-egg scenario. Customers want to see a finished product before committing, but you need validation to justify building it. So, how do you move forward? Here’s the truth: You don’t need to write a single line of code to start getting customer buy-in. In fact, staying in the validation phase longer can save time, resources, and ensure you’re solving the right problem. Here’s how: 🛠️ Co-create with your audience. Early customers love being part of the journey. Invite them into the process, listen to their pain points, and refine your pitch (and product idea) based on their feedback. 🔮 Focus on the “why,” not just the “what.” Customers are drawn to the problem you’re solving and the future you’re painting. Show them how their world gets better with your solution. 🔥 Sell your passion. If you believe in what you’re building, others will too. Your conviction can bridge the gap between “not yet” and “let’s do this.” 🤝 Get creative with commitments. Ask for letters of intent, pilot agreements, or small upfront deposits. These signals of intent can validate your direction without needing a finished product. Remember: The goal isn’t to build a product that works—it’s to build a product that works for your customers. Validation is the foundation of everything that follows. Remember, every founder starts here—selling the invisible, the idea, the possibility. Looking for more actionable insights? Check out our latest blog post: https://lnkd.in/e8e3rZny

🚨 Last founder coffee meetups of 2024! 🚨 Toronto: November 27 with 2048 Ventures, Jonah Midanik https://lu.ma/lbu1g9vn Vancouver: November 27 with Ripple Ventures and Graphite Ventures, Sarah Gowe, Bocar Dia https://lu.ma/29ew1u8w NYC (Brooklyn): December 6 with Olivia O'Sullivan https://lu.ma/9zfsl99e Register now to secure your spot! ☕

That's a wrap on #Afrotech! 🎉 Thank you so much to all of the founders and investors who attended our Early Stage B2B SaaS Founders & Funder Breakfast in partnership with Amex Ventures and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.  

I recently heard from Jordan Easterling, CEO and Founder of Building Swell, who's been part of our Forum community since our initial investment in 2022. Jordan shares some of the main things they are proud of from the past year, what they would do differently if they were starting today, and one of his favorite stories about a customer using Building Swell. One standout lesson from our discussion: The power of building teams around the values of kindness and curiosity. Jordan emphasized how these qualities have been instrumental in Building Swell's growth and culture and expanding this to his team and his customers. Check it out

Join Jonah Midanik for an interactive pitch deck workshop. Gain insights on pitch deck effectiveness and get tactical tips to create standout investor pitch decks. Here's what you'll learn: ✅Inside-scoop insights on what investors look for in a winning pitch deck ⏰How to grab an investor's attention in 30 seconds or less 🗣️How to effectively build a narrative or tell your story 💻What slides to include and in what order 🔗Submit your deck for the chance to get live feedback and Click here to register:  https://lu.ma/sq01meha

Last month, we onboarded 7 new companies into our portfolio of category-defining B2B SaaS companies from industries across #AI, #RealEstate, #HealthTech, #VerticalSaaS, #Logistics, #ECommerce, and more.  We review thousands of startups yearly and invest in the top 1-2% of those companies. These companies are joining a community of 400+ best-in-class B2B SaaS startups who are changing how we work, live, and operate. Stay tuned as these companies build and scale throughout the Accelerator Program! 🎉 We're excited to welcome:  Color Robots: Pradeesh Suganthan, Ammar Kothari Panaptico: Adoba Yua, Gufran Mirza Greenshoe: Payton McCoy, Yi Zhang Stage Zero: Manu Stephen, Emmanuel Olomolaiye Cohezion.ai: Jonathan Lee, Timothy Smith Outfox Health: Beth Lopez Vara: Shraddha A., Anandini Chawla

💭⚙️ New Q&A on risk management platform Kamet AI - with founder Shaunak Mistry. Many companies only spot issues after something’s already gone wrong - a machine breaks down, operations slow, or downtime impacts profits. Kamet pulls data from robots, WMS platforms, and even legacy machines, to delivers predictive insights to help streamlines operations. I sat down with Shaunak to dive into their approach. We discussed: - Gaps in current market offerings - Key insights from 300+ customer conversations - The challenge of capturing “tribal knowledge” - Kamet’s tech and product Full write-up and Q&A in The Conveyor (Link under my name) - check it out! #supplychain #warehouse #operations #robots #ai

Founder Coffee Clubs from coast to coast in November 🌎 🛫 👇 See below to sign up for a coffee meetup near you to connect with founders and investors in a low-key environment ☕ November 15 in NYC with Olivia O'Sullivan and L'ATTITUDE VENTURES (Black, Brown, & Womxn Founders & Funders): https://lu.ma/8wn0bxz7 November 21 in Boston with Derek Bugley and Æthos: https://lu.ma/kf1gt8vf November 22 in Chicago with Neal Sarraf and Mucker Capital: https://lu.ma/4a3vq5zj *NEW* November 27 in Vancouver with Bocar Dia, Graphite Ventures and Ripple Ventures: https://lu.ma/29ew1u8w

Such a great event at #AustinTechWeek last week! We had a great panel on why VCs are flocking to Texas and how founders are strategically positioning themselves to thrive in this emerging ecosystem. The panelists didn’t hold back their optimism about Texas' future, predicting a massive influx of talent and capital over the next five years. Thanks to our panelists: Daniel Dart, Anish Zuté, Sarah Visser and moderator Nia Pryce for making this conversation amazing! Some of our favourite takeaways: 👏 The Austin tech ecosystem stands out for its collaborative, community-driven nature, making it unique compared to other tech hubs 🪴 The Texas VC landscape, while maturing, still has room to grow in terms of having more early-stage capital available for founders who have outgrown accelerators but aren't ready for Series A. 🎯 Texas has a large and focused venture capital market compared to Canada, which is more geographically dispersed. This allows VCs in Texas to have deeper roots and connections in the local ecosystem.

✨ Toronto Founders—Let’s Co-Work Together! ✨ Forum Ventures is opening its doors for a co-work day on Thursday, November 14th for early-stage B2B SaaS founders. If you’re tired of the solo grind and ready for a day of productivity and collaboration, this is for you! Limited spots available—apply today to join us: https://lu.ma/3qencoxd Why join? 🔌 Free Wifi, coffee, and snacks 👥 A chance to network with like-minded B2B SaaS founders 💡 An inspiring, supportive environment to fuel your creativity Don’t miss out—see you there! #B2BSaaS #Toronto