How Forge Works
We build cash-positive businesses ourselves. Forge holds outside founders to that same discipline before they raise, so that when they do raise, they raise from strength instead of from need.
Six stages, the same discipline we hold our own companies to. Equity only, no fee, and delivery pods you can draw on the way our own founders do.
The terms, in plain words
Everything a founder usually has to ask three times.
Nothing in cash
No program fee, no monthly retainer, no success fee on a raise. In exchange, Forge takes a minority equity position agreed before any work starts. Forge does not write you a cash check: any outside funding comes later, from investors, not from Forge itself.
As long as it earns
No fixed programme length and no cohort calendar. Companies move stage by stage. Most of the work that changes the outcome happens in the first two quarters.
Operators, with you
The same people who conceive and run A Foundery's own companies, plus delivery pods for engineering, design, back office and finance ops.
You do
It is your company, your board and your decisions. Forge is a minority position and we do not take over the business.
Remote or Princeton, NJ
We work across the United States and India. In-person time at the Princeton venture studio is available, not required.
A company that survives diligence
Clean books, a model an outsider can audit, cohort retention, and a repeatable way to win a customer. Not a deck template.
The Path
From application to the six build stages. Rolling, one company at a time, no fixed calendar.
Apply
A simple first submission about your idea or company, then a deeper look at your numbers, team and traction. After that, a 20-minute call and a structured interview with the founding team.
- 1.1Application
- 1.2In-depth application
- 1.3Evaluation call
- 1.4Interview
Prove It
Two evaluation sprints: the first works through the real numbers of the business, the second proves out a specific part of the engine.
- 2.1Sprint 1A short evaluation sprint on your own company's numbers, the real unit economics and traction, not a hypothetical case.
- 2.2Sprint 2A second sprint proving out one specific part of your growth engine, still on your own business.
Join
We meet in person at our Princeton, NJ office to align on how Forge will work alongside the company, extend a formal offer, and onboard the founding team the moment it is accepted.
- 3.1In-person meeting
- 3.2Offer
- 3.3Onboarding
Diagnose
We take the company apart. Unit economics, real gross margin, cost to acquire a customer, what the team actually does each week.
Sharpen the offer
One customer, one problem, one price. We cut the roadmap down to the thing people already pay for.
Prove the engine
A repeatable way to win a customer that does not depend on the founder being in the room. Every investor tests this stage.
Systemize delivery
Our delivery pods plug into the parts you should not be hiring for yet. You keep the headcount low and the margin visible.
Instrument the numbers
Clean books, a live dashboard, cohort retention and a model an outsider can audit in an afternoon.
Raise, or do not
We introduce you to investors when the numbers earn it. If the business is better off compounding on its own cash, we will tell you that instead.
The first ninety days
It looks different depending on what you walk in with.
If you are bringing an idea
- We pressure-test the problem against real buyers before a line of code is written
- We size the smallest version of the business that can charge money this quarter
- We decide together whether it is worth incorporating at all
If you are bringing a trading company
- We rebuild the unit economics from source data, not from the last board deck
- We find which customers are actually profitable and which are quietly subsidised
- We cut the roadmap to the part of the business that is already working
About the funds
TheSeedFund.vc and Astir Ventures are legally separate entities. They make their own independent investment decisions. Going through Forge means your company gets a fair hearing from investors who already understand it. It is not a commitment from either fund, and Forge does not earn a fee if they invest.
More about venture fundingFrequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the Foundery operating system.
That Is The Whole Model
If it fits what you are building, the application takes two steps.