Question 1

What does Forge cost?

Accepted Answer

Nothing in cash. Forge is equity based. We agree a minority equity position before any work starts, and there is no program fee, no monthly retainer and no success fee on a raise.

Question 2

Does Forge invest cash in my company?

Accepted Answer

No. Forge itself does not write a check or wire capital into your company. What you get in exchange for equity is operators' time, delivery pods for engineering, design, back office and finance ops, and a business built to cover its own costs. If you then choose to raise outside capital, it comes from investors such as TheSeedFund.vc or Astir Ventures, who evaluate you independently and decide on their own, not automatically because you went through Forge.

Question 3

What equity stake does Forge take?

Accepted Answer

The equity allocation to A Foundery is based on the scope and complexity of the engagement, including the number of operators involved and the delivery-pod hours your company requires. Forge does not make a direct cash investment.

Smaller, shorter engagements require less equity, while deeper, longer-term engagements require more. The exact equity allocation will be clearly defined and mutually agreed upon before any work begins.

Question 4

How is The Forge different from The Anvil?

Accepted Answer

In The Anvil, A Foundery conceives the business, funds it and recruits a Founder to run it. In The Forge, the idea and the company are already yours. We work on your business, you keep control, and the goal is to get it paying for itself. From there, raising is a decision you make on your terms rather than one the runway makes for you.

Question 5

Do I have to already have a company?

Accepted Answer

No. Forge accepts both an idea you have thought hard about and a company that is already trading. The application asks which one you are, because the first ninety days look different for each.

Question 6

Do I need to be incorporated, have revenue, or have US work authorization to apply?

Accepted Answer

No to all three. Forge accepts an idea you have already tested against real customers, or a company that is already trading, with no revenue minimum. You do not need to already be incorporated either: if it makes sense to incorporate, we help you get there as part of the process. Unlike Anvil, The Forge does not require US work authorization.

Question 7

How long does Forge take?

Accepted Answer

There is no fixed program length and no cohort calendar. Companies move stage by stage as they earn it. Most of the work that changes the outcome happens in the first two quarters.

Question 8

Does Forge help with legal, engineering, or back-office work?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Delivery pods for engineering, design, back office and finance ops are available to draw on, the same shared resource A Foundery's own companies use. That support is there while you work toward positive unit economics and cash flow; once the business is generating steady cash flow, you build out your own team.

Question 9

Will TheSeedFund.vc or Astir.vc invest in my company?

Accepted Answer

Possibly, but nothing is guaranteed. Both funds are legally separate entities that make their own independent investment decisions. Going through Forge gets you a fair hearing, not a term sheet.

Question 10

Do I need to be in the United States?

Accepted Answer

No. The work is remote, with in-person time at our Princeton, New Jersey venture studio available if you want it.

Question 11

Do I need to work on my company full-time?

Accepted Answer

We strongly recommend it. The founders who get the most out of Forge work on their business full-time. That focus is what moves a company to covering its own costs, and it shows the seriousness we look for. The company stays yours, so the choice is yours, and we will ask about your commitment when you apply.

Question 12

Is there a deadline to apply?

Accepted Answer

No. Forge takes applications on a rolling basis. We review them as they arrive and we only take on as many companies as we can genuinely work on at once.

Question 13

What happens after I apply?

Accepted Answer

We read every application. If it looks like a fit, we come back to arrange a first conversation about the business and its numbers. If it is not a fit right now, we will say so plainly rather than leave you waiting.

Question 14

What if the business needs a lot of capital before it can sustain itself?

Accepted Answer

Then Forge is probably the wrong room, and we will say so early.

Forge works when the distance between where you are and self-sustaining is something execution can close: an offer that converts, delivery that holds its margin, a channel that repeats. We are good at closing that gap.

If the gap is mostly capital rather than execution, we cannot close it for you. Taking you on anyway would cost you months and teach you nothing you could not learn faster from a fund built for that.

Question 15

What kind of idea fits The Forge?

Accepted Answer

One that can reach paying customers without a long research or approval period first. We look for a real buyer, an offer that can be sharpened until it converts, and delivery that can hold its margin.

If the distance between where you are and self-sustaining is something execution can close, that is the fit. If it is mostly capital, or years of R&D, it is not, and we will say so early rather than take a year of your time finding out.

Question 16

What does The Forge actually do to my business?

Accepted Answer

Six stages: diagnose, sharpen the offer, prove the engine, systemize delivery, instrument the numbers, then raise or do not.

In practice that means taking the business apart, cutting the roadmap down to the thing people already pay for, and building delivery that does not fall over as volume grows. You keep running the company throughout.

Question 17

What does self-sustaining actually mean?

Accepted Answer

Three things, in order: customers who pay, margin that holds, and growth the business funds itself.

Clear all three and the round becomes optional, which is the whole point. You can still raise, but you raise because you chose to rather than because the runway decided for you.

Build a business that doesn’t need funding. Then raise on your terms.

Growth at any cost, or growth that pays for itself

An accelerator optimises for

Forge optimises for

What you get

No fee, ever

Operators, not mentors

Delivery pods on tap

Investment readiness as a deliverable

Warm introductions when earned

You keep control

See the full process

Who The Forge is for

Forge is for you if

Forge is not for you if

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to have it looked at properly?