A Capital Operating System for First-Time Institutional Raises
Raising institutional capital has become meaningfully harder. The bar has moved, the timelines have stretched, and the margin for error has narrowed in ways many founders don’t fully see until they are already in the process.
Recent data shows that only 15% of startups that raised seed capital in 2022 went on to raise a Series A within two years, down from more than 30% just a few years earlier. In some sectors, including SaaS and gaming, the success rate has dropped into the low single digits. Across the market, 80–85% of seed-funded companies now fail to reach Series A.
The Founder Capital Forum exists to address what that data is actually pointing to.
Who the Forum Is Designed For
The forum is built for:
Founders preparing for their first institutional raise
Companies with product in market and early revenue traction
Teams targeting $5M–$50M in institutional capital
CEOs who understand that capital outcomes now depend on operating discipline, not just narrative
Participants are no longer operating in a startup context. They are stepping into an environment where diligence is holistic and expectations are implicit rather than explained.
Why the Forum Exists
The issue isn’t ambition or effort. It’s structure.
Over the last decade, seed funding has exploded while the number of Series A investors has not kept pace. Each year, more than a thousand companies get stranded between seed and Series A, not because the businesses are broken, but because they are not built or positioned to meet institutional expectations when scrutiny increases.
Most founders in this stage have a real product, early traction, and a working team. What they lack is an operating model for how institutional investors evaluate readiness across strategy, metrics, leadership, and execution.
The forum provides that model.
How the Forum Works
The Capital Operating System
The Founder Capital Forum is built on the Capital Mindset™ Capital Operating System, designed specifically for companies preparing to engage institutional investors.
The work happens inside your business. The operating system provides a structured way to align how the company runs with how investors assess risk, progress, and decision quality. This reduces wasted motion, shortens learning curves, and increases the probability that the capital process moves forward instead of stalling.
It functions as an institutional overlay on the business, similar in spirit to EOS, applied to capital readiness.
Monthly Capital Forums
Cohorts work through the Capital Operating System together, guided by Jeff and Marc. Sessions focus on real company dynamics, investor-facing decisions, and progress across a clear capital roadmap.
Strategic Capital Coaching
Members have direct access to experienced capital partners who act as thought partners throughout the process, helping leaders see issues early and make fewer expensive mistakes.
Additional focused support is available as needed.
What Members Gain
A clear, executable roadmap for institutional capital
A more efficient and focused capital raise process
Alignment across strategy, metrics, and investor positioning
Peer context from founders navigating the same transition
Depending on company needs, work may include pitch materials, investor communication strategy, financial models, valuation framing, and diligence preparation.
The Outcome
The data makes one thing clear. Raising institutional capital has shifted from being a milestone to being a filter. Companies that adapt how they operate, communicate, and prepare move forward. Most do not.
The Founder Capital Forum is designed for leaders who want to be in the smaller group that does.