Location: New York,New York,United States

Forum's Venture Studio Forum Ventures Studio is a leading early-stage fund and program for B2B SaaS startups. Starting a company is demanding, complex, and psychologically challenging. As former founders and early-stage operators, we understand firsthand that Founders need support, honest feedback, and someone who truly cares in their corner.Our mission is to make the journey easier and more successful for Founders, and we've achieved this by making over 350+ seed investments that have raised $600M+ in follow-on funding. Forum founders have gone on to raise from funds like Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, Uncork Capital, 8VC, Founders Fund, Menlo Ventures, Canaan, Bowery Capital, Susa Ventures, SV Angel, and more.We are seeking a Founder/CEO to invest in and run one of our next companies focused on creating a company that tackles the challenges of search optimization as AI transforms the landscape.What are we exploring?As artificial intelligence transforms the landscape, platforms like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity are revolutionizing how users discover information. Traditional SEO tactics that once dominated digital marketing will become less important over time as more searches move to LLMs. These AI-powered engines bypass conventional signals like keywords and backlinks, instead weighing content based on contextual depth and authoritative relevance – demanding a fresh approach to optimization.Enter Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), the natural evolution of SEO. Industry forecasts predict traditional search engine usage will decline by up to 25% by 2026, catalyzing a strategic shift in marketing budgets toward GEO initiatives. This creates a prime opportunity to develop tools that empower brands to monitor, analyze, and enhance their presence across leading language models.While the GEO competitive landscape remains in its infancy, the trajectory is clear: AI-driven search is the future. Forum derisks and accelerates the Founder path by:A $250K USD investment with you as majority shareholder, and an end-to-end fundraising playbook and network to raise your seed and Series AProviding a vetted business idea and business model in a large marketThe support of our experienced operating team - from business design, product development, growth, recruitment, legal and moreExecuting a winning GTM strategy to get you to 50-100K ARR, and the right MVP to ensure early tractionA community full of mentors, peers, and leaders$100K worth of business perksWhat you bring:An earned point of view on the problems brands and customer engagement teams face with an AI-driven search landscapeA technical or product background in search, search engine optimization (SEO), performance marketing, digital marketing, or any other relevant domainsPrior founding or early-stage experience.A demonstrated commitment to technology’s ability to change the worldA desire to be a venture-backed founderAbility to collaborate in North American time zonesPlease note, this is not an employment opportunity with Forum Ventures.About Forum VenturesForum Ventures® is the leading early-stage fund, program, and community for B2B SaaS startups based in New York, San Francisco, Toronto, and remote. Founded in 2014, we’re on a mission to make the B2B SaaS journey easier, more accessible, and more successful for early-stage founders, through pre-seed and seed-stage funding. We provide high-touch 1:1 support, programming, corporate perks and introductions, and an active SaaS community to support you through every step of your building journey.Starting a company is demanding, complex, and psychologically challenging. As former founders and early-stage operators, we understand firsthand that Founders need support, honest feedback, and someone who truly cares in their corner. Our mission is to make the journey easier and more successful for Founders, and we've achieved this by making over 350+ investments that have raised $1Bn+ in follow-on funding. Forum founders have gone on to raise from funds like Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, Uncork Capital, 8VC, Founders Fund, Menlo Ventures, Canaan, Bowery Capital, Susa Ventures, SV Angel, and more. 
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