What’s New With Founder Forward - Summer Update🌟

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A Message from Our Executive Director

I hope you’re having a relaxing end of summer, filled with the moments that make life sweet. Here at Founder Forward we’ve spent the summer creating spaces for connection, learning, and collaboration.

The founder journey is deeply rewarding, but it can also be isolating. Our goal is for Founder Forward to be the place founders turn to when they need the motivation to keep building. One way we nurture that connection is through our weekly co-working sessions, held every Friday from 11a.m.-12 p.m. ET on our Circle platform. At the start of each session, participants share their focus for the hour, and at the end, they reflect on their progress. Some founders use the time for routine administrative tasks, while others focus on long-term strategic planning; the work that often gets sidelined in the day-to-day grind. These sessions have become a meaningful anchor for many in our community.

This summer also brought opportunities to share our mission beyond our own platform. We attended the NYC Nonprofit Club’s Summer Happy Hour, co-hosted by Microsoft and Community Boost at the LinkedIn Empire State Building office, where discussions centered on AI use cases for nonprofits and leveraging LinkedIn to expand reach. We also attended the Learning Landscapes Challenge Demo Day hosted by Luminary Labs, which showcased innovations in education. Both events allowed us to stay at the forefront of nonprofit solutions while connecting with peers who share our challenges and ambitions.

We were equally excited to welcome our summer intern, Maurice Onyonyi, whose contributions have been invaluable. Maurice drafted Founder Forward’s first AI policy and led new initiatives to engage our founder community.

A special highlight of the season was gathering with supporters at a New York Liberty game as part of our summer fundraiser. The game was a joyful reminder that community building can be as fun as it is impactful.

As we look toward the rest of the year, we’re energized by the momentum we’ve built and grateful for your continued support in this work.

Quarter Highlights

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We Launched the Volunteer Advisory Network! We’re excited to officially launch our Volunteer Advisory Network, designed to connect founders with on-demand, pro bono advisors to help tackle urgent business challenges. Learn more about the network in our latest blog post. Learn More

Founder Feedback Sessions We recently hosted a founder feedback session with two volunteer advisors, and founder Shane Fuller. Shane received valuable input on his updated website, and guidance on a strategic hiring challenge. The session was full of support and “a-ha” moments! We are looking forward to continuing to host feedback sessions for founders on the community platform.

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Next Gen Engagement In partnership with Build NYC, we joined JobsFirstNYC’s Young Adult Day, bringing together a group of aspiring entrepreneurs for an honest discussion on The True Cost of Entrepreneurship. Attendees asked thoughtful questions like, “What pitfalls do you wish you had avoided?” and “What was your biggest surprise in your entrepreneurship journey?” From co-founder dynamics to time-management struggles, nothing was off-limits—and participants left with a clearer understanding of both the rewards and risks of entrepreneurship. Check out the day!

Founder Updates! We’re proud to highlight KELLS founder Jie's story in our latest blog and to introduce an exclusive offering from KELLS for the Founder Forward network. Traditional dental insurance is often expensive, complicated, and underused. It's not designed for small businesses. KELLS is different — combining advanced digital services through its dental companion app with access to a discounted nationwide network of dentists. It’s simple, affordable, and designed for modern teams of all sizes. With KELLS, your team gets: 📉 25% to 85% savings on dental procedures. 🧑‍⚕️ Access to over 70,000 dentists and specialists nationwide. 🦷 AI-powered virtual dental checkups from home. 💲 Pre-visit estimates on treatment needs and costs. 💬 24/7 personalized dental advice and consultation. 📸 Online second opinion 🧾 No premiums, no hidden fees. As part of the Founder Forward community, you can get started for just $49.99 per employee per year — an exclusive offer only available through this partnership. Learn More & Register Your Interest via this form.