A Return to Our Roots: A New Chapter of Founder Support

Forum Ventures is back in San Francisco, the city where we were founded in 2014. We’re excited to deepen our roots on the West Coast with the addition of Deirdre Clute, co-founder and former COO of Rightfoot, as our newest Managing Director.

Deirdre is exactly the kind of partner our founders want in their corner. At Rightfoot, she led go-to-market and operations and raised $21M from investors like Bain Capital and Renegade. She brings founder empathy and a clear understanding of what it takes to take early-stage B2B SaaS companies from zero to one.

She’ll be joining Forum Associate Sruthi Sivanandan on the ground to build a vibrant hub for our West Coast community. Our San Francisco office is more than just a space––it’s a home base for our portfolio founders to collaborate, build, and grow together.

A Growing Team of Hands-On MDs

Deirdre also joins a strong and growing bench of Managing Directors including Neal Sarraf, co-founder of Tenpoint Labs, who joined Forum in 2023, and Kevin Corliss, CEO and founder of Roots (acquired by Deel), who joined in 2024. Together, our MDs represent some of the most founder-aligned leadership in early-stage investing.

Founder-First Since Day One

Since launching in 2014, Forum has invested in 600+ early-stage B2B SaaS companies. Our portfolio has gone on to raise $1.6B+ in follow-on capital. One of our first investments in SF was People Data Labs, who raised a $45M Series B in 2021, and we’ve been backing ambitious B2B SaaS founders ever since.

Not Just Capital—Real, Tactical Support

As Deirdre put it, “When founders win, we win.” Our team of operators and ex-founders roll up their sleeves like fractional co-founders, helping founders establish product-market fit, go to market, reach meaningful traction, and fundraise their seed rounds by connecting them with a network of Fortune 500 enterprises and the right early-stage investors.

Forum supports founders across the earliest stages of building, with three tailored offerings: a $100K investment through our Accelerator, a $250K initial investment through our AI Venture Studio (where we co-build from day one), and a $250K to $1M check through our Pre-seed Fund. Each founder in our Accelerator gets a dedicated Managing Director who works with them one-on-one throughout the journey.

What’s Next in SF

We’re excited to welcome Deirdre and grow our presence in the city where it all began. Stay tuned for founder events, hangouts, and more ways to connect in our San Francisco office.