From Prototype to Venture.
A mentorship-first bootcamp helping
early stage teams reach product-market fit.
Designed not only to support the technical and strategic needs of startups, but to ensure that founders are learning from the best.
$10K non-dilutive grant + optional
$20K SAFE for 2% equity
Practitioner-led, flexible content on vision, tech, and GTM, tailored to teams.
Weekly office hours + 1:1s with seasoned founders and PL tech experts.
Oct 13-17 in SF with pitch training, investor intros, Demo Day + $1,500 travel stipends.
Juan Benet is the inventor of IPFS, a protocol revolutionizing the web, and Filecoin, the world’s largest decentralized storage network. As the founder of Protocol Labs, Juan leads innovation in technologies like web3, AI, BCI, and more.
Molly leads the PL EngRes WG, is the CEO of FilOz, a public goods protocol development team in the Filecoin network, and is a founding partner with the PLVS venture studio - launching new startups, public goods projects, and research breakthroughs into the PL network.
Sabeen Ali is a seasoned marketing leader with over 15 years of experience in developer marketing, developer relations and innovation. She founded AngelHack, Code-for-Cause and has led GTM for multiple Web3 protocols.
Program Kickoff
Grant are released and community activations, workshops, & mentorship
SMART GOALS DUE
Are you an expert willing to share your experiences and knowledge? Share how you've tackled challenges, and your fresh perspective.
Connect with us today to provide your expertise and help train the next generation of founder.
Protocol Labs is an innovation network driving breakthroughs in computing, to push humanity forward. PL connects more than 600 tech startups, funds, accelerators, foundations, open source projects, service providers, and other organizations. Their work spans the entire R&D pipeline, across fields like web3, AI, AR, VR, BCI, hardware, and more.
Founders Forge is designed to extend the momentum of the PL_Genesis Hackathon and support high-quality early-stage builders within the Protocol Labs network. It aims to accelerate the formation of investable, impactful ventures that align with Protocol Labs’ long-term mission.
The applications for current cohort are closed. In the future, to participate in Founders Forge the most direct path is to win a Protocol Labs hackathon—top teams are automatically considered for an invitation. You can also be nominated by a Protocol Labs team member who believes in your project’s potential. Finally, if you’re building something aligned with PL’s mission, you’re welcome to apply directly.
Founders Forge is a 12-week, part-time program designed to support early-stage teams without requiring them to pause their current momentum. The program is virtual-first, making it accessible to builders across the globe. Each cohort includes 10–15 teams. The next cohort will run from Feb 2026.
Each team accepted into Founders Forge receives a $10,000 non-dilutive grant to support early development. In addition, there’s an optional investment opportunity: teams can choose to receive a $20,000 SAFE in exchange for 2% equity. This SAFE is entirely opt-in and designed to provide flexible, founder-friendly funding for teams ready to take the next step.
