Founders Creative Accelerator: Building the Future with AI

Founder stories, partnerships, and progress from our accelerator

Welcome to the fortnightly update from Founders Creative.

Think of this as your backstage pass into the accelerator, a glimpse into the founders, lessons, and partnerships that are shaping the next generation of AI startups. Even if you’re not (yet) part of the cohort, we want you to see the kind of progress and possibilities our community creates.

Founders, Front and Center in Silicon Valley

Founders on Stage at the AI Vibe-Coding Summit

Catherine Zhao and Lalit Kundu, Co-founders, Delty (YCX25) with Mala Ramakrishnan, Founder and Managing Partner, Progressive Ventures

Two of our portfolio founders, Catherine Zhao and Lalit Kundu from Delty (YCX25) recently took the stage at the AI Vibe-Coding Summit to demo their product. Seeing them pitch live is a reminder of what rapid progress looks like when you’re surrounded by the right peers, mentors, and partners.

Showcasing Founder Pitches at the AI Innovators Forum at Google

At our recent AI Innovators Forum at Google, the spotlight was on our founders. Five startups from our accelerator pitched live in front of 300+ operators, investors, engineers, and product leaders.

But the Forum goes beyond the stage. It’s also where founders get direct access to seasoned VCs hearing unfiltered advice on what it really takes to get backed in AI today.

Here’s a short clip from our VC panel at the Forum, see what Brian Bell, Founding & Managing Partner at Team Ignite Ventures, has to say:

Don’t just take our word for it. See it firsthand.

Join the upcoming AI Innovators Forum: Idea to Impact on Monday, September 29th, and experience the kind of conversations and community that define the FC Accelerator. Register here.

Voices from our Inaugural Batch

Our inaugural batch of founders recently graduated and transitioned to become accelerator community members. When asked to share feedback, they gave us an NPS of +67, showing strong satisfaction and likelihood to recommend.

Founder Testimonial from the Inaugural Batch

Here are some highlights from what they shared:

  • 100% felt the accelerator helped them make meaningful progress.

  • 67% pointed to the mentors and curriculum as the most helpful part of the program.

  • 67% highlighted networking opportunities and customer introductions as valuable.

Here’s how one of the founders described their experience:

Founders Creative provided an ideal springboard for us. The structured, week-by-week sessions with dedicated action items ensured consistent progress. Mala’s depth of experience around go-to-market and investor readiness added invaluable perspective. I strongly recommend it to early-stage teams.

— Yogesh Trivedi, Co-Founder, CognitivTrust

Based on feedback from our first batch, we’re adding more time for deep-dive sessions, bringing in more 0→1 founder coaches, and creating more touchpoints for alumni to stay connected.

Ecosystem Updates

Three of our accelerator startups have now crossed $50K ARR, a key milestone that signals early PMF. As part of our Board of Directors program, we’ve placed 2–3 experienced advisors with each of them, bringing deep expertise in industry, technology, and sales. This added layer of guidance is helping them sharpen strategy and scale with confidence. 

That’s a wrap for this edition.

Applications for our Fall Batch close on September 30th. If you’re building in AI and want to fast-track to PMF with the right peers, mentors, and partners, this is your window. Apply now.

Or, if you’d like to learn more first, join our last info session for the Fall Batch on September 25th — RSVP here.

See you at the next fortnight!

Looking forward to supporting you in your startup journey,
The Founders Creative Team

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