2025 Impact Report
In 2025, FoundersForge navigated significant shifts in the funding and economic landscape while continuing to strengthen and expand our region’s startup ecosystem. Changes in the national grant environment and broader economic uncertainty required rapid adaptation, prompting us to refine our model, diversify revenue, and build a more sustainable path forward. By year’s end, we secured additional funding for 2026 and established a clear trajectory toward becoming fully self-funded by the end of 2026.
Despite these challenges, momentum across the ecosystem remained strong. Startups in our community continued to grow, raise capital, generate revenue, and gain national visibility. For the first time, our region’s startup ecosystem was featured in Forbes, affirming the long-term value of sustained investment in Appalachian founders. Our flagship events Startup Mountain Summit and The Pitch welcomed more than 300 attendees from over 14 states, supported by committed sponsors and partners who continue to invest in this work.
2025 also marked the launch of Avante, FoundersForge’s six-week startup bootcamp developed from five years of directly supporting founders. Following a successful local pilot, Avante is expanding to 21 cities in 2026, extending our reach while creating a scalable, mission-aligned revenue model. The program is also being adapted for use within recovery centers, universities, and community-based organizations, expanding access to entrepreneurship as a pathway to economic opportunity.
Together, these efforts reflect a resilient, growing ecosystem supported by strong partnerships and a founder-first approach. The following metrics highlight the tangible outcomes of this work in 2025—from mentorship and programming to capital raised, media coverage, and regional reach.
Let’s take a look at the impact we had in 2025…
The Impact by FoundersForge
Companies Impacted
Companies Impacted
Coaching Sessions
Event RSVPs
We’re Helping Founders Reach Their Summit
The Startup Mountain Summit was the first Startup conference in our region and is now the premiere conference for early-stage Startups in the Southeast. Our third annual conference in 2025 was the best yet, and 2026’s Summit planning is well underway with big things in store for our region. The event combines incredible speakers that provide inspiration, actionable insights, and the latest tools Founders can use to launch, build, and grow their ventures. Learn more at the Startup Mountain Summit Website.
Attended the Summit
Attendee Experience Rating
States Represented
Sponsors
Investors
California
Farthest State
Startup Community Growth
Founder Demographics
- Male Founders 74%
- Female Founders (High Growth) 26%
- Female Founders (Small Business) 56%
Startup Status
- Product / Service in Development 45%
- Product / Service Launched 21%
- Idea Stage 29%
- Growth Stage 5%
Startup Community Summary:
Our Startup community spans a diverse group of markets and services. This data does not include hyper-local small businesses or agencies, both of which have seen tremendous growth in our region. For simplicity, we grouped companies into Software as a Service (SaaS) unless they were in a specific category like Healthcare. The takeaway from this data is the incredible growth that we’ve seen in high-growth startups in the last few years. This includes woman-owned ventures in both the high-growth (20%) and small business (40%) sectors. Despite this growth, we still have more opportunities to expand our demographics across the board and we look forward to doing so in 2026. We also see substantial demand for helping Founders get their ideas off the ground and move into the growth stages of their business. Lastly, all entrepreneurship supporters and the community must strive to inspire more people to start their own businesses.
FoundersForge in the Press
Our Startup Community in the Press
Multiple Companies Reached $1M+ in Revenue and Reached Profitability in 2025
Personality Pool Launches Forever Free Tier and Video-Based Personality Assessment
FoundersForge Community Impact
We strive to make an impact in our local community through the support of other nonprofits and social impact organizations.
Trained Pitchers and Provided Judges at ETSU iBucs Pitch Competition
Trained Pitchers at ETSU Elevates
Entrepreneurship Day with the JC Chamber’s Leadership Class
2026
FoundersForge AI Academy Launches
The inaugural cohort of the FoundersForge AI Academy begins in May, 2026. This 8-week, hyper-focused curriculum is designed to take you from concept to a launched product with elite engineering support. Phase I (Weeks 1-4) covers project foundations including AI-driven coding workflows and rapid frontend implementation. In Phase II (Weeks 5-8), you build your flagship product with 1-on-1 guidance with full-stack Supabase integration and deployment and launch support. Available for individuals or teams.
Learn more and secure your spot at FoundersForge.com/Academy
Bringing Back Two Favorite Events
Amplify423 Workshop Series
Over the past few years, we’ve seen the startup/entrepreneurship scene grow tremendously. Startups in our region are not only solving problems in east Tennessee, but all over the U.S. In order to sustain this growth and “amplify” Tennessee startup voices, we are bringing back our lunch and learn series called Amplify423.
Our mission is to provide founders, startups, and entrepreneurs with the tools and connections they need to succeed. Hear from local startups, industry leaders, and others who have been through, or are currently going through, their startup journeys.
Most importantly, we hope to spotlight founders and industry leaders in our community and emphasize the innovation happening here in the mountains.
This event happens every other month, and potential workshops will happen throughout the year.
See the Full Schedule at FoundersForge.com/event-feed/.
Startup Founders After 5
The main goal of Startup Founders After 5 is to bring the entrepreneurship community together. No agenda, No speakers, just connections. We want to hear about your journey—whether you are a startup founder, entrepreneur, or just looking to get involved, we’d love to meet you! This is the perfect opportunity for everyone to connect, share ideas, and form relationships in a laid-back environment.
This series of networking events takes place at businesses across the region, so we can all enjoy the local business scene while building valuable connections in the community.
See the Full Schedule at FoundersForge.com/event-feed/.
Avante Startup Bootcamp
Avante momentum continues to build as more cohorts of Avante Startup Bootcamp are launching in 2026 with partners including the Johnson City Chamber of Commerce, Create Appalachia, Hatch Accelerator at UVA Wise, and more!
Learn more about Avante and our partners at LaunchAvante.com.
Startup Mountain Summit 2026
The premiere conference for early-stage Startups in the Southeast is leveling up this Fall. You can count on incredible speakers, workshops, and intentional networking experiences to build on top of the success of last year’s event.
Stay tuned for an exciting announcement featuring FoundersForge, the Startup Mountain Summit, and the region on the world stage!
Avante + STRONG ACC + JCRC
STRONG ACC is partnering with the Johnson City Recovery Center and FoundersForge to bring the Avante Small Business Bootcamp to the recovery community. The program focuses on helping parents in recovery or re-entry who are aspiring business owners. The six-week program equips founders with the business fundamentals to help them go from idea to launch and beyond.
Apply to this free program for parents in recovery or re-entry here.
Four-Time GAFC Awardee
In 2025, FoundersForge was awarded the SBA’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition award for the fourth time to explore alternative approaches to venture capital for high-growth startups.
Stay tuned for more to come in 2026.
This is just the beginning. 2026 is set to be one of the biggest years in our region’s entrepreneurial history. We look forward to seeing you at our events and helping you build, launch, and grow your Startups in 2026!
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