cohort 01 · bengaluru · in residence
bengaluru,july 2026.
31 days. 16 founders. one villa. no curriculum, no panels, no networking. just the work.
the receipts · cohort 0
the first roomalready worked.
we are not asking you to believe a pitch. this happened.
$2.5m
raised by cohort 0
650+
applications
~2%
accepted
9
companies built
placed into y combinator, entrepreneurs first, founders inc and studio k.
see what happened at cohort 00→who it's for
the roomis for builders.
you have shipped real things, you talk to your users, and you can live at full intensity for 31 days.
we select for drive, not pedigree. the only thing that matters is the thing you can't stop building.
the room · cohort 01
meet thefellows.
the builders in the bangalore house this july.
hug · ex-asent (→ mentra) · ef
“company brain” for ai agents
llm-memory infra
hug (w/ waris) · ex-asent (→ mentra) · ef
latitude-54 · counter-swarm · w/ vai
latitude-54 · w/ krishna
ai music · beating sota
ex-iit-d · iitsocial · w/ chaitanya
altman-validated · w/ aditya bhandari
simulacrum · openai-funded
the house · bangalore
one villa,three floors.
quiet, dense, hidden. address revealed closer to the date.
the deal
completelyfree.
forge takes no money and no equity. we make nothing from you.
before you ask
the honestanswers.
does it cost anything?
+
no. forge is completely free for builders. no application fee, no tuition, no catch. housing, dinners, ai credits and domains are covered.
do you take equity?
+
no. forge takes no money and no equity. you keep all of your company.
what stage should i be at?
+
anywhere from -1 to early traction. we select for drive, not pedigree. an idea you cannot stop building beats a polished deck.
do i have to relocate?
+
yes. you live in the bangalore villa for the full 31 days, july 1 to 31. that is the point.
when do applications close?
+
june 25. the cohort starts july 1. we read every application and adi usually replies within a few days.
bangalore is full · bali is open
apply.
three questions. a paragraph each. we read every one. adi usually replies within a few days.