A Call for Founders: Building Where the Economy is Breaking

Forum's Venture Studio brings together ambitious founders, brilliant ideas, and capital to build the best B2B SaaS businesses in the world, from 0 to 1. In addition to capital and an idea, we support founders with a full design and development team, go-to-market support, strategy, and back-office (accounting, legal, HR) support. We also offer full fundraising support, including narrative and pitch deck creation, investor outreach plans, and investor introductions. Our model is designed to help you move faster, develop better insights, and build companies that have a higher success rate than startups built in any other way.

We’re watching the economy restructure in real time.

AI isn’t just optimizing workflows, it’s revealing where foundational systems no longer match the scale or urgency of demand. In sector after sector, we’re seeing massive imbalances between what the market now needs and what legacy infrastructure can deliver.

AI is accelerating faster than the physical systems that power it. Energy, construction, and telecom, the backbone of global infrastructure, are all straining to keep pace. Energy demand is spiking, but permitting and supply coordination can’t move fast enough. Construction capacity is stretched thin by manual, compliance-heavy workflows. And telecom networks, the digital backbone of this transformation, are expanding on top of outdated and unreliable data. AI is breaking the old systems open, revealing where the world’s infrastructure needs to evolve.

These aren’t isolated inefficiencies, they’re system-level gaps in how the economy operates. And they’re exactly where AI-native platforms can create generational companies.

This post outlines a few of the ideas we’re most excited about, built for a world where demand is compounding, and intelligent software is the only way to keep up.

Nuclear Compliance AI – AI-native platform for global nuclear regulatory intelligence.

Context‍

The nuclear industry is experiencing a global resurgence as countries look to expand carbon-free energy sources. Over 60 new reactors are under construction worldwide, and more than 100 are in advanced planning stages. 

However, current compliance officers, general counsels, and plant managers struggle to keep pace with evolving rules from the NRC, IAEA, and regional regulators, while simultaneously managing safety documentation, supplier oversight, and audit readiness. Current solutions rely on expensive consultants and manual processes. The result: delays, fines, and in worst cases, plant shutdowns. The pressure is mounting: nuclear audits require detailed, real-time traceability, yet most workflows remain spreadsheet and paper-based.

The Market‍

Global nuclear compliance spending is estimated at ~$1.5B annually, and demand is expected to rise as more nations commit to nuclear in their net-zero roadmaps. Procurement cycles are slow, but the pain is acute: compliance failures can cost tens of millions per incident. Beyond reactor operators, there are ~2,000 major suppliers that must meet stringent cross-border standards, an underserved segment with limited compliance resources.

The market is also driven by the fact that 400+ operational reactors are aging and facing heightened regulatory oversight, with compliance now accounting for 3–4% of the ~$40B annual O&M spend.

Within nuclear, however, adoption of compliance SaaS is still nascent. Competitors like Compliance.ai ($30M funding) and RegIntel ($20M) are building multi-industry compliance platforms, while nuclear-specific startups remain early-stage with <$20M raised, meaning this market is wide open.

The Opportunity‍

Build a nuclear-grade AI compliance and operations platform that unifies regulatory intelligence with daily plant workflows. Instead of relying on fragmented tools and expensive consultants, we will offer a single source of truth that connects global regulation, supplier documentation, and plant operations.

The platform will facilitate:

• Regulatory monitoring & prediction: aggregate NRC, IAEA, EU, and national regulations in real time, auto-tagged by plant and supplier relevance, with predictive models that highlight likely policy shifts before they happen.
• Operations automation: streamline corrective action program (CAP) reports, safety documentation, and trend analysis with AI, reducing administrative burden and improving reporting accuracy.
• Supplier compliance management: give suppliers a dedicated workspace to manage certifications, audits, and regulatory mappings, with auto-flagging of gaps to reduce operator risk.
• Audit & readiness dashboard: centralize upcoming filings, obligations, and evidence storage, with one-click reporting that improves audit preparedness.
• Security-first deployment: support nuclear’s unique security needs with air-gapped, on-prem, or secure cloud options, all with explainable AI outputs regulators can trust.

As nuclear expands, through new builds, next-gen reactor designs, and increasingly global supply chains, compliance challenges will multiply. This creates a path for the platform to grow in scope and depth alongside the industry: adding modules for new technologies, adapting to evolving regulatory regimes, and embedding predictive insights directly into daily workflows.

Why We’re Excited‍

Nuclear is having a clear moment. The global clean energy transition has elevated it from a debated option to a strategic necessity. The U.S. and Europe are accelerating plans for next-generation reactors, while over 60 new plants are under construction worldwide. But the most powerful catalyst comes from the AI revolution: hyperscalers like Google, Microsoft, and Meta are already signing power purchase agreements with nuclear plants that don’t yet exist, betting their growth on reliable, carbon-free baseload power.

If the U.S. wants to stay competitive in AI, it needs massive, clean, scalable energy, and nuclear is the only viable path. 

That creates the perfect opening for new tech to be built for the nuclear industry. Compliance has always been the chokepoint in nuclear, but as demand accelerates, there is no room for delay. 

Telecom Inventory AI – Real-Time Intelligence for Telecom Infrastructure

Context‍

Telecom operators are facing a major hidden problem: their network records no longer match what actually exists in the field. As fiber networks expand and 5G densifies, systems that track cables, ports, and routes are failing to keep pace. Most operators still rely on static GIS maps and legacy databases that can’t capture continuous change or model how physical and logical assets interconnect across technologies like GPON, WDM, and IP/MPLS.

The result: new connections fail, outages take longer to diagnose, and field engineers waste hours reconciling mismatched data. Automation tools built on this flawed foundation only amplify the issue, garbage in, chaos out. The industry’s biggest constraint isn’t a lack of capacity; it’s a lack of data integrity. As inventory drift accumulates over time through thousands of undocumented splices, outdated PDFs, and manual updates networks become increasingly out of sync with reality.

The Market‍

The telecom industry is growing fast, with billions spent each year on new fiber builds, broadband expansion, and 5G backhaul. But while networks are scaling, the data describing it remains fragmented, siloed, and outdated.

The market for network data assurance is emerging quickly as operators scale fiber and automation efforts. The global OSS/BSS software market is valued at $54B, with network inventory management representing roughly $4.3B of that total. 

Operators often do one-off “data cleanup” projects with consultants, which are outdated within months. Legacy systems assume their records are correct, but they rarely are. At the same time, regulators now require accurate broadband maps, and automation efforts demand trustworthy data. The need for a continuously verified, live network dataset has never been greater.

The Opportunity‍

Build a cloud-based platform that serves as a real-time “truth layer” for telecom infrastructure. The product would automatically check what’s in the system against what exists in the field, and keep them aligned.

It would include:

• AI-powered data matching: Automatically reconcile fiber routes, splice points, ports, and devices across fragmented databases using semantic and graph-based models. Improve consistency and eliminate manual data cleanup cycles.
• Automatic drift detection: Continuously monitor for discrepancies between recorded inventory and physical reality, with real-time alerts, visual diffing, and confidence scores to pinpoint errors and risks.
• Field verification tools: Equip field engineers with mobile apps that enable schema-validated updates using photo capture, GPS tagging, and QR/NFC scans — reducing data entry errors and ensuring on-the-ground accuracy.
• APIs for system sync: Seamlessly integrate verified updates into GIS, OSS/BSS, and orchestration platforms, ensuring a unified and up-to-date source of network truth across the enterprise.

Why We’re Excited‍

As networks scale and automation becomes the norm, operators can’t rely on outdated or inaccurate records. A live, self-correcting source of truth enables faster provisioning, fewer truck rolls, and fewer compliance risks saving millions in OPEX and reducing downtime.

This kind of “always accurate” infrastructure data layer will be essential for the next generation of telecom operations. It’s a high-margin, scalable opportunity in a space that’s only getting more complex and it’s exactly where the next major winner in telecom software will emerge.

Construction Compliance AI – Automating insurance and safety onboarding for contractors.

Context‍

Construction firms face mounting regulatory pressure from agencies like OSHA (U.S.) and WSIB (Canada), with fines exceeding $100K per violation. Yet, the insurance and compliance onboarding process remains manual, error-prone, and reliant on outdated workflows like spreadsheets, faxed forms, and fragmented software. For HR and operations leaders, delays in onboarding subcontractors lead directly to project delays, lost revenue, and heightened liability. 

The Market‍

Construction technology adoption is accelerating, with contech SaaS growing ~14% YoY. The global construction tech market is projected to hit $17B by 2030, with ~$1.7B tied directly to safety and compliance software. Mid-market firms with >50 employees face disproportionate compliance costs and are actively seeking automation solutions. While players like Procore, Bridgit, and Smartvid.io tackle adjacent safety and workforce needs, no one has yet solved the insurance onboarding bottleneck, leaving a significant white space.

The Opportunity‍

Build an AI-driven network data assurance platform for telecom operators. This platform would continuously reconcile what’s recorded in GIS, OSS/BSS, and orchestration systems with what actually exists in the field — creating a live, trusted source of truth for network infrastructure.

Core functionalities include:

• AI-driven data matching: automatically reconcile fiber routes, splice points, ports, and devices across fragmented systems using semantic and graph-based models.
• Automatic drift detection: flag discrepancies between recorded inventory and field reality in real time, with visual diffing and confidence scores.
• Field verification tools: enable technicians to validate updates through mobile photo capture, QR/NFC tagging, and schema-checked data entry.

The wedge is inventory reconciliation, but the vision is broader: build the data accuracy layer for the connected infrastructure economy. Over time, this could expand to include cross-domain assurance (fiber, transport, RAN), predictive outage modeling, and audit-grade compliance reporting, forming the foundation for fully autonomous, self-healing networks.

Why We’re Excited‍

As construction projects grow in scale and regulatory oversight increases, firms urgently need tools to reduce liability and administrative overhead. Companies that can’t keep up risk costly fines, higher premiums, and stalled projects.

The construction industry is also highly fragmented, and smaller firms are increasingly looking for digital solutions to minimize paperwork and manual processes. As AI capabilities continue to improve, this need will only accelerate, especially as smaller firms compete with larger, better-resourced players. This dynamic creates a massive opportunity to build a scalable, high-margin platform that levels the playing field and defines the future of compliance in construction.

AI for Energy Grid Compliance – Automating NERC compliance for utilities

Context‍

The electric utility sector is facing intensifying regulatory scrutiny under the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). Compliance has become increasingly complex, with standards covering cybersecurity, reliability, and physical security. Despite the high stakes, where fines can range from tens of thousands to millions, many utilities still rely on outdated, consultant-heavy processes and antiquated software. Manual spreadsheets and checklists dominate, leading to inefficiency, human error, and operational risk. The lack of innovation in this space, combined with growing regulatory demands and modernization of the grid, has created a pressing need for an AI-native solution.

The Market‍

Compliance with NERC standards is mandatory for every registered entity involved in operating or ensuring the reliability of the Bulk Electric System (BES) across North America. That includes transmission operators, generation operators, balancing authorities, and more. The compliance burden is significant, with over 95 standards enforced and constantly evolving. The market for compliance solutions is estimated at over $1.5B annually, with clear evidence of investor appetite. 

The Opportunity‍

Build an AI-native compliance automation platform tailored for regulated electric utilities. This platform, will serve as a digital compliance copilot, continuously monitoring, validating, and reporting on NERC standards. Core features will include:

• AI Compliance Bots: automate routine compliance checks by logging into legacy systems, extracting logs and evidence, and validating against NERC CIP requirements, reducing consultant dependency and manual workloads.
• Automated Evidence Mapping: centralizes disparate data sources (SCADA logs, spreadsheets, PDFs, SAP modules) into structured compliance reports directly aligned with each regulatory standard.
• Real-Time Compliance Dashboard: provides a single pane of glass showing status across all enforced NERC standards, highlighting areas at risk before audits.
• Anomaly Detection & Alerts: continuously monitors systems for gaps or unusual activity, flagging potential violations or missing records before they escalate into fines.
• Audit Trail Automation: maintains a tamper-proof record of compliance activities and evidence, simplifying the audit process and reducing the risk of penalties.
• Regulation-Aware AI Engine: parses new and updated NERC standards, automatically updating requirements in the platform to keep clients audit-ready at all times.

Why We’re Excited‍

The combination of mandatory budgets, rising cyber and reliability risks, and outdated incumbents makes this market uniquely primed for disruption. Today’s NERC compliance landscape is largely antiquated. Incumbents like Tripwire, SigmaFlow, and Network Perception were built in the early 90s and have since been absorbed into larger firms. Even with firms like Dragos raising significant capital, the industry lens is still fixed on services. The space is acquisitive, but true product innovation has failed to keep pace.

This gap creates a clear opening for an AI-native approach. By starting with CIP, the most repetitive and risk-heavy standards, a compliance copilot  can automate patch validation, access log reviews, anomaly detection, and documentation mapping in real time. Once that wedge is established, expansion into the full library of 95+ NERC standards is a natural progression.

Ready to build?

We're seeking exceptional founders to tackle these four concepts head-on. With the support of a dedicated team and $250K in initial funding, you’ll have everything you need to transform these concepts into thriving businesses.

If you’re interested in building with Forum please apply through the corresponding founder-in-residence description. If none of these areas fit what you’re working on, feel free to apply through the Forum Studio Founder posting. Please highlight relevant experience and the area you’re most interested in.

While we’re actively building in these spaces, Forum Ventures is always open to hearing from founders with bold, original ideas. If you're working on an early-stage B2B SaaS company, even at the idea stage, we’d love to hear your pitch through the Forum Studio Founder posting.

Founder-In-Residence Postings

1. Founder, Nuclear Compliance AI
2. Founder. Telecom Inventory AI
3. Founder, Energy Grid Compliance AI
4. Founder, AI-Driven Construction Compliance Platform

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