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ASAN Scale and its cohort programs, ASAN Forward (Cohort 0, Cohort 1, etc.), with the American South Asian Network
It shouldn’t depend on who you know.
Doing six figures and stuck getting to seven? ASAN Scale brings founders with early traction the customers, the know-how, the capital and the hands to make the jump – matched to your stage, with ASAN’s community behind you. Founders ready for more apply to ASAN Forward, a small cohort powered by ForwardShare’s studio.
Great founders rarely stall for lack of drive or effort. They stall because the connections, expertise, capital and hands they need are out of reach, and getting them depends on who you know. ASAN Scale changes that.
Connections
“Your next big customer is one intro away – and you don’t know who has it.”
→ Warm intros to the buyers, partners and talent who can say yes.
Expertise
“You’re making $200K calls – pricing, hiring, your next market – with no one who’s made them.”
→ Get them right the first time, with people who’ve done it.
Capital
“Raising feels like cold emails into the void.”
→ Meet investors who fit, when you’re ready – not before.
Execution
“Every deal, every plan, every fire still runs through you.”
→ A team that builds alongside you, so growth doesn’t depend on you alone.
Early traction. Real customers. Ready to grow.
ASAN Scale is for founders with a product in market and paying customers, a paid pilot or a signed letter of intent.
They know what to do next. What they’re missing is the people to do it with.
So we bring them: Expert Operators who have done it before, a Venture Pod that builds alongside them, buyers and investors in the room, and a Venture Program with real milestones.
Founders across industries and backgrounds are welcome, with particular encouragement for South Asian founders. Revenue or real customer demand helps; promising earlier-stage companies are considered too.
Product in market, first customers or pilots
Revenue coming in, ready for the next stage
A business that works, ready to build a team
Deep industry know-how, now building a company
South Asians are shaping America, and too many founders are still doing it alone. ASAN, the national platform for younger South Asians in the U.S., changes that. Join ASAN Scale and your company has its rooms, its partners and its audience behind it.
When your company hits a milestone, ASAN’s channels tell the story.
ASAN-wide figures from ASAN, not program results.
Founders with traction are usually missing four things: execution, expertise, capital and connections. Each ForwardShare pillar brings one of them, and each runs on a platform that keeps the work moving.
Execution
Where ideas are built.
Venture partners, a Venture Program with real milestones, and a Venture Pod that builds alongside you.
Explore Studio »Runs on
Your team’s shared workspace: plans, notes and playbooks for the whole company.
Expertise
Where expert operators take the seat.
A Personal Advisory Board of Expert Operators matched to your stage, plus a peer board of founders.
Explore Expert Operators »Capital
Where funding finds founders.
Capital rooms and introductions when you raise, and coinvestment where we cofound or cobuild.
Discover Capital »Runs on
Help with your plan, deck and data room, and the right investors to talk to.
Connections
The hub for bright ideas.
Your story shared while you build, SCALE UP clips, and the rooms and events where the community meets.
Explore MindShare »Runs on
Invitations to the right customer and investor rooms, and follow-up that actually happens.
Two builders who have taken companies from zero to one many times over, inside flagship companies and in ventures of their own, with a network of expert operators behind them.
Founder, CEO & Managing Partner
25+ years building zero to one inside flagship companies, from Spotify’s Ad Studio to 100M+ identity verifications at CLEAR. Founder or cofounder of three ventures, and an expert operator and advisor since 2015.
Where he built
Cofounder & Studio Partner
A serial entrepreneur since 2006 across telecom, mobile, gaming and AI. He cofounded one of India’s first iOS studios, with two games live on day one of the App Store, and founded Startup Hyderabad.
What he founded and built
Company names show where our studio partners have built and founded; they are not ForwardShare clients.
Real growth happens on four fronts at once: the founder, the venture, the product and the market. Founders enter at the stage they’re at, work toward one clear outcome, and move up when they reach it. Each ASAN Forward cohort runs six months, at least four hours a week, starting from the stage you’re at.
−1 → 0
Find the opportunity
One day · in an ASAN room
In one day: a team and a real customer conversation
On-ramp0 → 0.1
Prove it’s real
6 weeks · real, named customers
In six weeks: a signed, paid commitment
ASAN Forward0.1 → 0.5
Take it to market
12 weeks · Venture Pod and boards
In twelve weeks: sales that don’t depend on you
ASAN Forward0.5 → 1
Build to last
Quarterly · senior Expert Operators
Every quarter: ready for the next round
ASAN ForwardSix layers, in the order a founder meets them: the partners beside you, the plan, the boards, the pod, the platform and the capital.
LEADERSHIP
Our studio partners, Vish Rao Dumpeti and Ravi Korukonda, and ForwardShare’s venture partners work alongside each founder across vision, product and market development. For founders who clear a high bar, a venture partner takes a cofounder seat.
With ASAN
Senior leaders from ASAN’s community as mentors.
STRATEGY
A studio program on AchieveOS that runs venture, product and market strategy together, with real milestones and a gate at each stage, so the venture moves fast without losing the thread.
With ASAN
Progress shared with the community on SCALE UP as founders clear each gate.
EXPERTISE
A personal advisory board of Expert Operators across industry, technology and market, drawn from our network, plus a peer board of founders facing the same problems. Explore our Expert Operators »
With ASAN
A seat chosen by ASAN on every board.
EXECUTION
From Launch onward, a pod of product, design, engineering and go-to-market builders works inside the company on a defined scope.
With ASAN
Partners and talent across ASAN’s network for hiring and execution.
SYSTEMS
The same platforms behind our own ventures: StudioOS for the team, AchieveOS for your plan and board, ConveneOS for the rooms, and RaiseOS when you raise. Explore AchieveOS »
With ASAN
ASAN’s ASAN Forward page is the front door.
RUNWAY
Capital rooms and introductions when it’s time to raise. Where we cofound or cobuild, ForwardShare Capital invests alongside, with the founder holding the largest share. Explore Our Capital Model »
With ASAN
Investor Founder Connect and ASAN’s rooms, where investors already show up. Investment conversations happen directly with investors and ForwardShare, never through ASAN.
ASAN Forward runs as a series of small cohorts: Cohort 0, Cohort 1 and more to come. Applications for both open cohorts are live on ASAN’s ASAN Forward page, and every deadline is 7 PM Pacific.
Cohort 0 · founding cohort
A pilot cohort. The founding ventures help shape the program from day one.
Applications openCohort 1 · national cohort
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so there's no need to wait for the deadline.
Applications openEvery cohort
Support is tailored to each venture. ForwardShare evaluates investments independently; selection doesn’t guarantee investment or a specific services allocation.
Each cohort runs about six months, with at least four hours a week from founders. The final structure is set after Cohort 0.
All year, for our whole community
How you apply
One application on ASAN’s ASAN Forward page. Applying is free
What ventures may receive
Up to $250K in investment and up to $250K in services, tailored to each venture
Terms
Any fees, equity or investment terms are agreed in writing with ForwardShare before you commit
Investment
Evaluated independently by ForwardShare, never guaranteed
Founders come first. Everyone around them has a role to play, and something to gain.
Expert Operators on your board, a Venture Pod building with you, customers and investors in the room, and SCALE UP behind your story.
A seat on a founder’s Personal Advisory Board, office hours, or a role in a Venture Pod. Paid advisory or equity roles where it fits.
Early access to founders solving problems in your industry, in curated rooms across ASAN’s community and its 300+ partners.
Capital rooms with founders who fit your stage and sector, alongside Investor Founder Connect.
Featured events and rooms across ASAN’s cities, with a community that shows up.
Expert sessions with our Expert Operators, and SCALE UP on South Asian Spotlight.
Through one application on ASAN’s ASAN Forward page, choosing Cohort 0 or Cohort 1. Shortlisted founders are invited to a conversation, then shape their STAR with us: their starting point, a 90-day target, what’s missing across capital, connections, expertise and execution, and how they’ll know they hit it. ASAN and ForwardShare select together.
Founders across industries and backgrounds, with particular encouragement for South Asian founders. Revenue and paying customers strengthen an application, and promising earlier-stage companies are considered too. There’s no minimum revenue.
The one you’re at. The intake call places you in Sprint, Launch or Scale. Founders who aren’t ready yet are invited to a Hack or to an expert session.
Yes. ASAN Forward welcomes founders internationally. Participation and any proposed investment or services remain subject to individual agreements.
No. The program runs virtually, with selected in-person rooms and events.
Yes. Founders not selected for Cohort 0 can apply for Cohort 1, and for future cohorts.
Applying is free. Selected ventures may qualify for up to $250,000 in investment capital and up to $250,000 in venture-building services, with allocations tailored to each business. Any fees, equity or investment terms are set by ForwardShare, not ASAN, and agreed in writing before a founder commits. Selection doesn’t guarantee investment or a specific services allocation.
ASAN Scale is for every founder. Join ASAN’s rooms, introductions and expert sessions, or start with a Hack, and apply to a later cohort when you’re ready. Explore ASAN Scale »
ASAN doesn’t invest and isn’t part of investment discussions. Founders meet investors in curated rooms and through introductions, and ForwardShare evaluates investments of up to $250,000 per venture independently, investing directly where we cofound or cobuild. Every investment conversation is between the founder, the investor and ForwardShare.
Join a founder’s Personal Advisory Board, hold office hours, lead a Hack, or join a Venture Pod. Join the Network »
Yes. ASAN Scale is our first Studio partner program. Communities, cities and companies that bring the trust, the rooms and the media can run the same model with us. Get in touch »
Cohorts are small. Cohort 0 applications close November 24, 2026 and Cohort 1 applications close January 31, 2027, both at 7 PM Pacific. Founders apply through ASAN. Expert Operators, investors and partner communities start with us.
ASAN Scale and its cohort programs, ASAN Forward (Cohort 0, Cohort 1, etc.), are programs of the American South Asian Network (a dba of Antha Prerna Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit), powered by Forward Share Ventures LLC. ASAN’s pages: Scale · ASAN Forward · Get involved.
ASAN offers no securities, endorses no investment, gives no investment advice and receives no compensation for introductions. Nothing on this page is an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any security. ASAN-wide figures come from ASAN and are not program results.