Cowshed Forward Labs

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Hackathons

6-week incubator

4-week accelerator

Backed by Forward Fund

Think of us as the YC of the creative world.

Cowshed Collective gives founders a live production environment. Angels Den brings the founders. Forward Fund backs the tech behind it.

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[01] The work

Cowshed Collective, since 2019

Selected work.

Founders in Labs build alongside productions like these. Each one is a live test bed for the founders in Labs.

Cowshed has worked with

[02] What we back

The Forward Fund thesis

We back the tech behind this world.

Media, creators, sport and commerce are being rebuilt by technology. Forward Fund backs the pre-seed and seed founders doing the rebuilding, across five areas. Labs is where they prove it inside live Cowshed productions, with real creators and brands as first users.

AI-native creative tools

Software that lets small teams make studio-grade video, audio, images and copy.

Generative media
AI post-production
Creative workflow

In Labs: Used by Cowshed creative and post teams on client work.

Media & entertainment tech

New formats, platforms and business models for studios, publishers and broadcasters. Games sit outside our remit.

Streaming & audio
Formats & distribution
Audience data

In Labs: Run on productions going out to brands and broadcasters.

Creator & talent infrastructure

The tools creators and talent run their businesses on, from brand deals to payments to community.

Talent management
Brand partnerships
Creator payments

In Labs: Put in the hands of creators Cowshed films with.

Sports, fan & live experiences

How fans watch, join in, buy tickets and follow the athletes, clubs and live moments they love.

Fan engagement
Live & ticketing
Athlete & club media

In Labs: Piloted on sport and culture content and live shoots.

Marketing & commerce tech

Turning attention into sales: social commerce, ad tech, measurement and the tools brands use to run campaigns.

Social commerce
Ad tech
Measurement

In Labs: Tested with the brands that commission Cowshed.

Cheque

£150k to £250k

Stage

Pre-seed & seed

Geography

UK & Europe

Focus

Five areas

Labs is free to take part in. The strongest teams move straight into Forward Fund diligence.

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[03] The format

Run by

Three stages.

Fed by Angels Den: 500+ applications a month, screened against proprietary data before a single team reaches Labs.

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Hackathons

Incubator · 6 weeks

Accelerator · 4 weeks

Stage 1 · Selection

Hackathons

Thesis-aligned technical founders from Angels Den’s screened pipeline build against a real brief from Cowshed and its clients. The strongest teams are selected.

Output: a cohort with working product.

Stage 2 · Weeks 1 to 6

Incubator

Teams ship their product inside live Cowshed productions. Crews, creators and brands use it on real work, and every session produces usage data.

Output: a product proven in a live environment.

Stage 3 · Weeks 7 to 10

Accelerator

Commercial push and investor readiness, then a demo day in front of Angels Den investors and Forward Fund.

Goal: a first customer, then Forward Fund diligence.

Applications to Angels Den every month

500+

Incubator and accelerator

10 weeks

Cost to take part

Free

[04] Apply

Apply to Labs.

Name, email, the problem you’re solving and a link to your pitch deck.

Apply to Labs

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