STARTUP LAB
By
forerunners
Sep 15th - Oct 17th
2025
Startup Lab by Forerunners
From Dreamer to doer
Muhammad Yunes
President of Bangladesh and Founder of Social Entrepreneurship
Startup Lab by Forerunners redefines entrepreneurship—teaching leaders to build impactful ventures that drive social change while leaning into our collective values.
Transforming the people that will transform the world.
Transforming the people that will transform the world.
Muhammad Yunes
President of Bangladesh and Founder of Social Entrepreneurship
Startup Lab by Forerunners redefines entrepreneurship—teaching leaders to build impactful ventures that drive social change while leaning into our collective values.
Startup Lab by Forerunners
The world is changing fast - be part of the change
of U.S. adults
Say they would
prefer to be their
own boss
of employees
Want their
workplace to align
with their values*
of wealth transfer
Is leading to the largest
generational shift in
consumer behavior
A launchpad for founders who make the rules, not follow them
The world isn’t waiting—and traditional careers are moving at a glacial pace. Generational wealth is shifting, values are changing, and the next wave of founders isn’t aiming to join the future—they’re here to build it themselves.
Startup lab isn’t just an accelerator, it’s a movement. This is where purpose meets hustle. Early-stage founders get the tools, guidance, and grit to launch ventures that actually matter. Forget just “learning to launch”—this is about rewriting the rules, building with impact, and making your values the backbone of your business from day one.
Startup Lab by Forerunners
Startup Lab Team
Ahmad Ashkar
Ahmad Ashkar is a decorated American-Palestinian entrepreneur and pioneer in global startup education. Recognized among the “100 Most Powerful Arabs in the World” and named GQ’s Entrepreneur of the Year, he has built programs that graduated over one million students across 100 countries.
As founder of multiple award-winning companies—including Falafel Inc, America’s largest privately owned falafel chain—Ahmad is an impact pioneer who blends purpose with profit. Through his work at Forerunners, he now equips elite founders to build startups that win with purpose.
Muna AbuSulayman
Muna AbuSulayman is one of the Arab world’s most recognized media personalities and humanitarians, consistently named among the 500 Most Influential Muslims. She is a social impact investor focused on AI for education, media awareness, and effective philanthropy.
As the former Secretary-General of the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation, she championed poverty reduction, women’s empowerment, and Islam-West dialogue. A Yale World Fellow and the first Saudi UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, she continues to drive change through Directions Consulting and Saudi Sustainable Solutions.
Omar Altalib
Omar Altalib is a seasoned entrepreneur and business leader who helped build a multibillion-dollar business at Amazon Web Services, where he served as Director of Growth, Partnerships, and Strategy. With over 25 years of global leadership experience, he has built and scaled high-performing teams that generated billions in revenue through value-based strategies, innovation, and culture.
As a co-founder of Forerunners, Omar focuses on empowering founders and organizations to discover their strengths, lead with purpose, and build ventures that create lasting and meaningful impact on society.
Awais Sheikh
Awais Sheikh is a design thinking guru and innovation expert who has led transformative initiatives across some of the world’s most influential organizations. At Amazon Web Services, he directed strategy and execution for the company’s largest Public Sector sales division, driving multi-billion-dollar revenue growth. At MITRE, he built and scaled Capability Development, embedding design thinking and lean startup practices to spark enterprise-wide innovation.
A premier advisor to Muslim-American executive leaders and startup founders alike, Awais now serves at Forerunners, where he oversees innovation and transformation.
Kathleen Rodgers
Kathleen has led programs on biodiversity, international trade, and migratory species, and represented the U.S. in global environmental initiatives. She is a recognized, award-winning leader, inspiring founders to integrate purpose, impact, and sustainability into their ventures.
Dr. Omar Fisher
Dr. Omar began his career in management consulting with A.D. Little, Inc., leading organizational transformations and development projects across 26 countries. In the 1990s, he co-founded several Islamic finance startups in the U.S. and Gulf region, including Takaful and Unicorn Investment Bank, and served on multiple Shariah advisory boards.
An internationally recognized speaker and author, Dr. Omar has published books and articles on Islamic finance, financial intelligence, and conscious leadership. He also develops gamified learning tools and apps, mentoring FinTech and social impact startups to build innovative, purpose-driven ventures.
Startup Lab by Forerunners
5-week program overview
Week 1
Setting Direction
Lay the foundation by aligning your team and validating your idea against real market needs. Using Business Opportunity Mapping, you’ll identify where your product fits and secure your first validated sale.
Week 2
Discovery
Clarify your internal and external resources to craft an intentional growth strategy. Through Customer Portraits, you’ll build your sales list (CRM) and develop targeted collateral to connect with the right audience.
Week 3
Alignment
Learn the art of persuasive and principled sales. With a focus on Value Proposition, you’ll refine your message and produce clear, compelling pitch decks for different audiences.
Week 4
Planning
Build the operational backbone for scaling. Develop a roadmap and pilot strategy, then use Partnership Mapping to fill capability gaps. You’ll leave with legal docs and partner agreements in place.
Week 5
Launch
Launch with purpose and plan to grow. Explore scaling tools and finalize contracts as you project your startup’s trajectory with a 1/3/5-year pro-forma financial model.
Startup Lab by Forerunners
Frequently Asked Questions
- What stage in the startup process would your ideal candidate be at?
- Is there a prize for the top pitch?
- Is the program available to nonprofits?
- What industries are you focused on?
- What is the time commitment required?
- How much does the Startup Lab cost?
Startup Lab by Forerunners
Harmonizing Faith and Innovation: A New Era in Entrepreneurship
Startup Lab by Forerunners blends timeless ethical principles—like excellence, trust, and purpose—with modern business strategies to turn startup ideas into values-driven companies that shape the future with integrity and impact.
By combining insights from ethical traditions with global innovation, we equip founders to lead with purpose. Participants learn how entrepreneurship can create real-world impact, champion sustainability and equity, and drive meaningful, measurable change in society.
100,000
Graduates
Our team has built educational programs that have graduated over 100k entrepreneurs focused on impact.
0.4%
Of top Muslim earners globally
Why Us?
We’re founders, executives, and educators who’ve helped grow billion-dollar ventures and navigate complex industries. Along the way, we’ve seen just how much mindful, values-driven entrepreneurship is needed.
At Forerunners, we take a values-driven approach to startup acceleration. We guide founders to build thriving, impactful businesses that are grounded in ethics, sustainability, and purpose—because success feels a lot better when it means something.
Startup Lab by Forerunners
Idea to Impact Starts Now
Enrollment is now open for our first cohort, launching in September 2025. This is your opportunity to join a groundbreaking program that blends hands-on experience, world-class learning, and real-world impact.
Spaces are limited for this life-changing program designed to equip you with the tools, insights, and connections to turn your startup idea into an impactful company grounded in values. Don’t wait to take the next step in your entrepreneurship journey. Apply today and secure your place in the Startup Lab by Forerunners 2025 cohort!
Register Now
tHANK YOU!
- https://forerunners.org/startuplab
1595 Spring Hill Rd Suite 104
Vienna, VA, 22182
startuplab@forerunners.org