Call for Applications: Activate Fellowship 2025 ($100,000 stipend)

Activate transforms scientists and engineers into founders, empowering them to reinvent the world by bringing their research to market. The two-year Activate Fellowship provides early-stage science entrepreneurs with funding, technical resources, and unparalleled support from a network of scientists, engineers, investors, commercial partners, and fellow entrepreneurs.

Activate spearheaded the entrepreneurial fellowship back in 2015, and they have evolved the program to provide best-in-class support. They do not charge any fees or equity to participate. Their foremost priority is supporting fellows and helping them develop as thoughtful, inclusive, and effective technology leaders.

Benefits of Activate Fellowship

• Fellows receive a yearly living stipend of $100K, plus travel allowance, health insurance, and relocation. This enables them to focus on their project full-time. Each project also receives $100K in R&D funds at zero cost and access to at least $75K in additional flexible capital.
• Bringing technology to market can be a long and lonely road. Their fellows take this journey together as part of a dynamic community of scientists, engineers, and technologists who share what they know and celebrate each other’s victories, including Managing Directors, the Activate team, and a vibrant fellow and alumni community.
• They facilitate connections between fellows and their broad network of industry executives, investors, entrepreneurs, philanthropists, and other experts from academia, industry, government, and finance—any of whom can serve as advisors or partners.
• Fellows access vital research tools, equipment, facilities, and expertise through collaboration with a host laboratory. Activate takes no rights to fellows’ intellectual property and works to ensure that fellows retain ownership of any IP developed during their two-year fellowship term.
• Tailored for scientists and engineers and delivered weekly, their startup curriculum includes intensive sessions on core business and product development concepts, VIP speakers, skill development workshops, and shared learning from other fellows and alums. Custom-built mentorship supports your individual growth and professional development.
• Their experienced team meets with fellows one-on-one regularly to help develop priorities, provide guidance, and make connections to their broader network of advisors, industry experts, and investors.

Check : Fully Funded Rhodes Scholarship Program in UK 2025

Eligibility for Activate Fellowship

• Applicant must have a bachelor’s degree and 4+ years post-baccalaureate scientific research, engineering, or technology development experience.
• Must be leading the commercial development of a hardware-based technology innovation for the first time if awarded the fellowship i.e., not a repeat hard tech founder.
• Must be committed full-time to the proposed project or company if awarded the fellowship.
• Must be legally able to work in the U.S. for the duration of the fellowship.
• Must be able to communicate proficiently in English.

To be eligible, your proposed project or company…

• Must be based in the physical or biological sciences or related engineering disciplines.
• Must still be in development and not yet ready for full-scale product sales at the time of the application deadline.
• Must not have raised more than $2M in debt or equity funding from non-governmental sources at the time of the application deadline.

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