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Fellowship

Fellowship

Global

Global

OPEN

OPEN

GRANT · HOW TO WIN THIS

Thiel Fellowship

Thiel Fellowship

$250,000 over two years, one fellowship cohort per year.

·

Annual cycle; check thielfellowship.org for the current application window.

AMOUNT

$250,000 over two years, one fellowship cohort per year.

AMOUNT

$250,000 over two years, one fellowship cohort per year.

DEADLINE

Annual cycle; check thielfellowship.org for the current application window.

DEADLINE

Annual cycle; check thielfellowship.org for the current application window.

FUNDING TYPE

Fellowship

CAN YOU GET THIS?

You must be young and willing to stop out of college to pursue your idea full-time for two years.

You must be young and willing to stop out of college to pursue your idea full-time for two years.

The fellowship is explicitly for young people who forgo college to build something new. There is no stated age cutoff on the page, but the program is designed for those who would otherwise be in school.

The fellowship is explicitly for young people who forgo college to build something new. There is no stated age cutoff on the page, but the program is designed for those who would otherwise be in school.

YOUR REAL ODDS

The Thiel Fellowship is one of the most competitive fellowships in tech, selecting a small cohort annually from a global applicant pool.

The program runs once per year and has produced well-known founders, which drives high application volume. The source does not state an acceptance rate, but the prestige and media coverage indicate very selective admissions.

WHAT IT TAKES

  1. Prepare your application and project idea — Several weeks

  2. Submit annual application at thielfellowship.org — 1 day

  3. Interviews and selection process with the Thiel Foundation — Weeks to months

WORTH KNOWING

The network access—investors, partners, and customers in Silicon Valley and beyond—is cited as a core part of the value, so applicants with a concrete, unconventional idea who can articulate why waiting is not an option are likely the strongest fit.

Apply on the funder’s site →

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Scientists and engineers with breakthrough research ready to build a hard tech startup can apply for this two-year paid fellowship.

Echoing Green Fellowship

$100,000 stipend over 18 months (for-profits receive it as a recoverable grant)

Early-stage social impact founders globally who are building equity-focused organizations and have not yet connected with traditional investment.

Camelback Ventures Fellowship

$50,000 per fellow; delivered as a SAFE note (for-profits) or unrestricted grant (nonprofits/schools). Awarded twice yearly.

Early-stage US-based founders in education or tech working to address inequity, with a personal connection to the problem.

This is 1 of 1,600+ open opportunities.

This is 1 of 1,600+ open opportunities.

$50B+ in available capital across grants, VC funds, CDFIs, and accelerators. Filter by your industry, stage, and region, and see everything you qualify for.

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