Ready to Change the World?

What to Expect

Thank you for your interest in applying to the Activate Fellowship. Before starting your application, please read the following instructions. 

Step 1. Determine applicants

You can apply solo or with a co-applicant, and individuals working together on a project must apply together as a team (vs. in two separate applications). We take up to two co-applicants from the same project on a single project as long as both meet all eligibility requirements. The Principal Applicant is the individual who begins the application by completing the eligibility quiz and optionally adds a co-applicant to the application. You cannot swap the Principal and co-applicant. 

To be eligible, you:

• 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).

• If awarded the fellowship, you must be committed full-time to the proposed project or company.

• Must be legally able to work in the U.S. for the duration of the fellowship.

• Must be able to communicate proficiently in English.

Step 2. Determine project

To be eligible, your proposed project or company:

• Must be based in the physical or biological sciences or related engineering disciplines.

• Must be 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.

Step 3. Gather application materials

To submit your application, you must upload a blind resume (one for each applicant) and a technical details document. You will also be allowed to upload additional optional documents. More specific instructions about these materials will be provided in the application itself. We strongly recommend you begin gathering these materials now. Once you start your application, you will find more instructions on what to include.

You can use this example resume and template as a starting point for creating your blind resume.

Here are some examples of questions you will find throughout the application:

1. Vision: Describe the new science or engineering behind the core innovation. What are you trying to do? How long will it take? What resources are needed? 

2. You vs. state of the art: How is it done today and what is new in your approach? 

1. Highlight measured/modeled advantages of your innovation. 

2. Quantify these advantages wherever possible. 

3. Address major skepticisms of your innovation. Skepticisms may include things like price, scale/throughput achievable, manufacturability, stability, and others.

3. Market Viability: Will you create value in a marketplace? How much will it cost and who will be the customer?

4. Milestones and Risks: What are the mid-term and final “exams” to check for success? What are the technology and market risks?  How will you mitigate the risks?

5. Social Impact: How does your technology contribute to a better world? Who will be impacted and at what scale? 

6. What is your technology? In 300-400 words, describe the technical details of the concept you want to pursue, using no jargon. This is only expected to be a summary, but please be as detailed as possible given the word limit so we can assess the technical merit and current development status.  

Step 4. Take the eligibility quiz and begin the application

Before creating an application, you must create an account in SurveyMonkey Apply and take the eligibility test. When creating an account in our portal, please use the email from which you’d like to receive Activate emails. Upon completion, you may start your application. At this stage, you may add a co-applicant to your application. 

More on co-applicant teams: 

You can apply with a co-founder, and individuals working together on a project must apply together as a team (i.e., vs. in two separate applications). We take up to two co-applicants from the same project on a single application as long as both meet all other eligibility requirements. The Principal Applicant is the individual who begins the application by completing the eligibility quiz and optionally adds a co-applicant as a collaborator to the application. You cannot swap the Principal and Co-applicants. However, our default funding model is for a single funded fellowship per project, and our default is to fund the Principal Applicant on your application. Funded fellowships for co-applicants are considered based on availability. If we only have the funding for the Principal Applicant, co-applicants who would otherwise be invited as fellows will have the potential to become "Activate Affiliate Fellows." These individuals are fully recognized as part of the fellow community but do not receive funding.

If you are part of a team with multiple individuals who are eligible for the fellowship, we recommend you select the individual who is the most motivated to participate in the fellowship education and community activities as Principal Applicant. Before you start your application, carefully decide who should be the Principal Applicant and who should be the co-applicant. 

Please read our General FAQs on our website. Once you start your application, you can find additional FAQs about how to navigate the application portal.

Thank you and good luck!

What We Look For

​​Technical Excellence
Are you deeply knowledgeable in the field of your proposed project to independently and safely lead the technical work involved? Can you communicate complicated, technical concepts to a general audience?

Leadership
Are you motivated to grow professionally through the leadership training the fellowship provides? Can you manage conflict and act with integrity through ambiguity to mobilize the resources needed to advance your proposed project?

Participation
Will you support an inclusive, equitable, and diverse environment—in the fellowship community and in the wider innovation ecosystem? Will you positively contribute to the fellowship community?

Feasibility
Is your proposed project rooted in sound scientific principles? Does it present a credible path to scale, including viable entry markets or the potential to pivot? Is it reasonably differentiated from existing solutions and commercial efforts?

Impact Potential
Is your project aligned with Activate’s mission of science for good? Will the fellowship meaningfully alter the trajectory of your professional development and your proposed project? 

Events

Questions about the fellowship or how to apply?