Fellowships
Discover fellowship programs supporting founders and operators.
The Basis Fellowship
The Basis Fellowship provides US$50,000 with no strings attached to exceptional people pursuing ambitious work across engineering, science, operations and other fields. There is no equity, reporting requirement or restriction on how the money is spent. The fellowship also connects recipients through a long-term community and advisor network spanning venture capital, engineering and scientific research. Anyone can apply, applications remain open continuously, and the application takes approximately 10 minutes. The first cohort is being selected in 2026, with fellows named on a rolling basis.
Good fit: Technical builders or researchers pursuing ambitious work that does not fit conventional startup funding.
Sequoia Open Source Fellowship
The Sequoia Open Source Fellowship supports creators working on open-source software projects with real-world adoption. Fellows receive sponsorship intended to cover reasonable living expenses for 6–12 months, allowing them to focus on improving or expanding their projects. Sequoia takes no equity, does not require fellows to start a company, and places no restrictions on project ownership or roadmap. The fellowship is location-agnostic, requires no travel, and accepts applications on a rolling basis. Sequoia expects to select only 2–3 fellows per year.
Good fit: Open-source maintainers with meaningful real-world adoption who need time to focus on their project.
Llama Beta Fellowship
The Beta Fellowship is an 8-week in-person fellowship from Beta Fund for founders building agent-native AI startups. The program supports founders who are often at the earliest stages—even before there is a company, revenue or finished idea. Fellows receive mentorship from founders, engineers and investors, work alongside a small cohort, and build within the Beta Fund ecosystem. The fellowship also serves as a pathway to Beta Fund investment, with the fund writing US$200K first checks and investing up to US$2M across pre-seed and seed stages
Good fit: Idea-stage founders exploring agent-native AI startup ideas.
Astra Fellowship
The Astra Fellowship is Constellation’s fully funded, 5-month, in-person fellowship for people pursuing research and projects focused on reducing risks from advanced AI. Fellows work through either an Empirical Research or Strategy & Governance stream, with weekly mentorship from senior experts, dedicated research management and career support. The program is based at Constellation’s research center in Berkeley, California, and provides an US$8,400 monthly stipend plus research resources. International applicants receive visa support.
Good fit: Technical researchers moving into empirical AI safety research.
SciFounder Fellowship
The SciFounder Fellowship is a founder program for early-stage science and deep technology startups working on technically challenging problems. The fellowship combines hands-on mentorship with the opportunity to receive up to US$1 million in funding. It is designed for committed technical founders building research-intensive companies and is open to founders worldwide. The program focuses on helping founders turn breakthrough science into venture-backed startups through direct support from the SciFounders team.
Good fit: Technical founders commercialising breakthrough scientific research.
Entrepreneurs First
ntrepreneurs First (EF) is a global founder program and talent investor that backs individuals before they have a company, cofounder or idea. Participants join an in-person program to find cofounders, test ideas and build a venture from scratch. EF provides equity-free financial support while founders are ideating, potential investment once a company forms, access to mentors, workspace and a global founder network. Programs run from EF hubs including London, San Francisco and Bangalore. Australian founders can apply but must relocate for relevant programs
Good fit: Idea-stage founders looking for a cofounder and structured path to build a venture-scale startup.