Activate Fellowship
0%; non-dilutive fellowship · US communities plus Activate Anywhere · Needs confirmation
Activate is a two-year, non-dilutive US fellowship for first-time hardtech founders, providing more than $300,000 through a living stipend, R&D funding, and benefits. The 2027 application opens September 15, 2026; founders can affiliate with Berkeley, Boston, Houston, New York, or Activate Anywhere, and no closing date is yet published.
Tier 2 · ranked #26deep-techfellowshipnon-dilutive
Official siteOpen in the live directory
Program intake
The source mentions application timing, but the current cycle or year is not clear enough to publish.
Key facts
| Check size | >$300k in living stipend, R&D funds, and benefits over two years |
| Terms | 0%; non-dilutive fellowship |
| Stage | pre-commercial hardtech |
| Applications | Needs confirmation |
| Program dates | Two years; next application opens 2026-09-15 |
| Location | US communities plus Activate Anywhere |
| Remote friendly | Yes |
| Warm intro needed | No — open application |
| Sectors | deep-tech, climate, science |
| Status | unknown |
Always confirm on the official page before applying — dates and terms change.
Background
Activate reports supporting 346 scientists and 276 hardtech companies. Eligibility is structured around research-intensive physical or biological science and engineering companies before full-scale sales and generally below $2 million in non-government capital.
How the application really works
Prepare for the September 15 opening. The application tests founder, technical, commercial, fundraising, and full-time eligibility; selected fellows join one of the listed communities or Anywhere.
Tips
- Read the cited current official page before applying because program dates and terms are volatile.
- State fit with the documented stage, geography, and attendance model; do not rely on an aggregator's old terms.
- Ask for the complete investment, fee, and follow-on documents when the public page does not publish them.
Watch out for
- More than $300k of equity-free, non-dilutive support over two years through stipend, R&D funds, and benefits.
- Applications are not yet open as of 2026-08-10; the 2027 intake opens September 15 and no closing date is published.
Track record
- Activate reports 346 scientists and 276 hardtech companies supported.
No current application count, cohort size, or acceptance rate is published.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this program currently accepting applications?
- Prepare for the September 15 opening. The application tests founder, technical, commercial, fundraising, and full-time eligibility; selected fellows join one of the listed communities or Anywhere.
- What are the current economics?
- More than $300k of equity-free, non-dilutive support over two years through stipend, R&D funds, and benefits.
- How large and long is the program?
- Two-year fellowship across five community models; current cohort size not published. Two-year full-time hardtech company-building fellowship with labs, mentors, and community.
- Can founders participate remotely?
- Activate Anywhere supports founders locally; other communities are place-based. US work authorization is required.
- What happens after the program?
- Activate company and alumni network; no automatic follow-on investment is promised.
Related accelerators
Sources
- activate.org/the-fellowship — Current support value, duration, communities, scale, and fellowship structure (checked 2026-08-10)
- activate.org/apply — 2027 opening date and current founder, research, financing, work-authorization, and commercial eligibility (checked 2026-08-10)