Activate Fellowship
Activate is a nonprofit that runs a two-year fellowship for first-time hard-tech founders who are commercializing science-based hardware. Fellows get a living stipend, R&D funding, mentorship and access to research institutions. It started as Cyclotron Road at Berkeley Lab. Fellows are based at communities in Berkeley, Boston, Houston and New York, or anywhere in the U.S. through Activate Anywhere.
At a glance
Activate Fellowship key facts
- Investment
- $200K
- Equity
- No equity
- Deal terms
- No fee or equity. Fellows get a $100K-per-year living stipend, $100K in R&D support, $12K per year for travel and professional development, a health insurance stipend and a relocation allowance. The investment_usd figure is the first-year stipend plus R&D support. Optional extra funding opportunities offered through Activate may take equity. Activate claims no rights to fellows' IP.
- Duration
- 2 years
- Format
- Hybrid
- Headquarters
- Berkeley, United States
- Cohort locations
- Berkeley, United States; Boston, United States; Houston, United States; New York, United States; Anywhere in the United States
- Stage
- idea, pre-seed
- Sectors
- deep tech, climate, energy, hardware, industrials
- Application cycle
- Annual
Verified November 4, 2026 against the sources below. Terms change; confirm on the official site before applying.
Timing
U.S. Cohort 2027 applications closed October 30, 2026 (third-party sources give noon PT or 5 p.m. PT). The official site now points to Cohort 2028 through an interest form, with no dates yet. Applicants must have raised no more than $2M from non-governmental sources, be U.S. work-eligible, and work on physical or biological science hardware; pure software and FDA-pathway projects are generally out of scope. The 2026 cohort had 50 fellows.
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Notable alumni
- Antora Energy
- Mosaic Materials
- Sepion Technologies
- Twelve
- Foray Bioscience
FAQ
Applying to Activate Fellowship
- How much does Activate Fellowship invest?
- Activate Fellowship's standard deal: No fee or equity. Fellows get a $100K-per-year living stipend, $100K in R&D support, $12K per year for travel and professional development, a health insurance stipend and a relocation allowance. The investment_usd figure is the first-year stipend plus R&D support. Optional extra funding opportunities offered through Activate may take equity. Activate claims no rights to fellows' IP.
- How much equity does Activate Fellowship take?
- Activate Fellowship takes no equity.
- When is the Activate Fellowship application deadline?
- Application cycle: Annual. U.S. Cohort 2027 applications closed October 30, 2026 (third-party sources give noon PT or 5 p.m. PT). The official site now points to Cohort 2028 through an interest form, with no dates yet. Applicants must have raised no more than $2M from non-governmental sources, be U.S. work-eligible, and work on physical or biological science hardware; pure software and FDA-pathway projects are generally out of scope. The 2026 cohort had 50 fellows.
- Where is Activate Fellowship based?
- Activate Fellowship is headquartered in Berkeley, United States. The program runs hybrid. Cohorts run in Berkeley, United States, Boston, United States, Houston, United States, New York, United States, Anywhere in the United States.
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