Breakthrough Energy Fellows
Breakthrough Energy Fellows is the climate tech fellowship of Bill Gates's Breakthrough Energy. It backs early-stage innovators whose technology could cut at least 500 million tons of emissions a year, or meaningfully help with climate adaptation. The Innovator Fellowship is a full-time, one-year program with grant funding and in-kind support. Explorer grants support university-lab projects. Fellows can be anywhere in the world and do not have to relocate.
At a glance
Breakthrough Energy Fellows key facts
- Investment
- $500K
- Deal terms
- Up to $500K in R&D support per project (third-party figure, cited by TechCrunch in 2024; not stated on the current application page), plus in-kind resources. The official pages do not state equity terms. Applicants have typically raised less than $2M in dilutive funding and must be incorporated before the program starts.
- Duration
- 1 year (Innovator Fellowship)
- Format
- Hybrid
- Headquarters
- Kirkland, United States
- Cohort locations
- Global
- Stage
- idea, pre-seed, seed
- Sectors
- climate, energy, deep tech, industrials, agrifood
- Application cycle
- Annual cohort; Explorer and Business Fellow applications are reviewed on a rolling basis
Verified November 4, 2026 against the sources below. Terms change; confirm on the official site before applying.
Timing
Cohort 7 Innovator and Explorer applications ran September 22 to November 2, 2026 (11:59 p.m. EST) and are now closed. Full-application invitations go out in late 2026 or early 2027, interviews run early to mid 2027, selection is mid-2027, and the program starts September 2027. Explorer applications are considered on a rolling basis. Cohort 6 (21 companies) was announced September 22, 2026.
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Notable alumni
- Mars Materials
- Borealis Fusion
- K1 Semiconductor
- PAGE Technologies
FAQ
Applying to Breakthrough Energy Fellows
- How much does Breakthrough Energy Fellows invest?
- Breakthrough Energy Fellows's standard deal: Up to $500K in R&D support per project (third-party figure, cited by TechCrunch in 2024; not stated on the current application page), plus in-kind resources. The official pages do not state equity terms. Applicants have typically raised less than $2M in dilutive funding and must be incorporated before the program starts.
- When is the Breakthrough Energy Fellows application deadline?
- Application cycle: Annual cohort; Explorer and Business Fellow applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Cohort 7 Innovator and Explorer applications ran September 22 to November 2, 2026 (11:59 p.m. EST) and are now closed. Full-application invitations go out in late 2026 or early 2027, interviews run early to mid 2027, selection is mid-2027, and the program starts September 2027. Explorer applications are considered on a rolling basis. Cohort 6 (21 companies) was announced September 22, 2026.
- Where is Breakthrough Energy Fellows based?
- Breakthrough Energy Fellows is headquartered in Kirkland, United States. The program runs hybrid.
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Compare Breakthrough Energy Fellows: Breakthrough Energy Fellows vs Activate Fellowship
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