Deadline: November 1, 2020
Applications are open for the Watson Semester Accelerator – Spring 2021. The Watson Semester Accelerator is a program for college students, recent graduates, and gap-year students with an early-stage social venture/project and a passion for social impact.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the virtual Watson Semester Accelerator was launched to accelerate the ventures and careers of college students, recent graduates, and gap-year students with an early-stage social venture.
During the 4-month program, a cohort of next generation innovators, leaders, and entrepreneurs from across the globe convene virtually to tackle complex problems and forge lives and careers of impact. From climate change to social justice and from poverty to access to quality education, students selected to the Watson Semester Accelerator leverage training, mentorship, and community to accelerate their ventures and unleash a lifetime of impact.
The Watson Semester Accelerator curriculum was developed by examining best practices in supporting social entrepreneurs worldwide and consolidated into a curriculum that provides students with the hard and soft skills, methodologies, and frameworks required to successfully grow a social venture and lead an impactful career. Each course is led by one of Watson Institute’s Preceptors, who themselves are accomplished entrepreneurs, leaders, and expert facilitators.
Program Tracks
You have two tracks to choose from:
- Venture Founder Track: The Venture Founder track is for students who are founders or co-founders of a venture or project. The Venture Founder may collaborate with a Free Agent track student attending the same cohort.
- Free Agent Track: The Free Agent track is for students looking to join a venture or project and are prepared to contribute in significant ways to the team. Free Agents join a Venture Founder’s team at the beginning of the cohort.
Scholarship
Fellowship and scholarships covering up to 50% of the cost of tuition are available based on merit and financial need.
Eligibility
- Open to early stage entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders with a bias towards action and the gritty idealism required to solve complex problems.
- Founders in the early-prototyping stage are the most well-suited for the Watson Semester Accelerator in the Fall and Spring. Early prototyping means that you have completed initial research on the project and have designed and put to test aspects of your business model. In addition, at this stage you have developed early versions of the service or product that you are planning to launch. You may have revenue or funding streams at this stage, but the project/venture is not yet self-sustained or scalable.
- Applicant may be from any part of the world.
Application
Please contact Miranda Williamson, Director of Search for Watson Institute, at [email protected] with any questions you may have about the application process.
For more information, visit Watson Semester Accelerator.
