HomeAfricaThiel Fellowship 2025 – $200,000 Grant for Young Innovators to Skip College and Build!
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Thiel Fellowship 2025 – $200,000 Grant for Young Innovators to Skip College and Build!

Are you a young innovator who dropped out of school/college and has a bold idea and the drive to make it happen? The Thiel Fellowship gives $200,000 to young people who want to build new things instead of sitting in a classroom. Designed for young visionaries, the program offers a $200,000 grant over two years, access to a powerful network of founders, investors, and scientists, and the freedom to focus entirely on building impactful projects. Open to applicants worldwide, the fellowship empowers talented individuals to take big risks, pursue innovative ideas, and bypass the constraints of the classroom—without giving up equity in their ventures. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

Learn more

About the Fellowship

Founded by technology entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel in 2011, the Thiel Fellowship is a two-year program for young people who want to build new things. Thiel Fellows skip or stop out of college to receive a $200,000 grant and support from the Thiel Foundation’s network of founders, investors, and scientists.

Why

  • A different path for everyone

College can be good for learning about what’s been done before, but it can also discourage you from doing something new. Each of our fellows charts a unique course; together they have proven that young people can succeed by thinking for themselves instead of following a traditional track and competing on old career tracks.

  • Freedom to get stuff done

Pursue ideas that matter instead of mandatory tests. Take on big risks instead of big debt. How you spend your two years in the Fellowship is up to you — we’re here to help, but we won’t get in the way.

  • Our network is yours

The hardest thing about being a young entrepreneur is that you haven’t met everyone you’ll need to know to make your venture succeed. We can help connect you — to investors, partners, prospective customers — in Silicon Valley and beyond.

Benefits

  • Fellows receive $200,000, spread out over two years. The foundation does not take equity in your company.
  • Thiel Fellows are based all over the world.

Eligibility & Requirements

  • Anyone aged 22 or younger (and without a university degree) is eligible to apply.
  • If you’re applying while still in school/college and selected, you’ll need to drop out (of college/school) in order to accept the Fellowship.
  • If you’ve received a university degree (undergraduate or graduate), you cannot apply.
  • You don’t need to have incorporated a company or built a full product yet, but at a minimum you’ll need to demonstrate meaningful progress toward a concrete vision.
  • You have to apply as individuals.
  • No need to relocate. Thiel Fellows are based all over the world.

Some Thiel Fellows are programmers, but others have started nonprofits, created consumer products, launched media companies, and built hardware. The Foundation looks to support young people who want to bring their ideas to the world.

Application Deadline

  • Accepting applications year-round. If you’re working on something cool, apply now!

How To Apply

FAQs & Contact

 

For more opportunities, visit https://opportunitiesforwomen.org/.

 

 

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