Robin Hood’s Blue Ridge LabsFellowship

$20,000 Blue Ridge Labs’ Founder Fellowship

This one has closed

Archived

Opportunity type

Fellowship

Funding

Fully Funded

Location

United States

Deadline

Archived

About this opportunity

The Founder Fellowship helps new or early‑stage social impact founders move from idea to MVP through mentorship, research, and hands‑on support. It focuses on ventures addressing economic mobility and community resilience in five impact areas:

Education
Financial Empowerment
Health
Housing
Hunger & Jobs

The fellowship is structured in two phases:

Step 1: Explore & Test (Virtual, June–July) Founders validate assumptions, conduct user research, and sharpen their story. Larger cohort participates virtually, with final presentations to experts and funders.
Step 2: Build Your MVP (Brooklyn, Sept–Nov) ~25 founders advance to build their MVP with mentorship, structured workshops, and a $20,000 stipend. Includes onsite programming, collaboration with engineers/designers, and a final showcase to funders and partners.

Benefits

$20,000 stipend (for Step 2 fellows)
Weekly programming on research, validation, product, growth, fundraising
Access to Blue Ridge Labs’ DIG community for real user feedback
1:1 mentorship and group coaching
Workspace at BRL Lab in Brooklyn
Showcase to Robin Hood’s network of funders, tech leaders, and policymakers

Who can apply

Must be a new or early‑stage founder (no prototype or co‑founder required)
Must be based in the United States
Must have lived or learned experience in the challenge area addressed
Commitment to attend virtual workshops (Step 1) and onsite programming in Brooklyn (Step 2)
Focus on one of Robin Hood’s impact areas (Education, Financial Empowerment, Health, Housing, Hunger & Jobs)
Running a project or organization
Working (full-time or part-time)
Entrepreneur

LOT finds and checks opportunities from public sources. Always confirm details on the organiser’s own page before applying.

About this opportunity

Education
Financial Empowerment
Health
Housing
Hunger & Jobs

The fellowship is structured in two phases:

Step 1: Explore & Test (Virtual, June–July) Founders validate assumptions, conduct user research, and sharpen their story. Larger cohort participates virtually, with final presentations to experts and funders.
Step 2: Build Your MVP (Brooklyn, Sept–Nov) ~25 founders advance to build their MVP with mentorship, structured workshops, and a $20,000 stipend. Includes onsite programming, collaboration with engineers/designers, and a final showcase to funders and partners.

Benefits

$20,000 stipend (for Step 2 fellows)
Weekly programming on research, validation, product, growth, fundraising
Access to Blue Ridge Labs’ DIG community for real user feedback
1:1 mentorship and group coaching
Workspace at BRL Lab in Brooklyn
Showcase to Robin Hood’s network of funders, tech leaders, and policymakers

Who can apply

Must be a new or early‑stage founder (no prototype or co‑founder required)
Must be based in the United States
Must have lived or learned experience in the challenge area addressed
Commitment to attend virtual workshops (Step 1) and onsite programming in Brooklyn (Step 2)
Focus on one of Robin Hood’s impact areas (Education, Financial Empowerment, Health, Housing, Hunger & Jobs)
Running a project or organization
Working (full-time or part-time)
Entrepreneur