Application Deadline: October 15, 2020
A lifetime of impact begins. 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 4-month program, a cohort of young social innovators convene in Boulder, Colorado to tackle the greatest challenges facing the world. From climate change to income inequality and from political oppression to access to water, students enrolled in the program leverage training, mentorship, and community to 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.
Generally, applicants or students have two tracks with the Watson Semester Accelerator program to choose from, they are:
1. 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.
2. Free Agent Track: The Free Agent track is for students looking to join a venture or project and is prepared to contribute in significant ways to the team. It should be noted that Free Agents join a Venture Founder’s team at the beginning of the cohort.
Benefits
The Watson Semester Accelerator provides scholarships that cover up to 50% of the cost of tuition. However, these scholarships are available on the basis of merit and financial need.
Eligibility Criteria
- Open to early-stage entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders with sentiment towards action and the gritty idealism necessary to solve complex problems.
- Applicant or student may be from any part of the world
- 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 the applicant or student have completed initial research on the project and have designed and put to test some aspects of their business model. Additionally, at this stage applicants should have developed early versions of the service or product that they plan to launch. At this stage, applicants may have revenue or funding streams, but the project or venture is not yet self-sustained or scalable.
Application
Eligible applicants or students are to contact Miranda Williamson, Director of Search for Watson Institute, at miranda@watson.is with any questions they may have about the application process.
For more information, visit Watson Semester Accelerator
