Thiel Fellowship
Thiel Foundation · Fellowship
$250K$250,000 grant paid over two years
A $250,000 no-equity grant for young people who want to build new things instead of sitting in a classroom. You don't need a company or a team.
Key terms
- Open to anyone aged 22 or younger who does not hold a university degree
- If selected, you must leave school to accept
- No equity is taken in your company
- Paid out over the two-year program
- You don't need a company or team, but you should show real progress toward a concrete vision
Eligibility
- Where
- Worldwide
- Stages
- idea, pre-seed, seed
- Needs VC/accelerator backing
- No
- Needs partner referral code
- No
- Must be incorporated
- No
- AI focus required
- No
- Students / researchers
- Eligible
- Nonprofits
- Eligible
Also required
- Age 22 or under
- No undergraduate or graduate degree
- Must drop out of school if selected
How to apply
Apply online at any time through the Thiel Fellowship portal. Show concrete progress and a clear vision.
- Benefit
- cash
- Equity-free
- Yes
- Decision time
- —
- Credit validity
- —
- Deadline
- Rolling
- Status
- Open
Verified 2026-10-22 · source