International

SciFounders Fellowship

SciFounders

About This Scheme

Up to US$1 million for technical founders building hard-science companies — open worldwide, no deadline, no application form.

SciFounders backs technical founders starting hard-science companies, writing cheques of up to US$1 million. There is no deadline, no application form and no business plan to write — you email them.

It is run by three people who started these companies themselves: Matt Krisiloff (CEO of Conception, previously director of Y Combinator Research and a founding team member of OpenAI), Lucas Harrington (co-founder of Mammoth Biosciences, PhD from Jennifer Doudna's lab at UC Berkeley) and Alexander Schubert (PhD in Molecular Biology at Cambridge, previously Research & Early Development at Genentech).

Yes. Asked directly whether they only invest in US companies, Sci

Founders say: "Both are OK. The only thing important to us is that you have the support you need wherever you are based."

One caveat, in their words: it is "ideal if you have incorporated in the US or are planning to do so." So an Indian founder is squarely in scope, but you should expect the US-entity question early. You do not need to relocate — the only place relocation comes up is lab space (below).

Their stated goal is to get more technical teams running their own companies. Three things matter:

You do not need a team. A solo founder can apply. You do not need to be incorporated — they help with company formation. You do not need a business plan: their FAQ answers the "I only know how to write grants" question with a no, you just have to explain what the company will do in a way that makes sense to a technical colleague outside your field.

The main focus right now is life sciences, but they are open elsewhere — asked whether they fund computer scientists and engineers building software or hardware companies, the answer is a flat yes. The bar is "novel technologies that have the potential to make a big difference in people's lives".

The portfolio shows what that looks like in practice

Note the mix

mostly biotech, but Earth AI is minerals exploration and Current Surgical is a device-and-software company. "Life sciences focus" is a lean, not a filter.
This is equity, and they publish the number most firms won't: for pre-seed to seed they are "normally aiming for ~12%".
They prefer to settle terms later in the process, once they can see what milestones your funding needs to reach.

Two things worth knowing, both unusually founder-friendly

There is no form and no deadline. Email hello@scifounders.com describing what you are building. Applications are read as they arrive.
Because there is no structured application, the email is the whole pitch.
Cover what the technology is, why you are the person to build it, whether a founder is full-time or will be on financing, and where you are incorporated or plan to be.

Benefits

Up to US$1 million in equity investment from SciFounders. For pre-seed to seed they say they normally aim for ~12%, with the exact terms agreed later in the process once the milestones your funding has to reach are clear. Two unusually founder-friendly terms. They take no ownership of your IP — equity in the company only, with patents and royalties staying with the inventor or institution, which is often the deciding factor for a university spin-out. And there are no restrictions on how you spend the money, salaries included
their only guidance is to be reasonable. Beyond the cheque: office hours as often as you want to schedule them, introductions to investors in their network when you raise, and help finding shared lab space if you are in the Bay Area or willing to move there. There is no formal end to the programme — they aim to stay useful past your seed round.

How to Apply

Free

Selection Process

There is no form, no deadline, no pitch event and no cohort.
You email hello@scifounders.com and the conversation starts from there.
What they weigh.
Their stated goal is helping more technical teams run their own companies, and they say they care most about the quality of the founders, trying to stay agnostic about ideas — because ideas that look unfashionable now can turn out to matter.
In practice that means the founders and the technology get more weight than the market slide.
The hard requirement.
At least one founder full-time on the company.
It does not have to be immediate, but it must be true once the company has launched.
Technical founders must be on that full-time team.
What is explicitly not screened out: no incorporation, no co-founder, no business plan, no traction, no warm introduction, and no particular geography — international founders are fine, with US incorporation preferred rather than required.
Terms are set late, on purpose.
They discuss valuation and structure once they can see where the company is and how much funding it needs to reach meaningful milestones.
For pre-seed to seed they aim for around 12%, and they take no stake in IP. After the investment there is no formal programme end.
You schedule office hours as often as you want, they introduce you to investors in their network when you raise, and they help find Bay Area lab space if you need it.

Quick Info

Amount / Funding

Varies

State / Region

International

Ministry / Dept

SciFounders

Application Window

Rolling

The portfolio shows what that looks like in practice

Note the mix

mostly biotech, but Earth AI is minerals exploration and Current Surgical is a device-and-software company. "Life sciences focus" is a lean, not a filter.
This is equity, and they publish the number most firms won't: for pre-seed to seed they are "normally aiming for ~12%".
They prefer to settle terms later in the process, once they can see what milestones your funding needs to reach.

Two things worth knowing, both unusually founder-friendly

There is no form and no deadline. Email hello@scifounders.com describing what you are building. Applications are read as they arrive.
Because there is no structured application, the email is the whole pitch.
Cover what the technology is, why you are the person to build it, whether a founder is full-time or will be on financing, and where you are incorporated or plan to be.

Benefits

Up to US$1 million in equity investment from SciFounders. For pre-seed to seed they say they normally aim for ~12%, with the exact terms agreed later in the process once the milestones your funding has to reach are clear. Two unusually founder-friendly terms. They take no ownership of your IP — equity in the company only, with patents and royalties staying with the inventor or institution, which is often the deciding factor for a university spin-out. And there are no restrictions on how you spend the money, salaries included

their only guidance is to be reasonable. Beyond the cheque: office hours as often as you want to schedule them, introductions to investors in their network when you raise, and help finding shared lab space if you are in the Bay Area or willing to move there. There is no formal end to the programme — they aim to stay useful past your seed round.

Selection Process

There is no form, no deadline, no pitch event and no cohort.

You email hello@scifounders.com and the conversation starts from there.

What they weigh.

Their stated goal is helping more technical teams run their own companies, and they say they care most about the quality of the founders, trying to stay agnostic about ideas — because ideas that look unfashionable now can turn out to matter.

In practice that means the founders and the technology get more weight than the market slide.

The hard requirement.

At least one founder full-time on the company.

It does not have to be immediate, but it must be true once the company has launched.

Technical founders must be on that full-time team.

What is explicitly not screened out: no incorporation, no co-founder, no business plan, no traction, no warm introduction, and no particular geography — international founders are fine, with US incorporation preferred rather than required.

Terms are set late, on purpose.

They discuss valuation and structure once they can see where the company is and how much funding it needs to reach meaningful milestones.

For pre-seed to seed they aim for around 12%, and they take no stake in IP. After the investment there is no formal programme end.

You schedule office hours as often as you want, they introduce you to investors in their network when you raise, and they help find Bay Area lab space if you need it.