Bill Gates Fellowship Program: Adapting to Global Challenges

Navigating Global Challenges: Breakthrough Energy's Evolving Strategy

This year presents numerous uncertainties, encompassing a worldwide trade conflict, evolving governmental strategies, and an economy demonstrating signs of instability. Breakthrough Energy, a climate technology organization established by Bill Gates, is adapting its approach in response to these conditions.

While the organization has consistently made long-term investments, it is currently re-evaluating certain initiatives. For instance, its policy division was dissolved in March, and support for a publication focused on climate technology was discontinued.

Continued Investment and the Fellows Program

Despite these adjustments, Breakthrough Energy maintains its commitment to funding innovative startups. Its flagship program, a fellowship designed to nurture emerging entrepreneurs, remains a central focus.

TechCrunch has exclusively learned that a new cohort of Breakthrough Energy Fellows is being announced today. This group comprises 45 fellows representing 22 distinct startups, and its composition reflects the program’s evolution based on data analysis and the current global landscape.

A More Global Perspective

“This is the most internationally diverse cohort we’ve seen to date. Fifty percent of the participating teams are located outside of the United States,” explained Ashley Grosh, Vice President at Breakthrough Energy.

The selection process was highly competitive, requiring Grosh and her team to review approximately 1,500 applications and referrals – a selectivity rate exceeding that of leading universities. Eleven teams are based in the U.S., six in Asia, with the remaining teams situated in Canada, Germany, the U.K., and South Africa.

Expanding Reach with a New Hub

This increased international emphasis is partly attributable to the opening of a new fellowship program hub in Singapore in August 2024, in collaboration with Temasek, the nation’s investment fund, and Enterprise Singapore, a governmental body.

However, it also acknowledges the fundamental truth that climate change is a global issue demanding solutions from all corners of the world.

“The key is understanding specific local requirements and challenges,” Grosh stated. She illustrated this point by noting the significant number of cohort members concentrating on hydrogen technology.

In Asia, “there is considerable interest in developing a hydrogen economy,” Grosh observed. Furthermore, the region prioritizes circularity – the process of recycling materials – due to its role as a major manufacturing center and the associated waste generation.

Focus Areas of the New Cohort

The latest cohort also includes startups dedicated to critical minerals, advancements in agriculture, and the modernization of electrical grids.

Refining the Curriculum for Economic Viability

Beyond its broadened global outlook, the Breakthrough Energy Fellows program has also revised its educational approach. Drawing on insights and feedback from previous cohorts, the program now encourages participants to proactively consider the economic aspects of their technological developments.

Through a methodology known as techno-economic analysis, fellows collaborate with “business fellows” – experienced entrepreneurs – to assess the potential for product-market fit. If a viable market isn’t identified, they are guided towards adapting their business model.

“We observed many companies initially pursuing one direction, only to subsequently pivot,” Grosh explained. “They become more attractive to investors after we assist them through this pivot and validate the new strategy.”

Success Metrics and Future Outlook

Grosh reported that almost all teams from the preceding four cohorts have secured subsequent funding rounds, and one, Holocene, has already achieved an exit. “This represents a significant accomplishment for us,” she added.