This Fellowship, powered by Watson Institute, will provide robust entrepreneurial training, mentorship, and seed funding to aspiring, early-stage entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders in the Bradford area. Fellows will deepen and expand the local entrepreneurial ecosystem with new and innovative ideas and ventures.
Dates & Details
- This is a 16-week program with weekly programming from September 2nd – December 14th.
- The program begins with a 1-day Immersive in Bradford. The Immersive will take place on a Saturday.
- The weekly time commitment is approximately 5–8 hours with a mix of in-person and virtual programming.
- Fellows will host a 2-day intensive program called Basecamp in Fall 2023.
- Opportunity to participate in the Fellowship culminating event called Summit where Fellows pitch to local leaders, funders, and entrepreneurs.
- Fellows have the opportunity to earn up to a maximum of 6 life experience credits in the area of Management from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
- Fellows can earn up to $4,000 in seed funding for their venture or project.
Eligibility
- Aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders who are eager to commit to a robust entrepreneurial training program.
- Demonstrated interest in leading or launching projects addressing key community issues in Bradford, PA and surrounding areas
- Based around and able to attend in-person programming in Bradford, PA.
- Commitment to supporting underrepresented and underserved communities through entrepreneurship and business.
Program Elements
The Halloran Fellowship provides award-winning training, committed mentorship, and a powerful community of peers for next generation entrepreneurs to advance their impact-focused ventures, careers, and lives.
What is a Basecamp?
Grow your leadership skills, build partnerships, and expand your impact by facilitating a Watson Institute Basecamp.
Basecamps are 2-day workshops designed to help rising entrepreneurs from Fellows’ communities to ideate solutions, design business models, and compellingly communicate their businesses and organizations to an external audience. As a key deliverable of the Halloran Fellowship, all Fellows will facilitate a Basecamp event during their time in the program.
For the Halloran Fellowship, Fellows will be divided into two groups, trained, and given a stipend and logistical support to lead a Basecamp in Bradford. Basecamps are built to create a ripple-effect of impact in the community by engaging community partners and stakeholders. Skills tested and developed include Program Facilitation, Community Building.
The Watson Institute team will facilitate training workshops, share the Watson Institute Basecamp curriculum and planning materials, to help organize and facilitate this event. Fellows are empowered through their training to tailor the Basecamp structure and outcomes to their desired participant community.
Alumni Impact & Impact
Watson Institute’s 349 Fellows and alumni from 68 countries have raised over $175 million, created over 1,500 part or full-time jobs, and impacted 5 million people around the world through initiatives they help lead. Watson Institute Alumni have been selected to Y Combinator, the Echoing Green Fellowship, and Forbes’ 30 under 30 list, and continued their education at Harvard University, New York University, Princeton University, and Oxford Saïd Business School, among others.
See here to learn more about our alumni community and impact.
94%
of alumni would recommend a Watson Fellowship to a peer
97%
of alumni use skills they learned in our program up to eight years after graduating
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Life Experience Credits from the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford?
Life Experience Credits are credits that can be applied to any University of Pittsburgh at Bradford degree and they do not affect your financial aid. The term “Life Experience” is simply assigned by the university.
These credits will only be applicable to University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Students.
What is Seed Funding?
Seed funding is essentially money one uses to start or invest in their venture and is a pool of money provided by our partner: Halloran Philanthropies. This pool of money will be divided into smaller pools of funding and can be earned by Fellows based on their progress in the program.
What are social issues and what if I don't have one in mind?
Social issues are defined as problems that affect many people within a society. The Bradford Area, like many other small communities, faces social issues such as poverty, unemployment, addiction, prejudice, generational poverty, suicide/mental illness, and crime, amongst others. If you have a business idea, you undoubtedly will be addressing at least one of these social issues. This program will help you identify just how to do both.
What is the Halloran Fellowship schedule like?
- The Fellowship will begin with a full-day immersive experience on Saturday, September 2nd at 9am in Swarts Room 162.
- After that, we will have virtual sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays each week, in which we ask all Fellows to join at the same time (prospectively 10:30am-12:30PM ET).
- We will also have (roughly) 2-hour sessions on Thursdays (prospectively 10:30am-12:30PM ET) in the community (mostly at the Bradford Club, 32 Boylston St., Bradford, PA 16701).
- We ask that you inform us if you do not have access to transportation, and/or if the ATA is not available to you at these times.
- The culminating event: Summit, will be held on Thursday, December 14th in the University Room at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
What is the admissions process like? -Complete the online application
- Applications Submitted: Complete the online application: Applications will be reviewed within 2-weeks of submission. Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. The final application deadline is August 15th, 2023.
- Applications Reviewed: Our admissions team will review applications on a rolling basis starting January 1, 2023.
- Interview: Qualified applicants will be invited to a 20-minute Zoom interview within one week of applying. .
- Fellows Notified: The admissions team will begin sending out final acceptances and fellowship awards within two weeks, after each interview.
- Fellows Confirm & Enroll: The last step to finalize enrollment is to review and sign Watson’s memorandum of understanding (MOU).
- If you have questions and want to connect with our admissions team: please reach out to Angelique@watson.is directly.
Is there an age restriction?
There are no age restrictions. The average age for our fellows is 25. If you meet the other eligibility criteria, we encourage you to apply. The Fellowship is fully open to both the Bradford Area Community and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford students.
Halloran Philanthropies is a family foundation based out of Pennsylvania with a mission to inspire, innovate, and accelerate sustainable social interventions that promote human wellbeing. Watson Institute has been fortunate to partner with Halloran Philanthropies since 2013. The inaugural Halloran Fellowship is part of our joint commitment to deepen and expand the budding entrepreneurial ecosystem in Bradford, PA.
