Our fellow selection committee has logged many (many!) hours since the close of our application window last fall, reading applications, analyzing proposals, and conferring with each other and outside experts before undertaking the difficult selection process. Early next month, the finalists will make their pitch for admission to Cohort 2021. As always, we’ll rely on our esteemed panel of reviewers—who bring deep technical expertise at the intersection of business and cutting-edge science, representing some of the most influential organizations across the public and private sectors—to help us select the next cohort.
Cohort 2021 Finalists
Each year, Finalist Week is one of the most intensely busy but also exciting periods in the fellowship cycle. This year will be no different—although it will happen in a virtual format.
The Cohort 2021 finalists are a truly impressive and inspiring group of scientists who are on the verge of launching what promise to be hugely consequential businesses, across key industries and sectors, that could speed society’s response to climate change and other urgent societal needs.
Forty-six* applicants have made it to the finalist stage, down from 396 applicants—the largest applicant pool to date. This year, in order to highlight the great proposals we received, we are sharing information about our finalists publicly.
Building a more diverse and inclusive cohort community is one of our primary goals, and we shared top-line metrics from our Cohort 2021 applicant pool in our November newsletter. Below are the same metrics for the Cohort 2021 finalist pool.
41 percent of Cohort 2021 finalists identify as Black, Indigenous, or as people of color (BIPOC), up 7 percent from Cohort 2020 finalists
20 percent of Cohort 2021 finalists identify as women, down 12 percent compared to Cohort 2020 finalists
50 percent of finalist teams** include one or more applicant who identifies at BIPOC, up 8 percent compared to Cohort 2020 finalist teams
Here are some notable trends from this year’s finalist pool.
The Last Frontier
🚀🚀🚀🚀 NASA employed or supported research of four finalists
🚀🚀🚀 Three of our finalists either worked on missions to space or conducted experiments on the International Space Station
Batteries are Back
🔋🔋🔋🔋 Following a lull, we received an uptick in promising battery applications
Future Fuels
⛽🔌💧 Three of the finalist teams are pursuing green, low-cost hydrogen production
Cohort 2021 Finalists and Project Titles, by Sector