Let's build together

Get a $50k grant and our foundational support to help bring your ideas to life.

Applications reviewed and grants awarded on a rolling basis.

Early support to build, without the percentages and fine print.

We believe that your earliest founding days are most productive when they’re supported with non-dilutive capital and an environment that empowers builders.

This is why our $50,000 equity-free grant exists, because your first check shouldn’t be the most expensive.

Beyond capital, our Delta Fellowship provides students and recent grads with:

Founder coaching from the Human Capital team
Summer programming tailored to you and your cohort’s interests
Co-working office space in downtown San Francisco to collaborate with other Delta Fellows and Human Capital portfolio founders
A weekend retreat with your fellow fellows
Office hours and speaker sessions with other founders, many of whom started their companies in college and now lead companies valued at over $1B

Bring whatever you’re passionate about to the table, we’ll help you execute.

Whether that passion is just an idea, or if you’ve already started building something—we’ll meet you wherever you are on that journey to make it a reality.

Past fellows have come in with prototypes, alphas, and ideas. Some spent the time iterating on concepts, others shipped new features, rebranded, and raised funding.

Here’s a snapshot of a few of them (and here’s a deeper dive on the second cohort):

Arjun Bhatnagar

Co-founder, Cloaked

Co-founder, Cloaked and

Arjun and his brother/co-founder Abhijay accelerated their go-to-market timeline for Cloaked, their consumer trust and privacy company. We led their seed round and co-led their Series A along with Lux Capital, Peter Thiel, General Catalyst, and The Chainsmokers.

Maxim Serebryakov

Co-founder, Sanas

Co-founder, Sanas and

Maxim and his co-founders, Andrés and Shawn, built their MVP, reached patent-pending status, and prepped to launch their real-time accent translation startup with early adopters. We led their seed round right after the fellowship and participated in their $32M Series A led by Insight Partners a year later.

Gokce Guven

Founder, Kalder

Founder, Kalder and

Gokce spent the fellowship perfecting the branding and pitch for Kalder, a unified web3 tooling platform for brands and creators.

Programming tailored to our fellows.

Being a student founder comes with unique challenges. Fellows have the opportunity to connect with founders who were in their shoes not long ago—and have since turned their startups into high-growth companies. We know because we’ve been there since the early days.

Fellows participate in learning sessions and office hours, tailored to the stage of their ideas (or companies) and the knowledge gaps they’re looking to fill. Some sessions are just for fellows—check-ins, brainstorms, small group discussions.

Others involve outside speakers and office hours with people like:

Cliff Weitzman

Founder, Speechify

Founder, Speechify and

Cliff shared his advice for improving customer retention by building sticky products.

Maria Rioumine

Co-founder & CEO, Kojo

Co-founder & CEO, Kojo and

Maria addressed the importance of founder-led sales and effective investor relationships.

Runik Mehotra

Co-founder, Vise

Co-founder, Vise and

Runik began working on Vise as a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania. We first invested in them in 2019 and have helped hire some of their earliest engineers. It’s now worth over $1B.

Phil Libin

Founder, Evernote

Founder, Evernote and Mmhmm

Phil explained his state machine for addressing startup growth and his framework for finding product-market fit.

We believe the future belongs to those who can build it.

That’s why we do what we do—partner with ambitious builders for the long term.

We invest in builders by connecting them with the knowledge, opportunities, and people they need to realize their full potential—meeting them wherever they’re at in their own entrepreneurial journeys.

We know this experience well—Human Capital was started when our founders were in college. We’ve spent the last 5 years helping young entrepreneurs dissect industries, test early betas, and acquire their first customers—then invest in them.

Some of our early student founders include Henrique Dubugras (Brex), Ryan Breslow (Bolt), and Alexandr Wang (Scale).

$1.6B
Total capital committed
15
Companies we invested in before they became unicorns
5,000+
Builders in our community

Applications reviewed and grants awarded on a rolling basis.

Apply now

FAQs

Who can apply?

Incoming, current, and recent undergraduate and graduate students.

Do I need a business idea or plan to apply?

While you don’t need a fully fleshed out venture to apply, we encourage you to come prepared to talk about some of the ideas you’re already thinking about or a passion for an industry that you’re excited to explore.

When is the fellowship?

Our partnership will begin once you’re accepted to the fellowship (whenever that is during the academic school year) but the official programming and retreat for all of the fellows will occur over the summer from June to August.

When are applications due?

We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis.

When will fellows be selected?

Fellows will be notified on a rolling basis. We will also be awarding grants at the time of acceptance, so you can get early support when you need it rather than waiting until summer.

Can I re-apply for the summer cohort if I got rejected for early admission last fall?

Yes—go for it again, especially if you’ve made progress in the months in between.

Can I participate in the program while completing an internship?

Yes, but we don’t recommend it. We expect you to dedicate a significant amount of time to the program. That said, we’re happy to discuss it on a case-by-case basis.

Do I have to drop out of college after the program?

No. You should do what you think is best—whether that means going back to college or not.

Are you looking for solo founders, co-founder pairs, or teams?

All of the above. You can apply as a solo founder, but we’ve found most successful ventures are built by teams—so if you know someone exceptional you’d like to build with, mention them in the application and encourage them to apply.

Can I apply and participate as an international student?

Yes. We hope you’ll apply, no matter what country you live in. If you’re selected, you can work from wherever you want. If you have visa issues, we’ll work with you to find the best way to have you participate. There are tax implications for international students that you’ll need to handle, since each country has its own specific tax policies and regulations. We will make best efforts to work through any issues with you together.

Do I need to be in San Francisco for the summer programming?

No, but we strongly encourage it, and think you’ll get more out of the program if you are. Past fellows have particularly appreciated the networking and community-building they got from the social events, dinners, and random in-person run-ins.

What are the terms for the $50k?

The $50k check is awarded to you, without any direct equity investment tied to it, no strings attached. You can use the grant however you want—for living expenses, office supplies, server costs, etc. Human Capital doesn’t take a percentage of the company (if fellows have already started one), and won’t require a percentage of the company in the future (if fellows raise money during or after the program).

What if I’m ready for a pre-seed or seed investment?

We work with founders across stages, so let us know in your application if you’d like to be considered for a pre-seed (or seed) investment. This will not affect your evaluation for the fellowship.

Can I participate in the fellowship at the same time as another incubator or accelerator program?

Yes.

Can I still apply if I’ve raised capital?