Exclusive: How Bill Gates's fellowship program is adapting to global uncertainty | TechCrunch

"There's plenty of uncertainty to go around this year, including a global trade war, shifting policy priorities, and an economy that's starting to stumble. Breakthrough Energy, a climate tech organization founded by Bill Gates, has also been shifting in response. The group always placed long bets, though it appears to be reappraising some of them. Its policy team was scrapped in March, for example, and it didn't continue funding a publication that covered the climate tech world. Still, its investments in startups continue, as does its longest bet, a fellowship program for budding entrepreneurs."

"It consists of 45 fellows at 22 different startups, and its makeup reveals how the program is evolving both in response to its own data and to global uncertainty. "It's the most global [cohort] that we've had to date. Fifty percent of the teams are based outside of the U.S.," Ashley Grosh, vice president at Breakthrough Energy, told TechCrunch. Grosh and her colleagues had to sift through around 1,500 applications and referrals, making the program more selective than the world's top universities."

"Part of the international focus was driven by a new hub for the fellowship program in Singapore, which the organization opened in August 2024 with Temasek, the country's investment fund, and Enterprise Singapore, a government agency. But it's also a recognition that climate change, being a global problem, will require solutions from around the world. "What are local needs, right? What are the local challenges?" Grosh said."

Breakthrough Energy selected a cohort of 45 fellows across 22 startups, demonstrating continued investment in entrepreneurial climate solutions amid global uncertainty. The fellowship reached new geographic breadth with 50% of teams based outside the U.S., including companies in Canada, Germany, the U.K., South Africa, and multiple Asian countries. A Singapore hub launched in August 2024 with Temasek and Enterprise Singapore expanded international capacity. The selection process reviewed roughly 1,500 applications and referrals, making the program highly selective. Several cohort members focus on hydrogen and circularity, reflecting regional priorities and local needs. Breakthrough also reduced its policy staff and ended funding for a climate publication while maintaining startup investments.

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