Become a Foster Venture Fellow

Selection Criteria for fellows

The application process is intended to provide a comprehensive view of candidates including their work experiences, interest in the VC or startup ecosystem, and motivation to be a Fellow.

The application consists of:

  1. Up-to-date resume.

  2. Cover letter expressing why you want to be a Fellow and your motivation for submitting an application.

  3. Short answer responses to a questionnaire.

  4. Detailed investment memo evaluating a Pre-Seed, Seed, or Series A company that was formed no earlier than 11/01/2019. You do NOT need to follow any specific format nor do you need to have memo writing experience.

Applicant Requirements:

  • Applicants are required to enroll or have already completed the VCIC Practicum Course (only offered Autumn Quarter).

  • Full time first year MBA students must have work authorization in the US already.

  • Only first or second year evening MBA students may apply.

  • Full time second year international MBA students may apply.

Previous experience in VC or startup environments is not required.

The mission of Foster Venture Fellows (FVF) is to increase access to experiential learning opportunities DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR for Foster MBA Candidates across the early stage startup investment industry including startup incubators, accelerators, venture debt, and traditional venture capital firms.

Selected Fellows

MBA Candidates will be placed with their partner firms at the end of each Autumn Quarter. Fellowships will commence at the beginning of Winter Quarter (January) and last through the end of the academic year (May). Fellows are required to commit a minimum of 10 business hours per week to their Partner firms throughout the course of the Fellowship. While this is a minimum commitment, Fellows are welcome to pursue increased engagement with Partner firms.

Continuing commitment

MBA Candidates who have successfully completed their Fellowship are responsible for upholding the administration and prosperity of FVF.

This includes:

  1. Marketing FVF to prospective Foster MBA applicants and admitted students.

  2. Recruiting and interviewing first-year fellows to be matched with partner firms.

  3. Maintaining and growing relationships with partner firms.

  4. Maintaining and growing the relationship with the Foster School of Business and the broader University of Washington community.

2025-2026 Timeline

September 30th: Info session held in Innovation Room (Founders 4th floor conference room to the right of study rooms).

Oct 1st: Applications open (join #startup-evcc on Slack for application)

October 29th: Applications close exactly at 11:59pm. If your application is timestamped after that cutoff, it will not be considered.

November 3rd-November 7th: Semi-Finalist interviews with the 2nd year Venture Fellows board.

November 10th: Finalist applications sent to Partner firms.

December 12th: Venture Fellows Cohort announced.

January 20th 2026: First day of Fellowship.

May 29th 2026: Last day of Fellowship.