Tag Archives: Thiel Fellowships

Transforming tomorrow (?)—Peter Thiel and his 20 under 20 visionaries

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In my Dec. 19, 2011 posting, I wrote about a rapidly approaching deadline for Peter Thiel’s fellowship programme for people under the age of 20. Unusually, I now have some followup information, thanks to an Aug. 13, 2012 posting on the Foresight Institute blog. The finalists, 40 from over 1000 applicants, are appearing in a CNBC documentary, 20 Under 20, Transforming Tomorrow.

The documentary is airing in two parts on Aug. 13, 2012 for part one and Aug. 14, 2012 for a rerun of part one prior to airing part two which features (from the Foresight Institute posting),

Foresight CoFounder Christine Peterson and Director Desiree Dudley will appear in their role as mentors for the Thiel Foundation’s 20Under20 in CNBC’s documentary “20Under20: Transforming Tomorrow”. See these brilliant young people in CNBC’s upcoming documentary, 9-11pm EDT this Tuesday, August 14th! (It’s a 2-part documentary; the 1st episode actually first airs at 10pm EDT on Monday, but re-airs at 9pm EDT Tuesday before the second part at 10pm EDT.) Video trailer: http://youtu.be/F_YR7sfXjl0

If you prefer, you can watch the video here,

This is a very slick production and, maybe it’s the Canadian in me, the arrogance is breathtaking. It’s to be expected in the under-20 group and necessary if they are to deal with complex issues. The more experienced entrepreneurs are the ones I find shocking and somewhat out of touch.  For example, it’s widely recognized that there are a number of possible causes for cancer, as such, there is no single ‘cure for cancer’ or ‘magic bullet’ despite what one of the entrepreneurs suggests in this trailer.

Visionary (under the age of 20) needed by Dec. 31, 2011

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The folks over at the Foresight Institute made note of a competition for visionaries under the age of 20 in a Dec. 16, 2011 posting,

The future will not take care of itself. Global prosperity is not inevitable. The world will only get better if visionary people are creative and relentless about solving hard problems.

The 2011 class of Thiel Fellows includes 24 people who are tackling breakthroughs in hardware and robotics, making energy plentiful, making markets more effective, challenging the notion that there is only one way to get an education, and extending the human lifespan. Several of them have already launched companies, secured financing, and won prestigious awards. As they’re demonstrating, you don’t need college to invent the future (you can read about their progress in a recent article in TechCrunch).

If you’re under twenty and love science or technology, we hope you’ll consider joining the 2012 class of fellows. Go to ThielFellowship.org and apply to change the world. There’s no cost to apply, and they’re accepting applications through December 31. Fellows will be appointed this spring and begin two-year fellowships this summer.

The Thiel Foundation does invite foreign candidates to apply (from the FAQ page)

May foreign candidates apply?

Yes. We encourage candidates from around the world to apply. Foreign candidates are responsible for obtaining their own visa into the United States. If you receive a fellowship you must be up for navigating this challenge.

Here’s a bit more about the current crop of fellows. From Rip Emerson’s Dec. 8, 2011 article for TechCrunch,

In May, Thiel [Peter Thiel], along with his Foundation, put their money where their mouth is, announcing the “20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowship”, a program that offers talented independent thinkers under the age of 20 $100,000 and two years free of school to pursue their entrepreneurial endeavors. The program launched with 24 Thiel Fellows, each of these wiz kids pursuing their own inspiring scientific and technical projects. …

I did a writeup about another of Peter Thiel’s (founder of Paypal), an entrepreneurial fund for scientists in my April 26, 2011 posting.

Thiel certainly seems to be interested in stimulating new prospects for the future.