Fellowship
Applications are now closed for the 2022 Interact Fellowship. If you have any questions about your application, please email admissions@joininteract.com.
What is the Interact Fellowship?
Interact Fellows attend two fully-sponsored summer retreats and participate in a seminar course on technology in the 21st century. Beyond this, Interact Fellows are part of a diverse, spirited, supportive community of technologists from around the globe. In addition to the retreat, Fellows have access to grants programs for their personal projects, and accountability and support mechanisms for founders.
What is the history of the Fellowship Retreat?
Interact was founded in 2012 as a social experiment. We brought together 100 young technologists from around the globe at South by Southwest in Austin, TX, where they crashed on couches, shared perspectives, and built friendships. Since then, the Interact community has continued to grow—this is now our tenth Fellowship class.
How does the Interact application process work?
Applicants will complete a written application, and may be selected for a subsequent virtual interview with a member of the Interact team. Interviewees are notified mid-March, and final acceptances are announced by May 1st. The acceptance rate for Interact is typically below 10%.
What is it like to be a part of the Interact community?
The Interact community is a space for mutual support, unabashed curiosity, and humble ambition. We regularly gather for dinners and have a vibrant online community in Slack. Interacters also have access to resources to support founders, accountability mechanisms for personal projects, and a wide range discussion forums.
How is Interact responding to COVID?
Interact deferred its 2020 Fellowship Retreat, but safely hosted a retreat in 2021. We will only host a retreat if we can be confident about our ability to do so safely. In 2021, retreat attendees were required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and display proof of a negative test if they wished to attend.
What is the Fellowship Retreat?
The Fellowship Retreat is the centerpiece of the Interact experience, where friendships and collaborations emerge. We bring each year's Fellows together with the previous year’s Fellows for a weekend of introspection and conversation, historically hosted in Northern California. The upcoming Fellowship Retreat’s dates and locations are to be announced.
How much does the Fellowship Retreat cost?
Nothing! We cover your lodging and meals throughout the weekend, as well as local transportation. It is important to us that the retreat is financially accessible to all applicants, so we also subsidize travel to and from the retreat for those traveling outside of the area.
What are the eligibility requirements for applying to Interact?
The only requirement is that Fellowship applicants are between the ages of 18 and 23 at the time of application, with rare exceptions for 24-year-olds. We look for applicants who are (1) uniquely insightful, (2) open-minded conversationalists, and (3) risk-taking self-starters.
Who applies to Interact?
Interact applicants come from all backgrounds, fields of study, and areas of expertise, but must think deeply about the role and opportunity of technology in society. Our community includes engineers, designers, founders, scientists, community builders, artists, and more. Interacters aim to balance contemplation and execution, constantly examining and refining the values that motivate their work.
Who are Interact’s partners?
Interact partners with some of the world’s leading venture capitalists, who lend their voices to our conversations and support our community with their advice and experience.
What is the Interact Fellowship?
Interact Fellows attend two fully-sponsored summer retreats and participate in a seminar course on technology in the 21st century. Beyond this, Interact Fellows are part of a diverse, spirited, supportive community of technologists from around the globe. In addition to the retreat, Fellows have access to grants programs for their personal projects, and accountability and support mechanisms for founders.
What is the Fellowship Retreat?
The Fellowship Retreat is the centerpiece of the Interact experience, where friendships and collaborations emerge. We bring each year's Fellows together with the previous year’s Fellows for a weekend of introspection and conversation, historically hosted in Northern California. The upcoming Fellowship Retreat’s dates and locations are to be announced.
How much does the Fellowship Retreat cost?
Nothing! We cover your lodging and meals throughout the weekend, as well as local transportation. It is important to us that the retreat is financially accessible to all applicants, so we also subsidize travel to and from the retreat for those traveling outside of the area.
What is the history of the Fellowship Retreat?
Interact was founded in 2012 as a social experiment. We brought together 100 young technologists from around the globe at South by Southwest in Austin, TX, where they crashed on couches, shared perspectives, and built friendships. Since then, the Interact community has continued to grow—this is now our tenth Fellowship class.
What are the eligibility requirements for applying to Interact?
The only requirement is that Fellowship applicants are between the ages of 18 and 23 at the time of application, with rare exceptions for 24-year-olds. We look for applicants who are (1) uniquely insightful, (2) open-minded conversationalists, and (3) risk-taking self-starters.
How does the Interact application process work?
Applicants will complete a written application, and may be selected for a subsequent virtual interview with a member of the Interact team. Interviewees are notified mid-March, and final acceptances are announced by May 1st. The acceptance rate for Interact is typically below 10%.
Who applies to Interact?
Interact applicants come from all backgrounds, fields of study, and areas of expertise, but must think deeply about the role and opportunity of technology in society. Our community includes engineers, designers, founders, scientists, community builders, artists, and more. Interacters aim to balance contemplation and execution, constantly examining and refining the values that motivate their work.
What is it like to be a part of the Interact community?
The Interact community is a space for mutual support, unabashed curiosity, and humble ambition. We regularly gather for dinners and have a vibrant online community in Slack. Interacters also have access to resources to support founders, accountability mechanisms for personal projects, and a wide range discussion forums.
Who are Interact’s partners?
Interact partners with some of the world’s leading venture capitalists, who lend their voices to our conversations and support our community with their advice and experience.
How is Interact responding to COVID?
Interact deferred its 2020 Fellowship Retreat, but safely hosted a retreat in 2021. We will only host a retreat if we can be confident about our ability to do so safely. In 2021, retreat attendees were required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and display proof of a negative test if they wished to attend.
