THE CAMELBACK FELLOWSHIP
Camelback Ventures is committed to empowering entrepreneurs to create impactful solutions that address systemic inequities in Education and Conscious Technology. We offer a rigorous accelerator, the Camelback Fellowship, for innovative and driven entrepreneurs.
The Camelback Fellowship is a 15-week program that supports the development of both founder and venture. Since 2015, Camelback has supported 163+ entrepreneurs (many of whom have been recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30, received fellowships such as Echoing Green and Richards Draper Kaplan, and collectively gone on to raise over $50 million).
94% of our Fellows and alumni identify as Black, Indigenous, people of color and 63% identify as women and/or non-binary.
PROGRAM OFFERINGS
We support Fellows in the Education sector who drive social change by improving educational outcomes and access, including schools, programs, and products in early childhood, K-12, higher education, adult learning, and alternative pathways. We also support Conscious Technology ventures that use innovative tech solutions, particularly in health & wellness, community development, policy & advocacy, and workforce readiness.
Our program is designed with the psychological safety of the entrepreneur in mind, fostering a supportive community of aligned peers. Entrepreneurship takes a significant physical and psychological toll, often exacerbated for leaders from marginalized communities by financial responsibilities, social isolation, and dealing with gendered and racialized aggressions. The psychological safety we create allows our entrepreneurs to become the best versions of themselves, empowering them to grow exponentially and instilling confidence that ripples through their organizations, communities, and ultimately, the nation.
We emphasize our support in five specific areas: coaching, capital, connections, community, and curriculum. Many undervalued entrepreneurs lack access to these resources, and our experience has shown the importance of building community leaders who can drive impactful change. The Fellowship is held two times per year as a hybrid experience featuring an in-person kick-off and graduation as well as weekly virtual sessions in between. In addition, Fellows and coaches meet weekly to make progress on venture specific goals. Outside of Fellowship programming, Fellows will dedicate time for independent venture development. Key dates will be announced for travel and programming prior to confirming Fellow selection.
To learn more, click on one of the “5 C’s” below or keep scrolling to learn about all aspects of the Fellowship.
Y'all see this alliteration? But seriously, these really are the tenets of our approach, and not just because they start with a c.
Camelback literally changed my life. The aha moment for me was at the first summit in New Orleans. I had this moment where I just looked around, and I got very emotional. I told myself, “Vince, man, you cannot cry. You just met these people yesterday.” I constantly had these waves of thoughts, “Am I really going to do this? Am I really trying to lead my own organization?”
READ MORE FROM FELLOWS IN OUR BLOG →
COACHING
Camelback gives each Fellow their own coach. This dedicated 1:1 coaching enables regular strategy, accountability, and thought partnership. Coaches can help with anything from listening to your pitch to making introductions to analyzing pricing strategies. Camelback also provides specialized coaching in key areas (such as developing measures of success or pitch deck design), and facilitates peer mentorship sessions within each purposefully chosen cohort.
CAPITAL
Since we began, we have found that the impact of unrestricted capital empowers entrepreneurs exponentially. So, we have fine-tuned a funding strategy to be able to support all of our Camelback Fellows in a “friends and family” stage with an investment of $40,000 in each venture. Fellows have used this money for a variety of things, such as running a pilot program, hiring an app developer, going full-time on their venture, traveling to high profile industry conferences, buying new equipment, and funding the development of new community spaces.
CONNECTIONS
Camelback facilitates the building of important relationships for Fellows in a number of ways, both during and after the Fellowship. There are opportunities to meet with investors and strategic partners throughout the program. Camelback also provides opportunities for attendance at notable conferences and gatherings in each sector.
COMMUNITY
The entrepreneurial journey can often be a lonely one, but it doesn’t have to be. For undervalued entrepreneurs, the space to connect and learn from like-minded peers with similar challenges and successes is essential. Creating a supportive community enables these entrepreneurs to share experiences, foster collaboration, and build lasting relationships that contribute to their growth and resilience. We have begun to host Family Reunions and other initiatives to support alumni engagement and continued venture success. We think our Fellows tell it best; read their stories and explore their work.
> Byron Arthur (2018) reflects on what he learned from his cohort
> James Kim (2017) shares how he found his family with Camelback
> Jerelyn Rodriguez (2015) explains how the fam impacted her work
CURRICULUM
We prioritize the hustle over the hype. Having studied the top reasons why startups fail, we understand that undervalued entrepreneurs face additional hurdles. Our curriculum is designed to address these specific challenges, providing actionable insights and strategies to help Fellows overcome barriers and succeed in their ventures. Our programming features our own content in combination with workshops with content experts, focusing primarily on how you might strengthen the internal structures of your ventures so that you’re better able to deliver to your communities and more ready to grow (if that’s what you want). At the end of the fellowship, our hope is that the foundations of your ventures are sturdier and you’re more confident to take up space as entrepreneurs.
The five Core Competencies we focus on include:
• Be Strategic
• Pitch Ready
• Stakeholder Development
• Project & Budget Management
• Hiring & Management Teams