Going from groundbreaking research to a first prototype is hard.
The “First Valley of Death” is the gap between laboratory research and a viable first prototype. The First Valley Fellowship is designed to bridge that gap.
Everything you need to cross the valley.
No-cost Membership
Six months of full Greentown Labs membership including coworking space, lab access, and all community programming at no cost.
Mission-Critical Resources
Access to over $1M in in-kind resources including prototyping software, legal services, cloud credits, and business tools.
Fundraising Support
One-on-one fundraising coaching, investor visibility through the Deal Flow Digest, and warm connections to the Greentown investor network.
Dedicated Mentorship
Paired mentors covering go-to-market strategy, customer discovery, technical development, legal and IP, and product design.
Who can apply.
Graduate students working on climate-related research
Postdoctoral researchers exploring commercialization
Research scientists at universities or national labs
Early-stage founders pre-prototype or pre-revenue
Geographic preference for the Greater Boston area
Solo founders welcome
Six months of focused support.
Duration
6 months
Check-ins
Monthly 30-minute sessions
Mentor meetings
Biweekly
Post-fellowship
20% discount on lab space for 12 months
Equity taken
None
Bridge the gap from research to prototype.
Applications for this cohort have closed. In the meantime, explore Greentown Labs membership for access to labs, resources, and community.