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How Bill Gates’s scholarship initiative is adjusting to worldwide unpredictability

How Bill Gates’s scholarship initiative is adjusting to worldwide unpredictability

Bitget-RWA2025/09/11 14:09
By: Bitget-RWA

This year is marked by significant unpredictability, from global trade disputes and shifting policy agendas to signs of economic slowdown. Breakthrough Energy, the climate technology initiative started by Bill Gates, has been adapting its approach as well.

Historically, the organization has taken on ambitious, long-term projects, but it appears to be reconsidering some of these strategies. For instance, its policy division was dissolved in March, and it decided not to further support a publication focused on climate tech. Nevertheless, the group is still investing in startups and maintaining its flagship fellowship program for emerging innovators.

Today, TechCrunch has learned exclusively that a new group is being welcomed into the Breakthrough Energy Fellows program. This year’s cohort features 45 fellows spread across 22 startups, and its composition reflects how the initiative is changing in light of both internal insights and global instability.

“This is our most internationally diverse group yet. Half of the participating teams are located outside the United States,” Ashley Grosh, a vice president at Breakthrough Energy, shared with TechCrunch.

Grosh and her team reviewed approximately 1,500 applications and recommendations, making the program even more selective than leading global universities. Out of the selected groups, eleven are based in the U.S., six operate in Asia, with the rest hailing from Canada, Germany, the U.K., and South Africa.

The increased global reach is partly due to the establishment of a new fellowship center in Singapore, launched in August 2024 in partnership with Temasek, the nation’s investment firm, and the government agency Enterprise Singapore. 

But this shift also acknowledges that climate change is a worldwide challenge that demands solutions developed across different regions. 

“What are the specific needs of each area? What challenges do local communities face?” Grosh explained. As an illustration, she noted that several members of the new group are focused on hydrogen technologies.

According to Grosh, there’s strong momentum for hydrogen-related innovation in Asia. The region is also prioritizing circularity—turning used materials back into their original or improved state—because of its role as a manufacturing hub and the significant waste produced as a result.

Startups in the latest group are also addressing issues such as critical minerals, advancements in agriculture, and modernizing energy grids.

Alongside its expanded international presence, the Breakthrough Energy Fellows initiative has revamped its curriculum. Drawing on feedback and lessons from previous years, the program now urges participants to consider the financial viability of their technologies early and often. Using a process called techno-economic analysis, fellows collaborate with experienced business professionals to assess whether their ideas could succeed in the market. If not, they’re encouraged to adjust their direction.

“We noticed many companies entering with one plan but then pivoting,” Grosh remarked. “By supporting them through that change and confirming the new direction, we help make them more attractive to investors.”

According to Grosh, nearly all teams from the previous four groups have secured additional investment, and one company, Holocene, has already made a successful exit. “For us, that’s a major indicator of success,” she added.

Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
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