1517 Fund Medici Grant

👀 Mission

1517 supports dropouts, heretics & scientists working on hard problems. Their grants help young builders find a path to escape captivity & build with meaning, funding bold leaps into uncharted territory and sci-fi-level projects.

💰 What 1517 Funds

• Zero-to-one ideas
• Technical innovations
• Bold experiments
• Projects showing clear ability to ship
• Both individual and team projects
• Any field or domain

📝 Application Guide

Required Questions

1. Which best describes you? (Required)

• I'm a high school, college, or drop-out maker or founder
• I am a deep tech scientist/founder
• I'd like to have 1517 participate in our event

2. What are you working on? (Required)

• Describe your project and its current state
• Include links to demos, prototypes, or documentation
• Highlight what makes your approach unique

3. Supporting Materials Share links to:

• Loom videos
• Project websites
• Pitch decks
• Other documentation

4. Tell us something interesting (Required) Share a fun fact about yourself or unique perspective that shows you're a "social geek" or "creative weirdo" who thinks outside the box.

5. Goals for Discussion (Required) What do you hope to gain from speaking with our team?

6. Discovery (Required) How did you hear about 1517 Fund?

📻 Interview-Prep Resources

After emailing Danielle, you might be asked to hop on a short interview call with either Danielle, Harry, or another 1517 Fund GP/team member. Regardless of who you speak with, it's useful (and fun) to get a better understanding of how the fund thinks about what kind of founders they want to support.

• #2 Danielle Strachman on building the Thiel Fellowship & the 1517 fund and the importance to rebel
• Funding Curious Dropouts with Danielle Strachman
• Cash for Subversion: How 1517 Fund Supports Young Makers

Additional Context

The 1517 Fund’s Medici Grant program offers $1,000 cash grants to young builders looking to turn their ideas into reality. Similar to the fund's thesis surrounding their venture capital investments, this program encourages bold leaps into uncharted territory, often times aimed and funding sci-fi-level projects. Unlike the majority of their dilutive investments, however, grantees are typically capital-constrained high school and university students.

Medici Grants are awarded to those who have a compelling idea, show real passion for the problem space, and have proven they have the ability to ship. With a simple application process, the check can be used for any aspect of a recipient's project as long as it contributes to the project's progress. While there are no strict requirements on spending, Danielle and the team encourage a "creatively scrappy" use of resources to maximize impact. Beyond the financial support, grantees gain access to a community Discord server and access to 1517 pop-ups in different cities across the US and Canada.

The Medici Project has been the first catalyst and believer for thousands of compelling ideas to date. They're the real OGs of microgrants for startups. Startups in deep tech, VR/AR, healthtech, etc have gone on to raise millions shortly after receiveing non-dilutive funding from 1517. A great example of this is a company called Pareto, which raised $4.5 million in funding two years after receiving a Medici grant, showcasing the microgrant's potential to propel early-stage projects toward real progress, fast.