Watson Institute - Western Union Foundation Fellowship

The Western Union Foundation is a separate charitable corporation from The Western Union Company that receives support from The Western Union Company, its employees, agents, consumers, and business partners. Watson Institute is the leading accelerator for next-generation entrepreneurs. Watson Institute shares Western Union Foundation’s belief that education is the surest pathway to economic opportunity. We are excited to scale the impact of Western Union Foundation and Watson Institute’s partnership to date by empowering 40 Fellows and over 1,500 young leaders and entrepreneurs globally.

This 16-week-long program is designed to equip these next-generation entrepreneurs and leaders with the skills and experience to increase access to economic opportunity, have the opportunity to earn seed funding, integrate into their communities, succeed in the evolving nature of work, and transform their communities.

This program is offered with virtual and in-person components that allows fellows to take advantage of the global cohort while also focusing on creating local impact within their communities. Virtual Programming includes: Master Courses, Workshops, Weekly Check Ins/ In-Person Programming includes Fellow-Led Basecamps and a Fellow-Led Meetup.

Program Structure

The Fellowship begins with a 2-week intensive Accelerator that will focus on:

• Building Community
  Community is one of the pillars of the Fellowship experience. A diverse cohort of young leaders and entrepreneurs form partnerships, collaborations, and further their growth and impact as leaders in their community.
• Skill Development
  Including fundraising, team building, transformative communication, growth mindset, courage, resilience, creativity, and leadership. Fellows will be guided through the process of overcoming key challenges faced during the process of becoming transformative leaders and entrepreneurs.
• Basecamp Training
  Each Fellow is trained and receives a stipend and logistical support to lead a three-day training (called Basecamp) in their home community to empower at least 25 additional entrepreneurial leaders.

After the 2-week Accelerator, the 14-week Fellowship begins, which includes:

• Leading an in-person/local Basecamp in their respective community. A stipend will be given for logistical and administrative costs.
• Joining a monthly All Hands on Deck meeting that includes skill development workshops and opportunities to build community amongst the cohort.
• Receive $1,000 in Seed Funding to launch/grow their ventures and initiatives.
• Regularly attending Master Courses with the world’s leading entrepreneurs and practitioners. Past Master Course Teachers include recognized leaders of Nobel Peace Prize winning movements, the youngest person to run for U.S. Congress, and the inventor of Google’s self-driving car.
• Joining a pod with other Fellows from their respective regions and checking in regularly with each other via one-on-one meetings.

At the end of the Fellowship, Western Union Foundation Fellows participate in a high-profile Summit event to share their progress and impact with a global audience.