Who founded Activate Fellowship?

Activate Fellowship was founded by Leila Madrone in 2015.

Who are Activate Fellowship's investors?

Activate Fellowship's investors include Grantham Foundation, Autodesk Foundation, Echo River Capital.

Where is Activate Fellowship headquartered?

Activate Fellowship is headquartered in Berkeley, US.

Activate Fellowship

Berkeley, US · Founded 2015 · 296 employees on LinkedIn · 3 known investors

Find your way into Activate Fellowship

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Activate builds community and programs to help scientists and engineers commercialize breakthrough research into real-world solutions. The organization supports science entrepreneurs through fellowship programs, mentorship, and networks that connect them with funding and resources to navigate from laboratory discovery to market impact.

AgTech AI & Machine Learning Deep Tech EdTech Impact & Social Good New Materials

Founders & leadership

Activate Fellowship was founded in 2015 by Leila Madrone.

Leila Madrone Executive Vice President, New Founder PathwaysShe holds a degree in computer science and engineering from MIT with a focus on robotics, and has over a decade of experience in hardware and energy sector leadership.

Sarah Morrill Executive Vice President, Innovation LabSarah Morrill is Executive Vice President of Innovation Lab at Activate Fellowship, where she designs and scales programs that help scientists and engineers commercialize research. She brings experience in program design, organizational development, and systems-thinking approaches to support science entrepreneurs from laboratory discovery to market deployment.

Steven Tran Executive Vice President, Finance & ContractsSteven Tran has spent over 15 years leading finance operations at mission-driven organizations, including his current role overseeing financial strategy and contracts at Activate Global, a nonprofit supporting hard tech entrepreneurship. Previously, he held finance leadership positions at Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (a Manufacturing USA institute) and MIT Lincoln Laboratory, where he managed oversight of federal contracts and scaling operations across organizations with budgets ranging from $6M to $33M+.

Investors · 3

Grantham Foundation✓ confirmed by Activate FellowshipBoston

How we know: the company's own site · Not right? Tell us

Autodesk Foundationlisted by Autodesk FoundationSan Francisco

Echo River Capitallisted by Echo River CapitalMarin County · $10K – $250K

Frequently asked questions

What does Activate Fellowship do?: Activate builds community and programs to help scientists and engineers commercialize breakthrough research into real-world solutions. The organization supports science entrepreneurs through fellowship programs, mentorship, and networks that connect them with funding and resources to navigate from laboratory discovery to market impact.
Who founded Activate Fellowship?: Activate Fellowship was founded by Leila Madrone in 2015.
Who are Activate Fellowship's investors?: Activate Fellowship's investors include Grantham Foundation, Autodesk Foundation, Echo River Capital.
Where is Activate Fellowship headquartered?: Activate Fellowship is headquartered in Berkeley, US.