Batten Founder Fellows Program - Ventures - Batten Institute

Batten Founder Fellows (BFFs) is a new program which encourages graduating Darden student founders who worked on promising ventures during their MBA to continue on the founder path by supporting their entrepreneurial journeys post-graduation.  

In year one of the program, 2024, the Batten Institute awarded significant grants to Fellows, with the potential of follow-on support at 3-, 6-, and 9-month intervals.

Students must meet eligibility requirements to apply to the Batten Founder Fellows program. For the class of 2024, those criteria included:

• MBA from Darden granted in year of participation.
• Participation in the i.Lab Incubator summer program prior to the year of graduation.
• Completion of Darden’s Venture Velocity or Venturing Lab course. (In the event a student is unable to enroll in one of these courses, an equivalent course or independent study may serve as a potential substitute, determined on case-by-case basis).
• Participation in the UVA Entrepreneurship Cup and/or successful application for a Batten Innovation or Accelerate Grant.