Kirchner Fellowship HBCU Cohort

About the Kirchner Fellowship HBCU Cohort

In March 2023, the Kirchner Impact Foundation (KIF) and the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research announced a $1 million five-year collaboration to address the lack of diversity within the venture capital industry by supporting students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to become the next generation of agriculture technology venture capitalists. The partnership funds the Kirchner Fellowship HBCU Cohort, through which students invest capital in early-stage food and agriculture companies applying ground-breaking technologies to provide sustainable solutions to address global food challenges.

The program is currently accepting applications for 2023-2024 academic year. Fellows will work directly with the KIF leadership team and its network of thought leaders to engage in a series of face-to-face and online educational experiences that expose them to real-world, early-stage investment opportunities. Students will evaluate investments and have the discretion over investment decisions for companies solving critical food and agriculture challenges.

HBCU graduate students or undergraduate students with professional business experience are encouraged to apply. Applicants should be self-motivated, intellectually curious and passionate about the power of impact-oriented, for-profit businesses to address global food security challenges. Application information is available on the Kirchner Fellowship website. Interested applicants are encouraged to attend an informational webinar on April 5, 2023, at 2 p.m. ET. Pre-registration is required to participate. A recording of the webinar will be available on the KIF and FFAR websites shortly afterwards.