Frequently Asked Questions

Beginning with the 2025 cohort, the program will accept only individuals who have completed all required academic duties towards a bachelor's degree or are in their final year of a master's degree program.

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In rare cases, we may consider an exception. Please reach out if you have a unique situation.

There is no formula for the perfect Zell candidate. However, over the years and across the cohorts, we have found that most successful applicants share the tollowing strengths:

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• Demonstrated leadership abilities (in various contexts, from scouts, to military service, and beyond)
• Relevant work or project experience, ideally with exposure to entrepreneurship.
• High academic performance.
• Proficiency in English (speaking, reading, and writing).

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We are always on the lookout for contrarians - individuals with a unique perspective on the world and an unconventional approach to getting things done.

The Zell Program is not suited for everyone. It demands a rigorous workload, high expectations, a self-managed schedule, intense team dynamics, and the resilience to navigate setbacks. Entrepreneurship often involves late nights, short weekends, and an unwavering commitment to your team and the program - challenges that frequently clash with personal priorities like a full-time job, packed academic schedules, family responsibilities, hobbies, sports, or any other significant time commitments. From our experience, trying to juggle too much inevitably means dropping the ball somewhere.

Please review the Application page for the most up-to-date dates.

In addition to completing the form, you will be required to upload your CV, a venture proposal, a link to a 20-second video elevator pitch of yourself, and to provide two letters of recommendation separately. Please review the Application page thoroughly.

We build a dynamic class of 14-18 founders for each cohort, thoughtfully designed to include a rich diversity of professional experiences, personal backgrounds, and skill sets.

Beginning with the 2025 cohort, the program will accept only individuals who have completed all required academic duties towards a bachelor's degree or are in their final year of a master's degree program.

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In rare cases, we may consider an exception. Please reach out if you have a unique situation.

No, you don't need an idea or a team to get accepted. However, we encourage you to come with a well-thought-out venture proposal. This has two advantages: it helps us assess your potential, logic, and communication skills, and it can potentially shorten your exploration process at the beginning of the program, allowing you to start building sooner.

Participants are accepted individually, but the program does not support solopreneurship. We are open to co-founders being jointly accepted to the program if they are both actively co-leading the overall company strategy. The only requirement is that both applicants meet all application requirements.

The program is free of charge, and we will cover your tuition (for extra-year undergraduates only).

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In certain cases, select Fellows receive stipends throughout the program.

The program provides funding to support each team's validation efforts.

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At the end of the program, we sometimes offer a few teams pre-seed investment funding from the ZEP Fund to support the next stage of their journey.