Funding & Competitions
Batten Founder & Search Fellows - Ventures - Batten Institute
Batten Founder & Search Fellows
The Batten Founder & Search Fellows (BFSF) Program provides critical financial and institutional support to graduating Darden student entrepreneurs during the pivotal post-graduation phase.
The Batten Founder & Search Fellows (BFSF) Program provides critical financial and institutional support to graduating Darden student entrepreneurs during the pivotal post-graduation phase. The program now supports two distinct entrepreneurial pathways:
- Startup Founders: Students launching and scaling original high-growth ventures.
- Searchers (ETA): Students pursuing Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition to acquire and operate an existing business.
This fellowship (typically $10,000 - $15,000 for Founders and $5,000 - $10,000 for Searchers, depending on program interest and availability of funds) complements structured programming like the i.Lab Incubator and i.LabX and the intensive Venture Velocity and ETA Velocity courses, enabling fellows to bridge the gap between graduation and their next major funding event, critical milestone or acquisition.
2026 Program Timeline
| March 2026 | Application period opens |
|---|---|
| April 1, 2026 | Application closes |
| April 3 & 6, 2026 | Applicant interviews |
| April 13, 2026 | Notifications |
| April 15, 2026 | Entrepreneurship First Coffee @ Darden (recipients announced to the School) |
| Late May 2026 | Fellowship payments issued |
| June-Sept 2026 | Active fellowship period |
| Sept - Oct 2026 | Four month check-in and milestone review |
Eligibility
For those who are entrepreneurially minded and considering both paths, select either the Startup or Searcher application and apply to one of the two grant opportunities.
Startup Founders:
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Degree from Darden conferred in year of participation (including MBA, MSBA, Ph.D.).
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Participation in the i.Lab Incubator summer program prior to the year of graduation (strongly preferred).
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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).
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Participation in the UVA Entrepreneurship Cup and/or successful application for a Batten Innovation Grant.
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Been a proactive leader for entrepreneurship among the Darden community.
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Proven commitment to fully pursuing venture upon graduation – student intends to work on venture full-time, has not accepted another offer and is not actively pursuing opportunities other than working on building the venture.
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Venture is incorporated.
Searchers (ETA):
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Degree from Darden conferred in the year of participation (including MBA, MSBA, Ph.D.).
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Summer Preparation: Participation in a relevant ETA-focused summer internship, independent search preparation, or structured summer program prior to the year of graduation (strongly preferred).
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Coursework: Completion of Darden’s ETA Velocity course. (In the event a student is unable to enroll in this course, an equivalent course or an independent study may serve as a potential substitute.)
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Demonstrated Engagement: Active utilization of Darden's ETA resources, such as active engagement in Club events and opportunities and participation in the annual Southeast ETA Conference.
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Community Leadership: proactive leader for ETA and the broader entrepreneurial community at Darden (e.g., ETA Club leadership, mentoring first-year students).
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Commitment to Pursue Full-Time: Proven commitment to fully pursuing ETA upon graduation – student commits necessary time to the search phase, intends to operate full-time upon acquisition, and is not actively pursuing long-term opportunities other than acquiring an existing business.
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Search Infrastructure: The search entity (e.g., LLC) is incorporated, and foundational preparatory work is complete and documented (e.g., a clear search thesis is established).
Application Questions and Rubric
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Fellowship Questions (all applicants)
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Financial Stability & Focus: The BFF program aims to provide a runway that prevents early burnout. How will this grant (typically $10,000 - $15,000 for Founders and $5,000 - $10,000 for Searchers, depending on program interest and availability of funds) specifically reduce your financial stress and enable you to dedicate working hours to your venture/search between June and September 2026? For those who have recently acquired a venture, you may speak to how the grant will support your first months as the owner/operator.
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External Credibility & Signal Strength: What would the award and title of "Batten Founder Fellow" // "Batten Fellow for ETA" mean to you and to your immediate goals to grow your venture/acquire a business?
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Darden Community Leadership: How have you been a proactive leader for entrepreneurship or ETA within the Darden community during your time here? Please list any relevant program participation (e.g., i.Lab Incubator, Venture/ETA Velocity, EVC or ETA Club leadership, Batten grants). Describe what you have done to support fellow founders and/or searchers in the Darden community and beyond?
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Founder Fellowship Questions
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The Problem & Solution: Describe the specific problem you are solving and your venture's solution.
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Product-Market Fit & Traction: What evidence do you currently have that demonstrates product-market fit? Please detail your current traction, including revenue, active users, pilot programs, or key partnerships.
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Team & Talent: Who is currently on your founding team (e.g., co-founders, key early employees, dedicated contractors, or committed advisors)? Describe how your collective skill sets are uniquely suited to execute this vision, and identify any critical talent gaps you plan to fill.
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Strategic Execution: What is the core "step-function" milestone you intend to achieve during the 4-month fellowship period (e.g., product launch, closing a seed round, specific client acquisition)? How will the BFSF grant directly unlock this milestone?
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Search (ETA) Fellowship Questions
- Search Thesis: Provide a description of your search criteria including any target geography, company criteria, or any other relevant characteristics.
- Preparatory Execution: What foundational work have you completed to date to ensure you hit the ground running upon graduation? Detail the search fund model you are pursuing, whether you are pursuing a solo or partnered search, current discussions and/or commitments from investors, and your plans for how you will fund your search and acquisition.
- Advisors & Ecosystem: A successful search requires a strong support network to evaluate and close a deal. Who are the committed or prospective professional advisors and mentors supporting your search? How will you leverage this network to assist with deal sourcing, due diligence, and credibility during the fellowship period?
- Strategic Execution: What are your specific, quantitative deal-flow targets for the 4-month fellowship period (e.g., number of NDAs signed, CIMs reviewed, LOIs submitted)? How will the BFSF grant facilitate this (e.g., funding travel for due diligence, database subscriptions)? What is your search budget?
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Supporting Documents
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Current Resume: (1 page max)
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4-Month Strategic Gantt Chart: Upload a timeline outlining weekly or bi-weekly operational milestones for the active fellowship period (June – September 2026). This will be used as the baseline for your monthly updates and the October check-in.
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Evaluation Rubric
Applications will scored on 1–5 scale, using a standardized evaluation rubric.
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Financial Stability & Focus: The BFF program aims to provide a runway that prevents early burnout. How will this grant (typically $10,000 - $15,000 for Founders and $5,000 - $10,000 for Searchers, depending on program interest and availability of funds) specifically reduce your financial stress and enable you to dedicate working hours to your venture/search between June and September 2026? For those who have recently acquired a venture, you may speak to how the grant will support your first months as the owner/operator.
-
External Credibility & Signal Strength: What would the award and title of "Batten Founder Fellow" // "Batten Fellow for ETA" mean to you and to your immediate goals to grow your venture/acquire a business?
-
Darden Community Leadership: How have you been a proactive leader for entrepreneurship or ETA within the Darden community during your time here? Please list any relevant program participation (e.g., i.Lab Incubator, Venture/ETA Velocity, EVC or ETA Club leadership, Batten grants). Describe what you have done to support fellow founders and/or searchers in the Darden community and beyond?
-
The Problem & Solution: Describe the specific problem you are solving and your venture's solution.
-
Product-Market Fit & Traction: What evidence do you currently have that demonstrates product-market fit? Please detail your current traction, including revenue, active users, pilot programs, or key partnerships.
-
Team & Talent: Who is currently on your founding team (e.g., co-founders, key early employees, dedicated contractors, or committed advisors)? Describe how your collective skill sets are uniquely suited to execute this vision, and identify any critical talent gaps you plan to fill.
-
Strategic Execution: What is the core "step-function" milestone you intend to achieve during the 4-month fellowship period (e.g., product launch, closing a seed round, specific client acquisition)? How will the BFSF grant directly unlock this milestone?
- Search Thesis: Provide a description of your search criteria including any target geography, company criteria, or any other relevant characteristics.
- Preparatory Execution: What foundational work have you completed to date to ensure you hit the ground running upon graduation? Detail the search fund model you are pursuing, whether you are pursuing a solo or partnered search, current discussions and/or commitments from investors, and your plans for how you will fund your search and acquisition.
- Advisors & Ecosystem: A successful search requires a strong support network to evaluate and close a deal. Who are the committed or prospective professional advisors and mentors supporting your search? How will you leverage this network to assist with deal sourcing, due diligence, and credibility during the fellowship period?
- Strategic Execution: What are your specific, quantitative deal-flow targets for the 4-month fellowship period (e.g., number of NDAs signed, CIMs reviewed, LOIs submitted)? How will the BFSF grant facilitate this (e.g., funding travel for due diligence, database subscriptions)? What is your search budget?
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Current Resume: (1 page max)
-
4-Month Strategic Gantt Chart: Upload a timeline outlining weekly or bi-weekly operational milestones for the active fellowship period (June – September 2026). This will be used as the baseline for your monthly updates and the October check-in.
Applications will scored on 1–5 scale, using a standardized evaluation rubric.
The Batten Founder Fellows program was extremely impactful for us. It smoothed the transition from student-founder to founder. That funding allowed us to take two months and really stand up our business operations, professionalize what we had already made, and build a system for the future.