Award each fellow receives, plus a year inside Newlab
Michigan Central and Newlab just launched a founder fellowship built for the people the tech world usually leaves out. Its inaugural cohort is five climate tech founders from underrepresented backgrounds, each receiving a 30,000 dollar award and a full year inside Newlab at Michigan Central, one of Detroit's most important tech hubs.
The support goes well past the check. Fellows get a year of Newlab membership, entrepreneurial programming and workshops, help sharpening their pitch, advisory sessions on everything from regulation to product-market fit, and, crucially, access to investors. It is designed to hand founders the network, not just the money.
"Money opens a door. A year in the right room, with the right introductions, is what gets you through it."
Eligibility is intentionally broad in who it includes, covering founders across race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, culture, and economic background, working in mobility, energy, and materials. It is funded by the 500,000 dollar Michigan Central Equitable Ecosystem Fund, backed by the City of Detroit and the State of Michigan.
The reason this model works is the reason we keep repeating: the barrier for underrepresented founders is rarely talent, it is access. A year embedded alongside entrepreneurs, mentors, and investors is access, delivered directly to people who have historically had to fight for a fraction of it.
How to Apply
- Award$30,000, plus a one-year Newlab membership at Michigan Central
- WhoStartup founders from underrepresented backgrounds (race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, culture, economic experience) building in mobility, energy, or materials
- What you getProgramming and workshops, pitch and advisory sessions, and direct investor access
- How to enterApply through Newlab. Find eligibility and the current application window on the official fellowship page below.
Details confirmed from the 2026 launch announcement. Confirm the current cohort deadline on the official page before applying.
This is exactly the access ANF exists to amplify. Detroit putting real money and a real room behind founders the industry overlooks is the ecosystem working the way it should. We will be watching what this first cohort builds.
Talent was never the gap. This is Detroit closing the real one.