Maximizing Your Camelback Ventures Fellowship Experience: Insider Tips and Strategies
Maximizing Your Camelback Ventures Fellowship Experience: Insider Tips and Strategies
By: Danielle Meltz, Camelback Ventures Fellowship, Manager
Are you considering applying to the Camelback Fellowship? We're excited to share some insider insights that you won't find on our website. Our program is more than just a rigorous venture-building experience – it’s a space for social impact founders to connect and grow together.
What sets our Fellowship apart isn't just what we do, but how we do it. We create a space of psychological safety, joy, and wellness, all while pushing our Fellows to excel in their ventures. We pour into our Fellows, encouraging them to pour into each other. The result is a vibrant, supportive, engaging community that makes our program truly unique.
Yes, the Fellowship is time-consuming. We won't sugarcoat it – those who put in the work get the most out of it. Balancing the program, your venture, and personal life can be challenging. But we're here to guide you on how to leverage our resources effectively:
One-on-One Coaching: Your coach is more than just a business advisor, they’re your partner over the course of the Fellowship. To make the most of this relationship, come to meetings with a focus area, and don’t hesitate to discuss openly about what isn’t working within your coaching relationship. We also encourage you to seek support beyond venture-specific questions – your coach can be a wellness ally too.
Tapping into Camelback’s Expert Bench: With access to over 70 experts in various fields, from fundraising to marketing, you have a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips. Yet, we often see this resource underutilized. At the start of the Fellowship, identify your four-month goals and strategically choose experts to help you achieve them. Several fellows have used our expert bench to refine their pitch decks, to help prepare for fundraising rounds.
Cultivating Community: Our network is your network, and we encourage you to make the most of it. Connect with experts, funders, and Camelback fellows past and present, and feel free to ask them for the insider scoop on navigating the entrepreneurial landscape. As one Fellow put it, "Camelback offers an incredible community of peer social entrepreneurs that you can be 100% real with."
Implementing Our Curriculum: We've seen the greatest strides when Fellows immediately implement their learnings into their ventures. It can be challenging to find the balance between being a founder, being in the Fellowship, and applying your knowledge, but the four months go by quickly, and we encourage you to fully engage while you have this opportunity.
As one of our past fellows beautifully expressed, "Camelback has redefined what a fellowship experience means for me. We were able to be vulnerable with each other, coach one another, and learn together. Memories and skills stick with me over a year later.”
Yes, the Camelback Fellowship can be challenging, but it can also be immensely rewarding. If you're ready to fully immerse yourself, connect with fellow founders, and put in the effort, you'll see remarkable growth—both personally and in your venture.
If you’re interested in some incredible moments, and you’re willing to put in the work, we encourage you to apply: www.camelbackventures.org/apply. Our Fellowship application cycle is open now through September 23, 2024. Stay in the loop by signing up for Camelback’s newsletter.
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About The Camelback Fellowship:
Camelback Ventures is committed to empowering entrepreneurs to create impactful solutions that address socio-economic inequities. We offer a rigorous accelerator, the Camelback Fellowship, for innovative and driven entrepreneurs.
The Camelback Fellowship is a three month program that supports the development of both founder and venture. Since 2015, Camelback has supported 163+ entrepreneurs (many of whom have been recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30, received fellowships such as Echoing Green and Richards Draper Kaplan, and collectively gone on to raise over $50 million).