Magnificent Grants

🪙 Quick Facts

• Grant Amount: $100,000
• Duration: 2 years
• Type: 100% Non-dilutive funding
• Age Requirement: Under 25 years old
• Key Requirement: Recipients must drop out of current institution/job
• Selection: 5-15 fellows per batch
• Deadline: October 31, 2024
• Response Time: 4-6 weeks after deadline

👀 Mission

Magnificent Grants believes the time to escape from systemic norm captivity is now. The program goes where effective altruism stops, leveraging the team's track record as one of the world's best misfit seed investors to spot and support extreme talent.

💰 Grant Details

The program provides $100,000 in non-dilutive funding over two years to exceptional young innovators and builders willing to pursue their vision full-time. No equity is taken, and fellows receive complete independence to pursue their vision.

Selection Process

1. Written application (2-4 pages)
2. In-person interview in Amsterdam for selected candidates
3. Final selection of 5-15 fellows per batch
4. Responses provided within 4-6 weeks of deadline

Eligibility Requirements

• Candidates must be 25 years or younger
• Recipients must drop out of current institution or job to focus full-time
• No existing product or company required, but demonstrable progress toward vision improves selection chances

🤝 Program Benefits

• Funding: $100,000 non-dilutive grant

• Mentorship: Direct support from trustees and industry leaders

• Community:

  • Annual grantee meetups
  • Regular collaboration opportunities
  • Access to alumni network

• Independence: Complete freedom from investor or academic constraints

👥 Current Trustees

• Barend Van den Brande - Founder of Magnificent Grants (2023), Hummingbird Ventures, and Nomads fund-of-funds.
• Sidar Sahin - Founder & CEO of Peak Games (sold for $1.8B), co-founder of Trendyol. College dropout at age 20.
• Salar al Khafaji - Founder & CEO of Terraform, founded Silk (acquired by Palantir), former Palantir R&D lead.
• Firat Ileri - General Partner at Hummingbird Ventures, MIT graduate (entered at age 16), involved with BillionToOne and Kernal Biologics.

🌟 Notable Grant Recipients

• Harry O'Connor - Building humanoid robots with new AI control system for terrain-adaptive walking. BT Young Scientist winner, raised $250k pre-seed. LinkedIn | Hocc Robotics
• Molly Mielke - Started micro VC fund at age 22, runs Eclipse Grant program supporting young founders (<25). Website
• Satvik Agnihotri - Building analytical tools for enterprise trucking optimization. Started with Shell's innovation team in grade 11. LinkedIn
• James Lin - Founded Kaido (biodefense company) focusing on genome recoding. Raised $200k in philanthropic grants. Website
• Marley Xiong & Raffi Hotter - Developing neural interface technology and brain scanner for visual imagery decoding. Former Google X researchers. Company | Personal
• Luke Marks - 16-year-old working on mind digitization, focusing on superintelligence and longevity. Website
• Adarsh Hiremath - Founded Mercor (AI-powered hiring platform), raised $3.6M from General Catalyst. National debate champion. Website
• Sara Kemppainen - Former Head of Program at Slush, built two grant programs raising $2M. Focus on women's reproductive health research. LinkedIn

🔗 Resources & Links

• Program FAQ
• Previous Grantees
• LFG Community