The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship welcomes 1,000 young innovators in the world’s largest eco-fellowship

Many business schools around the world claim to be breeding grounds for entrepreneurs with ambitions to help the world become a better place. There’s certainly one fellowship available to aspiring innovators that seems to be doing just that. This month marks the beginning of the third cohort of beVisioneers: The Mercedes-Benz Fellowship – the largest fellowship in the world for young-eco innovators, which will number 1,000 fellows, all with exceptional environmental and planet-aiding projects.

Funded with proceeds of the auction of the most valuable car in the world, an SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé for a record price of €135 million, Mercedes-Benz funds the fellowship programme with donations. The fellowship equips innovators aged 16 to 28 with the training, expert support, and resources to bring their planet-positive projects to life.

beVisioneers is on a mission to empower 10,000 eco-innovators and contributors by 2030, providing them with the training, resources, and networks to turn their planet-positive ideas into scalable solutions.

The fellowship emphasises inclusivity, ensuring that opportunities are accessible to all, regardless of background or financial status. Fellows do not need an entrepreneurial track-record or education, just an idea that can help build a sustainable future. Living and technology support for those who could not otherwise participate is provided.

After two years of the fellowship, results are already showing. More than 70% of fellows move to prototype or venture stage within 10 months. And these fellows’ projects, incubated, funded, and supported be beVisioneers, are successfully attracting funding from across the world:

Fifty per cent of prototype and venture stage Fellows earn “project scholarships” seed funding at the end of foundation year. Over €1.4 million has been allocated to support fellows’ project growth. Fifty seven per cent of fellows come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and 57% are women or non-binary.

Twelve new countries, meaning that beVisioneers fellows are now drawn from 55 countries in total, are welcomed to beVisioneers, which are: Turkey, Chile, Panama, Costa Rica, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Japan. These countries will all now run regional beVisioneers hubs, where fellows can come together to receive local mentorship and support initiatives to better the environment, sustainability, and climate-resistance of their countries.

“This expansion allows us to support a wide range of young innovators whose perspectives and ideas will be key in creating a sustainable future across the world,” says Mariah Levin, Executive Director of beVisioneers. “Right now, it’s a real challenge to hold onto optimism and stay engaged, but beVisioneers is full of projects which inspire real hope.”