FAQ
What is the PresenTense Institute?The PresenTense Institute is an accelerator for social ventures that seek to solve problems facing the Jewish People and the World. We help individual social entrepreneurs take their ideas, build them into pioneering expeditions, and launch them into a supportive community committed to its success.
What is the application process?
Track Specific applications are due February 15, 2010. Selected applicants will submit an essay soon after and finalists will be interviewed in the beginning of March and will be notified in the middle of March of acceptance. Orientation begins June 10, 2010.
What is a Track?
Tracks - or fellowship spots - are generously donated and supported by Jewish organizations and entrepreneurs whose goals are to invest in certain fields of innovation. For an applicant to apply to a Track their venture must have that Track's certain area of focus.
What does the fellowship involve?
The PresenTense Summer Institute is a unique training program for Jewish social entrepreneurs, built by entrepreneurs. We incorporate a number of training modules to provide innovators the resources, skills and opportunities needed for venture success. Fellows are taught core business skills through skillbuilding sessions, the tool-kit is refined by leading academics and business professionals, fellows are mentored by leaders in their fields, coached by professionals, connected with industry peers -- and showcased to the greater community in a final Launch Night. Learn more about the curriculum here.
What sort of skills will I acquire?
During the 6 week Institute you will be working to develop your business plan. Every week we concentrate on a specific sub-topic, and bring in speakers and skillbuilders to teach about that area of focus. For example, the week focused on how to identify and reach your "customer" will include lessons about how to build a website, navigate social media and develop a marketing plan -- all taught by branding professionals, social-media entrepreneurs and marketing consultants.
What types of seminars? Mentorship? Networking?
Seminars: Institute seminars follow three different tracks: Summer Speaker Series, Skillbuilding, and Peer Learning. Our Summer Speaker Series brings in successful entrepreneurs to share their success stories and vision for the Jewish people. The inspirational and very popular Series also acts as a networking opportunity with the entrepreneur and all other guests. Skillbuilding sessions take place twice a week and are in-person training seminars providing theory and application opportunities on such topics as: social entrepreneurship, internal organizational tools, external development and public tools. Peer Learning sessions give fellows the opportunity to teach and learn from each other. In these sessions fellows will teach skills that they have learned to their peers.
Mentorship: Once accepted, the Institute Steering Committee will pair you with an industry professional and a peer-mentor to assist you with your plan, share ideas and make connections on behalf of your venture. Consider them your sounding board. PresenTense has many eager individuals in our network to help you realize your potential, and this relationship is yours to develop throughout the summer and after the Institute.
Networking: The PresenTense community would not be the same as it is today without networking. The Institute programming, the Hub where the Institute takes place, and the highly renowned Launch Night offers fellows a vast amount of networking opportunities to build and foster your network.
What happens at Launch Night? Launch Night is the perfect closing event to a program based on building and growing ventures. Launch Night is designed to expose, promote, and connect fellows and their ventures to the greater PT community and other organizations in an exciting atmosphere. The evening, filled with a vast amount of networking opportunities, cumulates into a pitching segment where fellows are able to pitch their venture with all eyes on them. This does seem nerve-wracking, but this is what the Institute is designed for - to make you, as an entrepreneur, ready to make the next step. What is the time commitment?As entrepreneurs we know that a successful venture will only come out of hard work. Fellows are expected to attend all Skillbuilding sessions and work on their ventures for a significant amount of time each week. What are some examples of projects that could qualify for the Fellowship?
PresenTense Fellows have tackled a variety of issues and started diverse projects -- from food drives to online education tools to informational comics. Check out our ventures from previous years to get an idea of what PresenTense has helped launch.
Are there particular areas of focus?
The projects PresenTense supports are focused in the following areas: - Media - Education - Collective Action - Social Action - Community Organizing - Philanthropy - MiscellaneousHow many Fellows are accepted?
This summer we are accepting 16 Fellows.
What if I already have a team?
If possible, we encourage at least 2 members of your team to apply to the Fellowship.
How developed does my start-up need to be?
The beauty of PresenTense is you can apply with just an idea! We would like to see that idea as developed as possible, but existing programming is not a requirement.
Do I need to pay to participate?
The cost of the PT fellowship is $18,000. All accepted fellows will receive full subsidization in addition to room & board. However we do not pay for transportation to/from Israel.
Still have questions?
Feel free to send an email to our Jerusalem Fellowship Coordinator, Brachie Sprung, at brachiesprung@presentense.org.
Interested in fostering innovation? Sponsor a PresenTense Fellow.