Roles and Responsibilities of Fellows

Expectations

Pre-screen company applications. Fellows support the Screening Committee and its Chairperson by briefly assessing the applications submitted each month to E8 against a rubric.

Screening takes place the first half of the month; requires 1-2 hours per month.

Attend Member meetings in-person or via web conference. Successfully screened companies are invited to attend Member meetings and pitch their business plan. This gives Fellows opportunities to explore innovative technologies and directly engage with entrepreneurs and investors. These meetings take place in Seattle or Bellevue the fourth Thursday of the month, with a web conference option.

Fellows must attend at least 3 meetings each semester that are pitch meetings (2.5 hours in length) or subsequent follow-up meetings after the pitch to gauge member interest before deciding on whether to pursue further due diligence.

Due diligence team support. Contingent upon sufficient member interest, companies are invited to a follow-up meeting and formal due diligence process. Deal teams are created during this process and led by a member-investor serving as a Deal Lead. For approximately 3-5 weeks, deal teams dive deeper into critical elements of entrepreneur proposals including technological readiness, competition, go-to-market strategies, intellectual property, management, and more. Fellows are directed to conduct research in specific areas and expected to offer objective commentary on their findings.

Deal team calls are typically held on a weekly basis and can last up to an hour. Fellows are required to participate in 1 – 2 due diligence teams, with 6-15 hours total commitment to each team.

Applicant Requirements

Fellows must be a graduate student or a postdoctoral researcher. The program is open to individuals from all academic backgrounds. Preferred applicants will have prior experience with general scientific research in areas of agriculture, business, accounting and finance, computer science, economics, engineering, chemistry, life science, and/or physics.

Compensation

Fellows who participate in meetings and are active on deal teams will receive $500 for their participation at the end of the semester.

Have Questions?

Please contact Dr. Tiff Reiss at tiffany.reiss@wsu.edu using “E8 Fellowship Program Inquiry” in the subject line.