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Xfund Ethics Fellows

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The application for the 2026 cohort is now closed. 

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Build guiding principles and a network for entrepreneurial leadership

The Xfund Ethics Fellows program, offers 14 Stanford undergraduate and co-terminal students the opportunity to develop their personal principles for entrepreneurial leadership and leading high-impact organizations. These principles are designed to help guide each fellow as they shape teams and align their career decisions with their values. Over the course of a quarter, fellows build a values-based entrepreneurial toolkit and community within their close-knit cohort through honest discussions and mentoring from alumni and peers. Class guests typically, including Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, will be invited to give talks about their personal experiences. Fellows will be challenged to think about their behavior for situations including ethical dilemmas, raising capital, and valuing risk.

Xfund Ethics Fellows is part of the Ethics in Entrepreneurship Project through STVP.

Current Cohort

Year-at-a-Glance

Summer

During the summer, Fellows are introduced to the program’s core ideas and themes through a curated set of readings. At the end of the summer, the cohort gathers to reflect on insights and prepare for in-person sessions that follow in the fall.

Fall

Fellows engage further with entrepreneurs and trailblazers who have had to make difficult decisions. They are made to think about ethics in the real world to hone their own values and principles. Fellows enroll in the following course for 1 unit. The fall sessions will be held in person and are mandatory.

Student Leaders

Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence), Economics

Faculty Sponsor

Faculty Director, STVP and Professor, Stanford University

Advisors & Mentors

Co-Founder and Operating Partner, Blackhorn Ventures and Lecturer, Stanford University
Aviation Development Engineer, Starlink (SpaceX)
Adjunct Professor, Stanford University and Founder, Mobile Metrix

Program Manager

Student Co-Founders (2020)

Program Information

What to Expect

The Xfund Fellows Program is an opportunity for Stanford undergraduate and co-terminal students to explore what it means to develop and practice principles in the context of ethical entrepreneurship. The sessions act as forums for the cohort of students to debate business dilemmas, hear from real founders, receive guidance from relevant mentors, and meet peers with whom they might build future ventures. 

Through readings, weekly meetings, student presentations, students define a set of principles that resonate with them and are made to think deeply about decision making.

Fellows Will

  • Receive 1 unit of credit for their completion of this program
  • Benefit from access to faculty coaches and industry-leading guest speakers from Silicon Valley startups and venture capitalists
  • Develop a close network of like-minded individuals from across Stanford’s campus to form relationships that carry forward for a lifetime
  • Create a principles toolkit necessary for leadership in entrepreneurship to brave future ethical dilemmas.
  • Have the opportunity to present at a “Pitch Day”

Eligibility

  • Must be an active undergraduate or co-terminal Stanford student during the program

Who Should Apply?

  • Students from any discipline or major are encouraged to apply
  • Applicants do not need to have previous entrepreneurial experience or a background in ethics to apply

Testimonials

"Come for the mission and stay for the community. This is the type of company culture that I aim to…

  • Testimonial
  • Xfund Ethics Fellows

"[Xfund Ethics] fellows envisions a future entrepreneurial ecosystem at Stanford that is as ethical…

  • Testimonial
  • Xfund Ethics Fellows

"A lot of students graduating from college end up working at companies where their core values don’t…

  • Testimonial
  • Xfund Ethics Fellows

Alumni

Class of 2025

Aarav Wattal 
Anavi Baddepudi 
Andrea Kitahata 
Andrew Bempong 
Anika Turcotte 
Austin Ho

Gabriel Nagel 
Han Lee 
Hakeem Shindy 
Isha Jain 
Keira Cornwell 
Sasha Zhang

Michael Zhang 
Michelle Jin 
Nubia Correa 
Obianauju Anita Mlemchukwu 
Shizhe He 
Steven Liu

Acknowledgements

STVP extends its deep appreciation to Brandon Farwell, Partner at Xfund, for supporting this program for Stanford students.