Xfund Ethics Fellows
PEAK Fellows is now Xfund Ethics Fellows! Learn More
Develop guiding principles for entrepreneurial leadership
Xfund Ethics Fellows, formerly PEAK Fellows, offers 16 Stanford undergraduate and co-term students the opportunity to develop their personal principles for entrepreneurial leadership. 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 mindset and toolkit within the close-knit cohort through honest discussions and mentoring from alumni and peers. Xfund Ethics Fellows is part of the Ethics in Entrepreneurship Project through STVP.
Current Cohort
Student Leaders
Student Co-Founders
Faculty Advisor
Mentors
Year-at-a-Glance
Summer
Hear from entrepreneurs and trailblazers who have had to make difficult decisions and think about ethics in the real world. There will be a total of 6 summer sessions every two weeks between June 30 – Sept 17 held remotely via Zoom.
Fall
Fellows engage further with entrepreneurs and one another to hone their own values and principles. Fellows enroll in the following course for 1 unit. There will be a total of 5 sessions that will take place every other Wednesday starting in Week 2. The fall sessions will be held in person and are mandatory.
Program info
What to Expect
The program is an opportunity for 16 Stanford undergraduate and co-term students to explore what it means to develop and practice principles in the context of entrepreneurial businesses. It places students who are working in technology ventures into cohorts of eight students to learn with peers and gain mentorship.
Through readings and bi-weekly meetings, students define a set of principles that resonate with them. These principles will serve as guides for how Fellows shape future teams and select workplaces that align with their values. Fellows engage in small-group discussions with industry guests offering unique perspectives from their own entrepreneurial experiences.
After the program comes to a close, students come away with a heightened understanding of their own values, a close-knit community of peers, and the tools necessary to begin to brave ethical dilemmas in the future.
Testimonials
Come for the mission and stay for the community. This is the type of company culture that I aim to create as an entrepreneur and I have the [Xfund Ethics] fellows to thank for the building blocks of a principled entrepreneurship foundation.
[Xfund Ethics] fellows envisions a future entrepreneurial ecosystem at Stanford that is as ethical, as it is inclusive. It dares to imagine a Silicon Valley with leaders whose success is as lauded as its principles. I’m proud to consider myself a part of this movement.
A lot of students graduating from college end up working at companies where their core values don’t align with the company’s set of principles. The [Xfund Ethics] Fellows program helped me formulate my own set of morals to go by in all the work I do, and now I strive to consider the ethics and social impact of my decisions in my daily life.
The [Xfund Ethics] fellowship has brought value to my life beyond entrepreneurship. I developed a framework that consistently informs and benefits my individual interactions and evaluations of the world at large. I have been motivated to pursue a mission that enhances the global community because I feel confident in the preparation that [Xfund Ethics Fellows] provided. I look forward to continuing to grow and pursue that mission with the community I found at [Xfund Ethics Fellows].
I really enjoyed all of the readings and discussions we engaged in throughout the XFund Ethics Fellows program, and feel that I now have a stronger set of ethical principles and values to navigate both entrepreneurial and more established organizations.
As a XFund Ethics Fellow, I was able to interface with my peers and community leaders to enhance my knowledge in the importance of sound, ethical frameworks within the technology and venture landscapes.
I’m grateful to the XFund Ethics Fellows program for showing me how differentiated principles embedded in concrete practices are core to building a successful, enduring organization.
As a XFund Ethics Fellow, I had the privilege of having important discussions about personal values and principled entrepreneurship with a cohort of Stanford’s most thoughtful future founders. I gained valuable insights about leadership, unintended consequences, and organizational growth, and was even able to co-lead a session on navigating crises and competing values. I strongly recommend the XFund Ethics Fellows program to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to develop solid, principled roots!
The XFund Ethics Fellows program was a transformative experience for me as a student passionate about leveraging technology for positive social impact. The program’s intimate cohort cultivated an open and supportive atmosphere where I could freely explore ideas, share perspectives, and learn from the entrepreneurial journeys of my peers. Surrounded by a diverse group united in their drive to build responsible, future-focused technologies, I found inspiration at every turn. The XFund Ethics Fellows program equipped me with invaluable tools and insights, while bolstering my confidence to pursue socially conscious entrepreneurship as a means to create meaningful change. This formative experience solidified my dedication to developing innovative solutions that prioritize ethics and societal wellbeing.
Getting to know my XFund Ethics cohort was incredible. Each person brought a unique perspective to the table, and seeing their drive to make an impact on the world was empowering.
I have the XFund Ethics Fellows to thank for the confidence I have in making value-driven and ethical decisions. The lessons and relationships I’ve gained here will guide me throughout my career and life.
Alumni
Acknowledgements
STVP extends its deep appreciation to Brandon Farwell, Partner at Xfund, for supporting this program for Stanford students.
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