We will open up the Connect process for all fellows in April. This is when you get access to our curated job board of opportunities with company partners in Detroit, Atlanta, and Birmingham. You drive the process of finding your placement. The Ember team and community will be there to help you with your resume, interviews, personal pitches, and negotiating offers. We aim to get all fellows signed offers by the end of June in anticipation of August start dates.

In July, we will be hosting a two-week in-person training camp. You’ll meet your fellow fellows and hear from community members to learn about startup basics, networking and communication techniques, entrepreneurial mindsets, and tactical ways to integrate AI into your workflows.

We focus on Emerging Hubs for three core reasons: 1) Focused Founders: Founders in our cities are solving real problems, not riding hype waves. These cities have the unicorn companies you've never heard of; 2) Work-life Balance: Our cities have cultures that value more than work; 3) Small Pond Vibes: You’ll be one connection away from most leaders in your city. Each city has a strong entrepreneurial community, not just another "ecosystem".

We believe the fellow experience is defined by three core aspects: 1) Shared Experience: You’ll move to a new city with other members of your cohort to work for an entrepreneurial organization; 2) Training: You'll attend a two week in-person training camp to teach you entrepreneurial mindsets, how to leverage your network, and tactical AI skills; 3) Community: As a fellow, you plug into an existing alumni community in your city. The Ember community will be a life-long resource for you – personally and professionally.

Short answer: Lots of things!

Fellows go on to do almost everything you can think of: stay in their current roles / cities, start companies, move to a new city, go to grad school. There’s no “typical” path after the fellowship. The one unifying experience is that each fellow has a community to support them in whatever next step is right for them after the program.

Short Answer: We’re industry / role agnostic.

Fellows work at lots of different companies (size & industry) and in many different roles. The one thing that ties the fellow experience is that roles are high impact, high access, and high growth.

You'll notice that our community is built on the following beliefs and values:

• My career is a choice that indicates my values
• There is no courage without risk
• Value creation is how I measure achievement
• I will create opportunities for myself and others
• I will act with integrity in all things

Our selection is split into three rounds:

1) Written Application: A few short essays helping us get to know you better and understand your interest in Ember.

2) Video Interview: We dig deeper into your alignment with our program and ask some questions about your past experiences and future goals.

3) Selection Day: This is an in-person group interview. We want to see how you work with a team to solve problems under pressure.

For our 2026 Cohort, we'll have two written application deadlines:

1) Nov 15 - for a January 23 Selection Day in Atlanta, GA

2) Jan 20 - for a March 20 Selection Day in Detroit, MI

We’ve designed our application to be as much of a reflection process as it is an assessment. It helps us get to know you, but we hope it also helps you understand whether Ember is a good fit for your future goals. We recommend candidates really think about experiences they are proud of and excited to write about, and connect those experiences to what they hope to gain from, and contribute to, the Ember community. We also suggest taking a look at our credos to see how they resonate with the stories you tell in your application.

Absolutely! Ember alumni go on to be startup leaders in many different ways. Sure, many start their own companies. But others go on to be leaders within already existing organizations, early employees, key team members, or investors and ecosystem partners.

For cycle 1 (November deadline) video interviews will be scheduled for Dec 5 ~ Dec 12.

For cycle 2 (January deadline) video interviews will be scheduled for Feb 2 - Feb 6.

You will either be invited to an asynchronous video interview followed by an option to connect with an alumni 1-on-1 or you'll be invited to a live video interview with and alumni or someone from the Ember team.

Selection Day is an in-person group interview. Candidates will be assessed by a panel of Ember community members including team members, alumni, and ecosystem partners. You’ll have a chance to show how you solve ambiguous problems with others in real-time. After interviews are over, you’ll also have a chance to connect with other candidates and judges.

Show up well rested and be yourself! At this point in the process, we just want to see how you interact with others in real-world scenarios.