The O’Shaughnessy Ventures Fellows have demonstrated the drive, ability, and ideas to create a brighter tomorrow. Join this salon series to hear about their unique insights and groundbreaking projects. Explore topics ranging from AI to gender to quantum physics, and be part of the conversation shaping our future!
Is human progress inevitable? How can we harness quantum technologies to answer previously unanswerable questions? Why are some countries more gender equal than others? What is the future of filmmaking? What are we getting wrong about education? These questions, and more, inspired the O’Shaughnessy Fellows to participate in OSV’s inaugural Fellowship Program.
The Fellowships are a one-year program for ambitious people who want to build something great. Fellows receive $100,000 and access to OSV’s network of founders, investors, and experts to support them in bringing their projects to life.
Join us in this series, during which each Fellow will shine a light on their unique areas of expertise, journey to the Fellowship, and plans to transform our world for the better.
This is a wonderful opportunity to obtain a behind-the-scenes view of some of the most exciting work being carried out today. You may even find that you leave the series with a world-changing idea of your own. See you there!
More on the Fellows:
Each episode will be hosted by an OSV Fellow, with the help of some special guests: Nat & Martha Sharpe, Dr William Zeng, Dr Alice Evans, Tony Morley, Mykhailo Marynenko, Isabella Teng & Varsha Raghavan, Rohan Taori, Diana Hrisovescu & Shay McDonnell, Kiubon Kokko, Oghenekevwe Emadago, Keshav Sharma, Sandro Luna, and more!
This series meets monthly with some exceptions.
| # | Date | Episode |
| 1 | August 23, 2023 | Alternative Childhood Education: A Documentary with Nat & Martha Sharpe Nat and Martha Sharpe have been a creative team for over a decade. Nat and Martha are using their Fellowship (jointly) to create a documentary exploring alternative models for childhood education. How can we prepare kids for a future where no career is safe? Is self-directed learning the answer? What happens when we let kids learn whatever they want? In this salon, Nat and Martha will dive into their Fellowship experience thus far, updates on their documentary, and their insights on childhood education. |
| 2 | September 26, 2023 | Girlified: The Eco-Friendly Sanitary Pad with Oghenekevwe Emadago Oghenekevwe is an environmental activist, entrepreneur, and female rights advocate. Oghenekevwe is using his fellowship to research and develop Girlified—an eco-friendly and cost-effective sanitary pad made from banana fiber and natural cotton—with the goal of reducing pollution and helping women and girls in their quest for education and employment. In this salon, Oghenekevwe will go into his unique experience as an activist and advocate, the impact of Girlified, and his plans for the future. |
| 3 | October 19, 2023 | Progress Studies: The Promise of the Future with Tony Morley Tony Morley is a progress studies writer and communicator, exploring the historical trends and contemporary forces that drive human progress and flourishing. In conjunction with funding research and innovation in progress studies, Tony is using his fellowship grant to continue work on Human Progress for Beginners, the world’s first children’s book on progress. In this salon, Tony will discuss the history of progress, reasons for optimism, and the details of his upcoming book. |
| 4 | November 29, 2023 | Building the Future of Brand Engagement: With Isabella Teng and Varsha Raghavan Varsha and Isabella are computer scientists and artists with a passion for leveraging new technology to uplift the community. They are using their fellowship grant to build Rue, an AI-enabled platform that turns any casual social event into a brand pop-up. Billions of interactions across trusted communities occur daily that are highly valuable to up-and-coming brands but are currently inaccessible. By helping brands meet customers where they’re at (dinners, housewarmings, birthday parties), Rue builds a world in which businesses can intimately connect with consumers in non-traditional retail space. |
| 5 | January 19, 2024 | Unlocking the World’s Potential: How Grants Are Taking Over As a Key Funding Model Are you interested in grant funding and how grants are won? Would you like to explore the current landscape and the future of funding? Join us for a panel discussion with experts in the field of (micro-)grants and the new ways for independent researchers and makers to raise funding. Together, we’ll explore the complexities and prospects of this dynamic new arena. Join Interintellect founder Anna Gát for a panel on grant making and grant winning with experts Atman Pandya (O’Shaughnessy Fellowships), Shruti Rajagopalan (Emergent Ventures India), Arnaud Schenk (Polaris), and Benjamin Yeoh (Then Do Better). |
| 8 | May 6, 2024 | Open-sourcing the Quantum Revolution with William Zeng Quantum Computing holds the promise to revolutionize the world someday. However, the challenge of controlling matter at the quantum scale is formidable and requires a collective effort. What if anyone had open access to top-tier quantum software and hardware tools, similar to how anyone with Internet access can build an app? Join a fascinating salon with OSV Fellow William Zeng, who has been at the forefront of quantum computing research for over a decade—in academia, industry and, now, the non-profit sector. As recipient of the OSV Fellowship, he has embarked on a journey to develop open-source quantum computing tools to benefit the most people. William is joined in conversation by quantum researcher Asier Piñeiro Orioli. |
| 9 | June TBD, 2024 | TBD TBD |
| 10 | July TBD, 2024 | TBD TBD |
| 11 | TBD | TBD TBD |
| 12 | TBD | TBD TBD |
| 13 | TBD | TBD TBD |