TAF Fellowship.

Twelve Weeks - One Pursuit

Twelve Weeks
- One Pursuit

Build The Future.

The ultimate 3-month immersive fellowship program for builders, creators, and changemakers who want to shape the future of innovation, storytelling, and community.

About The August Fest.

The August Fest is the biggest and one of the most influential startup festivals, bringing together thousands of founders, investors, creators, and innovators to celebrate entrepreneurship and build the future. What started as a bold vision has grown into a movement, a platform where ideas collide, connections spark, and the next big ideas takes flight.

Over the years, we've hosted world-class business leaders, innovators, creators and curated unforgettable experiences that blend inspiration with action. Now, we're scaling our impact through new ventures: a magazine that tells unstoppable stories, and a brilliant startup accelerator that no one dared to build in India.

TAF Fellowship is where you become part of the journey; not as a spectator, but as a core team member building the next big thing.

WHAT IS THE
FELLOWSHIP ?

The August Fest Fellowship is a highly selective, 3-month hybrid program designed for ambitious individuals who want real-world experience building pathbreaking projects. This isn't an internship where you shadow someone or attend lectures. This is taking ownership.

You'll join our founding team to work on high-impact initiatives including launching the Magazine, designing our startup accelerator program, scaling festival operations to new cities, and building the infrastructure that powers one of the most dynamic innovation ecosystems.

Fellowship Tracks.

Design and execute festival experiences that leave people breathless. Build operational playbooks for scaling The August Fest to new cities and countries. Create attendee journeys that transform passive visitors into active participants in the startup ecosystem.

  • Design new festival zones and immersive experiences
  • Build logistics frameworks for multi-city expansion
  • Create community engagement strategies and feedback loops
  • Develop vendor management and on-ground execution systems

01.

Festival Operations and Experiential Design.

Event strategists, operations wizards, and community architects

Co-create The Accelerator from the ground up with us. Design the curriculum, build the selection process, curate mentors, and create support systems that help early-stage startups achieve escape velocity.

  • Design accelerator curriculum and milestone frameworks
  • Build founder assessment and selection criteria
  • Create partnerships with VCs, angels, and corporate innovation teams
  • Design demo day and investor engagement strategies

02.

Venture Ecosystem and Accelerator Program.

Startup enthusiasts, program builders, and innovation strategists

Launch The Magazine, a platform that captures the raw, unfiltered stories of founders, innovators, and mavericks building the future. Build TAF’s digital presence into a daily destination for India’s innovation community.

  • Lead editorial direction for The Magazine (digital + print)
  • Create compelling founder profiles, ecosystem insights, and trend pieces
  • Build and execute social media strategy across platforms
  • Produce video content, podcasts, and documentary-style features
  • Develop brand voice guidelines and content frameworks

03.

Content, Storytelling, and Brand.

Writers, content creators, social media strategists, and storytellers

Build the partnerships that fuel The August Fest ecosystem. Secure sponsors who align with our vision, forge relationships with universities and corporates, and create collaboration frameworks that expand our reach and impact.

  • Develop and execute sponsorship and partnership strategies
  • Build relationships with universities, startup hubs, and innovation centers
  • Create corporate engagement programs and B2B offerings
  • Design partnership packages and value propositions
  • Negotiate deals and manage stakeholder relationships

04.

Strategic Partnerships and Growth.

Business developers, relationship builders, and deal-makers

Become the brain trust of The August Fest. Curate world-class speakers, identify emerging sectors before they explode, map future trends, and produce intelligence that positions TAF as India’s leading voice on innovation.

  • Research and curate speakers for festival programming
  • Map emerging sectors, technologies, and market opportunities
  • Produce trend reports and ecosystem intelligence
  • Develop thought leadership content (whitepapers, insights, analysis)
  • Build frameworks for evaluating startup sectors and innovations

05.

Research and Innovation Intelligence.

Researchers, trend analysts, and strategic thinkers

PROGRAM STRUCTURE.

01.

IMMERSION.

Intensive onboarding and kickoff (virtual + in-person), Deep dive into TAF ecosystem, stakeholder meetings, project scoping​.

02.

EXECUTION.

Weekly check-ins with mentors and founding team, 2-day in-person bootcamp with all fellows and leadership, Cross-track collaboration, rapid iteration, problem-solving.

03.

GRADUATION.

Emphasis on measurement and impact assessment, Informal graduation ceremony to celebrate the cohort’s achievements

Builders Over Talkers.

Show us what you've made projects, content, events, anything. We value proof of work or serious intent over credentials.

Hungry Learners & problem solvers.

Curious, coachable, and comfortable with ambiguity. You'd rather ask "how can we?" than "why can't we?"

Mission-Aligned.

You're genuinely excited about building stuff, startups, innovation, and communities.

Collaborative Leaders.

You can drive your own work while lifting others up. You give credit freely and seek feedback actively.

We don't care about your pedigree. We care about your potential. Who can Apply?
  • A college student who’s built side projects and wants real-world impact
  • A working professional looking to transition into startups or innovation
  • An aspiring founder wanting to understand ecosystems from the inside
  • A creator or writer or an artist seeking a platform to shine
  • A researcher or analyst who wants to apply insights to real problems
  • Someone who doesn’t fit any category but knows they can contribute

WHAT ARE YOU GETTING?

REAL OWNERSHIP.

You’re not here to make coffee or attend meetings. You own a project from conception to launch. You make decisions. You see your work go live and reach thousands. You build something that matters.

UNMATCHED MENTORSHIP.

Direct access to The August Fest founding team and a curated network of successful founders, VCs, corporate leaders, and creators who’ve built lasting ventures. Regular 1-on-1s, strategy sessions, and office hours with people who’ve been there.

ACCESS TO INDIA'S INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM.

Work alongside festival speakers, startup founders, creators and investors. Get behind-the-scenes access to one of the biggest startup festivals. Attend exclusive events, workshops, and gatherings you can’t buy tickets to.

CAREER ACCELERATION.

Build a portfolio piece that opens doors. Get strong recommendations from TAF leadership.

COMMUNITY FOR LIFE.

Join an exclusive alumni network of change makers, builders, creators, and future founders. Lifetime access to August Fest events and ecosystem. Ongoing collaboration opportunities with future cohorts.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.

How selective is this fellowship?

Very selective. We’re choosing only 10-12 fellows per cohort.

No. The August Fest Fellowship is completely free. We don’t charge any participation fee, application fee. Our goal is to identify and nurture exceptional talent, not monetize access to opportunity.

No cash compensation is provided. However, the value you gain is real ownership of high-impact projects, direct mentorship from founders, access to India’s innovation ecosystem, portfolio-defining work, and lifetime community far exceeds any stipend. This is an investment in your future.

We expect a commitment of 5-8 hours per week, though this may vary based on your project and track. The program is designed to be flexible enough to work alongside your studies or job, while still demanding enough to create meaningful impact.

Hybrid. Most of your work will be remote and flexible. However, there are mandatory in-person components including the Week 1 kickoff, a mid-program bootcamp, and the informal graduation ceremony. We’ll provide advance notice for all in-person gatherings.

Absolutely. We’ve designed the fellowship to accommodate students.

Yes, as long as you can commit the required hours and your employer is supportive.

You’ll receive a Fellowship Certificate at the graduation ceremony, recognizing your contributions and completion of the program. More importantly, you’ll have a portfolio piece showcasing real impact, strong recommendations from TAF leadership, and membership in our exclusive alumni network.

©2026 - The August Fest

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