The High Impact Technology (HIT) Fund
The High Impact Technology (HIT) Fund aims to accelerate the commercialization of Stanford-based innovations.
We provide seed funding along with strategic and advisory support to faculty, students, postdocs, and staff to help transform innovative, advantaged, and scalable Stanford technologies into new products, services, or companies.

Purpose
- Accelerate Impact: Help accelerate the transition of technologies with the potential to have a societal or economic impact on the world’s most pressing problems, by addressing the critical technical and market risks
- Advance Education: Enable access to industry-specific advisors and domain experts, friendly VCs, patent attorneys, and MBA Interns, and provide guidance helping to enhance the team's practical, entrepreneurial, and commercialization education

How to Apply
The HIT Fund awards are for Stanford University innovators whose work has progressed towards developing solutions for scalable end use applications. The awards are intended to provide the needed funding for de-risking critical activities that enable technology transfer to industry or the formation of a start-up.
Funding must be for projects undertaken at Stanford University that have a disclosure filed with the Office of Technology Licensing. Proposals must include a Stanford faculty PI or sponsor. This is a competitive selection process and only the top-ranked proposals will be awarded.
Key Dates

Call for applications opens: Monday, May 19, 2025
Application Q&A Session 1: Thursday, May 22, 2025, 4 - 5pm PT - closed
Applicant Feedback Sessions - Physical Science / Sustainability / AI - REGISTER NOW
Applicant Feedback Sessions - Life Science - REGISTER NOW
HIT Fund Awardee Panel Discussion: Friday, May 30, 2025, 1 - 2pm PT - closed
Application Q&A Session 2: Wednesday, June 4, 2025, 10 - 11am PT - closed
Application Q&A Session 3: Monday, June 9, 2025, 2 - 3pm PT - VIEW RECORDING
Deadline to submit an application: Sunday, June 22, 2025 (before MIDNIGHT, PT)
Finalists announced: August 2025
Finalist pitches (in person): September 2025, dates TBD
Awards announced: September 2025
Funding begins: October 1, 2025
Now accepting applications!
Download Application (.pptx) Download Application (.pdf)
Note: Please do not include confidential information in your application.
Reach out to the team: TheHITfund@stanford.edu
Impact
In this brief video, see what awardees have to say about how the HIT Fund helped them take their innovation from the lab to the market.
HIT Fund News
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Stanford HIT Fund Opens 2025 Call for Applications
Applications are due June 22, 2025 -
HIT Fund Lab to Market Seminar Series: Open Source Considerations
Isaac Fine, Partner, KPPB, shares insights with the Stanford community

Meet the HIT Fund Team!
Read more about the HIT Fund team members, including our MBA interns.

Collaborate with the HIT Fund
Opportunities for domain-specific industry experts and corporates to advise, support, or collaborate with project teams.
Learn moreThe High Impact Technology Fund Portfolio

Physical Sciences

HIT Fund FAQ
Click below to read answers to frequently asked questions about the HIT Fund.