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
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
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
-
A game-changing way to treat stroke
Profile of HIT Fund Awardee: Milli-Spinner -
Hitting Its Stride
Teams Raise Capital, Find Playbook for Commercialization
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.