Apply Now: Venture Fellows Program (US)

The Venture Fellows program is a 9-month hands-on experience—Larta Institute back diverse innovators to pilot good ideas that help communities become more resilient and adaptable to the impacts of deteriorating environmental conditions at no-cost and no-equity.

Challenge Areas

• The 2025 Venture Fellows program aims to target the development of solutions in specific “challenge” areas that have impacted communities in Los Angeles.
• The stark reality of disproportionate impact is borne out in lower-income and tight-knit communities like Altadena, for example, where generational wealth through home ownership has been severely jeopardized by the recent catastrophic wildfires.
• While these challenge areas are a key focus for the Venture Fellows program, they consider all technologies and innovations for participation.
  • Weather-Resilient Urban Infrastructure
    • The recent severity of catastrophic wildfires in California, driven by high-wind weather events, highlights the urgent need for weather-resilient solutions to strengthen urban infrastructure. Additionally, wildfire prevention, prediction, power outage management, and first responder support tools must be redesigned for both urban and suburban settings. Lower-income communities bear the greatest burdens from evacuation, property damage, and recovery when these fires threaten urban centers, as seen in places like Altadena and the Tahiti Mobile Park in Malibu.
    • Extreme heat has now become the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States, surpassing fatalities from storms, floods, and lightning combined. Heat waves are becoming more frequent, prolonged, and severe, posing a significant threat—especially to lower-income communities, which are often located in urban areas with minimal tree cover and green spaces.
    • The same is true for higher-intensity storms, earthquakes, and other large-scale natural disasters, which are increasingly impacting urban settings, causing widespread flooding, loss of life, and destruction of critical assets.
    • They are seeking community-centered solutions that enhance weather resilience and strengthen urban infrastructure, ensuring communities are better equipped to withstand these growing weather-related events.
  • Clean Air Solutions
    • Ambient air pollution is a significant global health risk, contributing to an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths each year. A UCLA-led study found that pollution in Los Angeles is not only greater, but more toxic in communities facing the most socioeconomic disadvantages.
    • Many of these communities are located closer to highways, industrial zones, and other pollution sources.
    • As a result, lower-income neighborhoods such as Boyle Heights and Wilmington suffer disproportionately from higher rates of asthma, respiratory diseases, and other health issues. In addition, the recent wildfires have left a trail of destruction and will continue to threaten air quality for months to come due to the toxic combination of materials burned in the fires. This prolonged exposure exacerbates existing health disparities, placing already vulnerable communities at even greater risk.
    • They are looking for community-centered solutions to monitor and improve air quality in communities heavily impacted by pollution.
  • Water Conservation, Access & Treatment
    • Currently, only about 40% of L.A. County’s water supply comes from local sources such as groundwater and recycled water, with the City of L.A. relying on just 20%. Once a dependable resource, federal water supplies from the Colorado River are rapidly dwindling as Lake Mead approaches dangerously low levels.
    • Meanwhile, low-income communities and urban farming areas face persistent challenges, including poor water quality, high costs, and inadequate funding for infrastructure improvements. These disparities threaten public health, agricultural resilience, and long-term sustainability.
    • They are seeking innovative, community-centered solutions that enhance water conservation, improve access, and advance treatment methods to ensure a more secure and equitable water future.

Program Benefits

• No cost, no equity support to develop innovations targeting one or more challenge areas.
• Opportunity to apply up to $25,000 in pilot costs for solution validation during the active cohort period. The # of awards is dependent on available funding at that time.
• Access to 1:1 mentoring, group sessions, and a cohort-based learning hub.
• Expert-led sessions on regulatory compliance and market entry strategies.
• Support with networking to assist the development of minimum viable products and/or pilot projects in Los Angeles communities.
• Customer Discovery support for innovation design and prospective market analysis.
• Guidance to secure non-dilutive funding and connections to investors and partners through Larta’s Ecosystem Action Network (EAN).
• Market access support from local cities & NGOs.
• Depending on your stage of idea:
  • Early Stage (TRL 3 to 5): Support for pilot planning, discovery, and research.
  • Later Stage (TRL 6 to 7): Deploy your MVP or pilot-ready solution in a local communities.
• Hands-on help to prepare your pitch & materials.
• Support identifying & applying for funding/grants.
• Curated sessions with ecosystem partners + potential opportunity to present at local and national events.

Eligibility Criteria

• The 2025 program will support up to 10 innovators who:
  • Have innovative concepts that have moved beyond the idea stage into pre-development or development stage OR
  • Have received interest from potential customers, partners, or investors OR
  • Are seeking to validate their solutions within a short timeframe with a pilot run in Los Angeles.

For more information, visit Larta Institute.