Learning for the 21st century

The D&F Academy offers an innovative one-year learning program that creates impact. Its new kind of education allows experienced personalities to pass on their knowledge to groups of young, diverse individuals, who learn in a hands-on manner and who use their new skills and knowledge to turn their dreams into reality and start their own venture. 

Empowering passionate people

The educational programs take place in the areas of either Global Issues, Arts & Culture, or Sports. Each of the three yearly projects enable up to 20 talented young adults aged 18 to 28 from around the globe to come together to learn from an inspiring mentor and eminent experts, to jointly reflect on passionate ideas, and to plan and implement their own ventures aimed at having an impact on the world.

The first of the two project phases, the Challenge Phase, takes place in the D&F Academy. The Fellows work on a Challenge posed to them by their Friend, and prepare venture ideas through their participation in our start-up program. In the following Implementation Phase, the Fellows return to their home countries and kick off their start-ups, learning by doing while being supported through our online curriculum on the D&F Cloud and mentors for another 10 months.