Atlas Scout Program | YZi Labs - Student Venture Fund

About the Program

What is Atlas Scout?

The Atlas Scout Program is a $1 million student-managed venture initiative launched by YZi Labs, a $10 billion global investment firm. It recruits 5 to 10 students from leading universities globally to form a student-managed venture fund and write checks on behalf of the YZi Labs investment team.

The program empowers college students to help shape the future of venture investing. It gives them a mandate to back the visionary peers building alongside them, while also identifying frontier founders across the broader Web3, AI, and biotech ecosystems.

Atlas Scout serves as a direct conduit to YZi Labs' flagship EASY Residency incubation program and its direct investment vehicles. By empowering the brightest minds on campus, YZi Labs is cultivating a new generation of investors equipped to navigate frontier technology.

$1M Investment Allocation

Backed by an indicative allocation of up to $1 million for early-stage startups

Web3, AI & Biotech

Focus on high-conviction, early-stage startups across frontier technologies

5-10 Scouts Selected

Elite cohort from Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Columbia, NYU, CMU & UC Berkeley

A Message from Leadership

"In this AI-driven era, the pace of learning and entrepreneurship is accelerating exponentially. As the builders of tomorrow emerge earlier than ever, the investors backing them need to be there from the start."

— Ella Zhang, Head of YZi Labs

300+

Portfolio projects across 6 continents

65+

Companies through incubation programs

Your Role as a Scout

How Atlas Scout Works

As an Atlas Scout, you become an extension of the YZi Labs investment team — sourcing, evaluating, and backing the next wave of frontier founders.

01

Phase 1

Deal Sourcing

Leverage your campus network and industry connections to identify high-potential founders building in Web3, AI, and biotech. Attend global conferences and events with your dedicated travel budget.

Identify visionary founders among your peers
Attend leading crypto, AI & biotech conferences
Build relationships across the global startup ecosystem

02

Phase 2

Due Diligence

Conduct rigorous evaluation of startups — analyzing market opportunity, technical feasibility, team strength, and product-market fit with guidance from the YZi Labs investment team.

Market analysis & competitive landscape
Technical and product evaluation
Mentorship from YZi Labs senior investors

03

Phase 3

Investment Decisions

Present your high-conviction deals to the YZi Labs team and write checks on behalf of the firm. Back early-stage startups with capital from the $1M allocation.

Present investment theses to YZi Labs
Write checks from $1M fund allocation
High-conviction, early-stage investments

04

Phase 4

Portfolio Support

Help connect the founders you champion to the YZi Labs ecosystem — including 300+ portfolio projects, the EASY Residency incubation program, and the industry's largest distribution engine.

Connect founders to YZi Labs' network
Pipeline to EASY Residency incubation
Ongoing mentorship & support

Structural Advantages

What Atlas Scouts Receive

Unprecedented advantages designed to make you an effective venture investor from day one.

$1,000,000

Investment Allocation

Backed by an indicative allocation of up to $1 million to pursue high-conviction, early-stage startups across Web3, AI, and biotech.

Student-Managed Fund

Incentive Alignment

Scouts source deals, conduct rigorous diligence, and may be eligible to participate in program-based incentive structures aligned with long-term founder success.

Global Travel Budget

Dedicated travel budget to attend leading crypto summits, AI conferences, and biotech events worldwide. Build relationships and see where global capital is headed.

YZi Labs Ecosystem Access

Direct entry into a network encompassing over 300 portfolio projects supporting hundreds of millions of users globally across Web3, AI, and biotech.

Hands-On Mentorship

Active, hands-on mentorship from the YZi Labs investment team across Web3, AI, and biotech fields. Learn venture investing from industry leaders.

EASY Residency Pipeline

Direct conduit to YZi Labs' flagship EASY Residency incubation program and its direct investment vehicles for the founders you champion.

Target Universities

Where We Recruit

The inaugural cohort will be selected from students at these leading institutions.

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

MIT

Cambridge, MA

Columbia University

New York, NY

New York University

New York, NY

NYU

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

UC Berkeley

Berkeley, CA

YZi Labs Ecosystem

300+ Portfolio Projects

As an Atlas Scout, you'll plug into one of the world's most expansive Web3, AI & biotech investment ecosystems.

Trust Wallet

CoinMarketCap

Polygon

Injective

Ethena

SafePal

Better Payment Network

Aster

XAI (SpaceX)

And 290+ more

$10B+

Assets Under Management

300+

Portfolio Projects

25+

Countries Across 6 Continents

65+

Incubated Companies

Who Should Apply?

Students at Target Universities

Currently enrolled at Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Columbia, NYU, CMU, or UC Berkeley.

Passion for Web3, AI or Biotech

Deep interest and understanding of frontier technologies — Web3, artificial intelligence, or biotechnology.

Strong Network & Judgment

Well-connected within your campus ecosystem with the ability to identify exceptional founders and high-potential ideas.

Entrepreneurial Mindset

Whether you've built something yourself or are passionate about backing those who do — we want bold thinkers.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Atlas Scouts act as investors on behalf of YZi Labs. You source promising startups in Web3, AI, and biotech, conduct due diligence, and write investment checks from the program's $1M allocation. You're essentially a student venture capitalist backed by a $10B firm.

While prior investing experience is a plus, it's not required. We're looking for students with strong networks, sharp judgment about technology and founders, and deep passion for Web3, AI, or biotech. The YZi Labs team will provide hands-on mentorship to help you develop as an investor.

The program will select 5 to 10 scouts for this cohort from students at Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Columbia, NYU, CMU, and UC Berkeley. This small, elite group ensures each scout receives meaningful responsibility and mentorship.

YZi Labs provides a dedicated travel budget so scouts can attend leading crypto summits, AI conferences, and biotech events worldwide. This gives you high-level industry exposure, helps build meaningful relationships, and lets you see firsthand where global capital and market attention are headed.

Atlas Scouts may be eligible to participate in program-based incentive structures. By aligning rewards with the success of the founders you back, YZi Labs ensures scouts feel the full weight of every investment decision — creating true skin in the game.

EASY Residency is YZi Labs' flagship incubation program. The Atlas Scout Program serves as a direct pipeline — founders identified and backed by scouts can be fast-tracked into EASY Residency for deeper support, additional funding, and access to the full YZi Labs ecosystem of 300+ portfolio projects.

The inaugural cohort will focus on students from Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Columbia, NYU, CMU, and UC Berkeley. However, we encourage exceptional students from other universities to reach out — if you have a strong track record and network in Web3, AI, or biotech, we'd love to hear from you.

Ready to Shape the Future of Venture?

If you're studying at one of our target universities — or know someone who is — we'd love to hear from you. Join the next generation of investors backing visionary founders in Web3, AI & Biotech.

Apply to Atlas Scout Program

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Apply early for priority consideration.

Stanford • Harvard • MIT • Columbia • NYU • CMU • UC Berkeley