Emergent Ventures
www.mercatus.org/emergent-ventures · organization
Tyler Cowen's fellowship and small-grant program at the Mercatus Center for individuals with ambitious ideas.
Leadership
- Tyler Cowen · Mercatus Center faculty director
Team
headcount not published
source, Oct 2026
Other
- Received
- $115,000
- from 1 funders
- Grants
- 1
- Funders
- 1
- Years active
- 2021
Grants over time
Biggest funders
| Jaan Tallinn | $115,000 | 100% | 1 |
Biggest recipients
| Nnaemeka Emmanuel Nnadi | $50,000 | 48% | 1 |
| Scott Ellis | $35,000 | 33% | 2 |
| Ashkan Samali | $20,000 | 19% | 1 |
Reviews
Zvi Mowshowitz · nonprofits.zone · full post · Nov 26, 2025
Confidence: High, Funding needs: Medium
Read more ▾Show less ▴
Emergent Ventures are not like the other talent funnels in several important ways.
1. It’s not about AI Safety. You can definitely apply for an AI Safety purpose, he’s granted such applications in the past, but it’s rare and topics run across the board, well beyond the range otherwise described in this post. 2. Decisions are quick and don’t require paperwork or looking legible. Tyler Cowen makes the decision, and there’s no reason to spend much time on your end either. 3. There isn’t a particular cause area this is trying to advance. He’s not trying to steer people to do any particular thing. Just to be more ambitious, and be able to get off the ground and build connections and so on. It’s not prescriptive.
I strongly believe this is an excellent way to boost the development of more talent, as long as money is serving as a limiting factor on the project, and that it is great to develop talent even if you don’t get to direct or know where it is heading. Sure, I get into rhetorical arguments with Tyler Cowen all the time, around AI and also other things, and we disagree strongly about some of the most important questions where I don’t understand how he can continue to have the views he expresses, but this here is still a great project, an amazingly cost-efficient intervention.
Donate here (specify “Emergent Ventures” in notes), or reach out to emergentventures@mercatus.gmu.edu.
Grants received
| Date ↓ | Funder | Via | Amount | Cause | Source | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20, 2021 | Jaan Tallinn | Survival and Flourishing Fund | $115,000 | Other | sff | General Support of Emergent Ventures India |
Grants made 4 · $105,000 · $26,250 average
| Date ↓ | Recipient | Via | Amount | Cause | Source | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2026 | Scott Ellis | $25,000 | Other | grantmaking_ai | This is to support the creation of an animated anthology biopic of scientists titled Holy Fools: Five Studies in Ingenious Failure, which will be made freely available for educational purposes. Here is the first (and maybe last film?) teaser trailer ever assembled by Claude Fable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCKsOVmsuww | |
| May 2026 | Scott Ellis | $10,000 | Other | grantmaking_ai | The production of a 3D-animated film. The film uses a small amount of generative AI for props and textures. | |
| 2026 | Ashkan Samali | $20,000 | Other | grantmaking_ai | Non-dilutive grant from Tyler Cowen's Emergent Ventures programme to support early development of Cantivia. | |
| Oct 23, 2023 | Nnaemeka Emmanuel Nnadi | $50,000 | Other | grantmaking_ai | We received funds to set up the first phage repository in Nigeria |