Ready to join the fellowship? Apply here.

Ritual is building the infrastructure for a new class of decentralized applications at the intersection of crypto x AI and beyond. The Ritual Fellowship is a program for intentional builders ready to explore this frontier.

Are you an engineer, researcher, designer, or operator interested in Crypto × AI? Join a small cohort shaping the future in a 2-day NYC retreat – whether you're building open-source models, designing better interfaces for AI applications, applying AI to programmable finance, or just getting started in decentralized AI.

We also welcome talented individuals who don’t fit the mold, including traders, growth hackers, or curious generalists. If you’re obsessed with the frontier, this is for you.

Why Apply

The Fellowship brings together ambitious talent exploring the edge of AI and crypto to collaborate, learn, and launch real systems together.

Who is it for?

• You're deep in AI (LLMs, agents, eval, infra, open-source) and want to explore crypto-native paths to scale your work, or some of the research powering Ritual’s network (brokers, decentralized fine-tuning, and more).
• You're already crypto-native and want to leverage AI for your on-chain projects.
• You're launching or joining an early-stage project and want to connect with others building in the space.
• You're excited about the Ritual ecosystem and contributing to projects through our ecosystem or via Shrine.

Fellows will:

• Meet other talented engineers, product, and designers with an interest in the frontiers of AI and crypto
• Get plugged into a network of Ritual engineers, researchers, operators, and founders shaping frontiers of AI and crypto
• Gather a small 2-day in-person retreat in NYC in the summer with a talented group of your peers in the space.
• Get facetime from Ritual ecosystem and team engineers, researchers, investors remotely and in-person.
• Learn about Ritual ecosystem projects via Shrine and other projects.
• Receive infra credits + early launch support across the Ritual stack for inference, compute, and more.

Apply Now

Rolling admissions end in June here - apply early for priority review.

Questions?

Email fellows@ritualfoundation.org for questions.

FAQ

Do I need to already have a project I’m working on?

Not at all. The Fellowship is designed to support talented builders at any stage, whether you’re bringing your own project, joining a Shrine team, or simply exploring ideas and building alongside the cohort.

Can I apply to both Shrine and the Fellowship?
Yes. If you're applying with your own project, we may also route you toward Shrine. The Fellowship is also a great fit for builders without a project who want to join something early and meaningful.

What if I can’t attend the New York retreat?
We strongly encourage in-person participation, as the retreat is a core part of the Fellowship experience, but will consider remote participants on a case-by-case basis.

What kind of support is available?
Fellows get access to mentorship, sessions with the team, infra credits, launch support, and potential funding through Ritual’s network

Does Ritual cover travel costs?
Yes, for selected fellows who are not in New York, we cover flights for in-person retreats and events on a case-by-case basis. If this is you, feel free to reach out for more.