O'Shaughnessy Ventures Awards Its First Two $100,000 Equity-Free Fellowships

Dr. William Zeng will use the O'Shaughnessy Fellowship $100,000 grant to pursue open-source quantum computing.

Nat & Martha Sharpe will use the $100,000 O'Shaughnessy Fellowship grant to study and make documentary films of alternative childhood education schools.

GREENWICH, Conn., Feb. 21, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- O'Shaughnessy Ventures, LLC ("OSV"), a creative investment firm that empowers creators, has announced that it has awarded its first two O'Shaughnessy Fellowships to Dr. William Zeng and Nat and Martha Sharpe (jointly).

OSV launched the Fellowship Program on 1 January 2023. It is a one-year program for ambitious people who want to build something great. Fellows will receive a $100,000 equity-free grant and access to OSV's network of founders, investors, and experts to support them in bringing their projects to life. OSV will award Twelve Fellowships in total. 

Founder and CEO of OSV Jim O'Shaughnessy commented as follows:

"When we scan the historical record, we have no way of knowing how many innovative, creative people were born, lived, and died without any ability to share their ideas and creations with the rest of the world. We're lucky to now live in an age where the internet allows us to find and fund these enormous talents. Nat, Martha and Dr. Zeng blew us away with their ambition and vision, and I'm incredibly excited to participate in the evolution of their projects over the coming 12 months."

About Dr. William Zeng

Dr. William Zeng is the founder and President of the Unitary Fund, a non-profit dedicated to developing the quantum ecosystem to benefit the most people. His research focuses on quantum computer architecture, algorithms, and software. He previously led the initial development of Rigetti Computing's quantum cloud platform and is co-inventor of the Quil quantum instruction language. He received his Ph.D. in quantum algorithms from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and his BSc. in Physics from Yale University. Forbes named him to their Forbes' '30 under 30' list in the Science category for his work on quantum computing.

Dr. Zeng will use his fellowship period to study how emerging quantum technologies can explore foundational questions in quantum mechanics. For example, this next generation of experimental tests will probe fundamental aspects of nature by considering what it means for something to be an observation / some-being to be an observer.

Dr. William Zeng commented as follows regarding his fellowship grant:

"I am grateful for the support and especially for the vision from the OSV Fellowship. You often hear that more high-risk science should be funded. The Fellowship's flexibility lets it do exactly that with our project. I'm looking forward to learning from the growing community of fellows."

About Nat & Martha Sharpe 

Nat and Martha Sharpe have been on a creative team for over a decade. Nat was a film school graduate, and Martha was a storytelling enthusiast. They fell in love while filming a musical parody of "Beowulf" with their friends. After another comedy and two documentaries, they started having children. After that, the focus shifted from art to survival. But, even as struggling new parents, the Sharpes found small ways to keep creating and telling stories. Together, they learned to code, got off food stamps, and traveled around America in an RV. Today, Nat and Martha homeschool their 5 kids and are eager to explore alternative education, expand their comfort zones, and—as always—make movies.

Nat and Martha will use their Fellowship grant to investigate and document how we can prepare kids for a future where no career is safe. Is self-directed learning the answer? What happens when we let kids learn whatever they want? Nat and Martha Sharpe will use their fellowship to film and share the stories of the people who embody these questions.

Nat and Martha Sharpe commented as follows regarding their fellowship grant:

"OSV is our fairy godmother. Like many people, we put our dreams aside to survive. This fellowship sets us free to experiment and create. To play. Who knows where it will lead?"

Further information on Nat & Martha is available via their website. 

Applications remain open for the remaining ten Fellowships. Creators interested in applying can do so via OSV's website.

About O'Shaughnessy Ventures:
O'Shaughnessy Ventures (OSV) is a creative investment firm that empowers and inspires creators to bring their ideas to life. Founded by Jim O'Shaughnessy, a pioneer in quantitative investing, founder of O'Shaughnessy Asset Management, and author of four books on investing, OSV aims to provide financial support and be a partner in building and growing the next life-changing creative idea. OSV combines Jim's deeply rooted interest in all things art, science, investing, and tech with his long-held desire to establish positive-sum scenarios designed to help promising creators and their inspiring ideas succeed, regardless of age, location, job history, or level of education. For more information, visit https://www.osv.llc.

Media Contact:
Ena Gong
O'Shaughnessy Ventures, LLC
(917) 355-7420
[email protected]

SOURCE O'Shaughnessy Ventures LLC