The AI Research Commons Midwest Fellows Program is a highly selective program connecting high-potential, inception-stage AI startups emerging from leading Midwest research universities with infrastructure, mentorship, and national investor networks.

Launched in collaboration with the AI Research Commons (ARC), Microsoft, and NVIDIA, the program is open to faculty, students, and researchers from the University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon University, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, Purdue University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and Washington University in St. Louis.