Twenty-eight ascendant business leaders selected from more than 500 applicants worldwide for groundbreaking fellowship experience
PHILADELPHIA, July 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Eisenhower Fellowships (EF) has selected 28 exceptional entrepreneurial leaders from a highly competitive global pool of more than 500 applicants for its 2026 Innovative Entrepreneurs Program. The group includes 17 international Fellows and 11 American Fellows who have demonstrated success in building enterprises that generate measurable economic and social impact in diverse fields that include technology, healthcare, biotechnology, agriculture, clean energy, workforce development and finance.
For the first time, American and international Eisenhower Fellows will travel together in the same fellowship program during its opening phase, creating opportunities for deeper peer learning, collaboration and networking among leaders from the United States and around the world.
The Fellows begin their journey this fall in Philadelphia and then head to Austin, Texas, with an opening seminar hosted at Capital Factory, one of the nation’s leading centers for entrepreneurship and innovation. There they will engage with fellow entrepreneurs, investors, business leaders and innovators before embarking on customized fellowship experiences designed to advance their professional goals and strengthen the impact of their work.
Fellows will explore ways that innovative entrepreneurial, investment and research institutions in the United States help transform ideas into enterprises that create jobs, expand opportunity and address societal challenges.
Afterwards the 17 international Fellows will continue individualized professional programs across the United States, meeting with business executives, investors, policymakers and civic leaders whose expertise aligns with their fields and their fellowship projects. The 11 American Fellows will travel overseas for three weeks on customized itineraries, engaging with international leaders and institutions to gain new perspectives and advance projects of impact in their communities.
“This program represents an exciting evolution in the unique Eisenhower Fellowships experience,” said Eisenhower Fellowships President George de Lama. “For the first time, American and international Fellows will learn alongside one another as a single group. Their exchange of ideas, perspectives and shared experiences will spark new collaborations, expand their horizons and advance their professional skills to help generate positive impact that extends well beyond the fellowship.”
Upon completion of the program, the Fellows will join Eisenhower Fellowships’ lifelong global network of more than 1,900 active leaders in more than 100 countries committed to enhancing international understanding and bettering their societies through direct dialogue and collaboration.
Founded in 1953 as a birthday gift to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Eisenhower Fellowships identifies, empowers and connects innovative leaders through a transformative fellowship experience and lifelong engagement in a global network committed to building a world more peaceful, prosperous and just.
For more information contact:
Erin Hillman
Vice President of Programs and Operations
ehillman@efworld.org | 215-546-1738
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SOURCE Eisenhower Fellowships
