An award for the under-30entrepreneurs reshapingthe next few decades ofbusiness.
5 Winners are selected every year for a fellowship to join Maverick NEXT, and attend a 4-night retreat in the British Virgin Islands. This could be you.
Five fellowshipsFree to applyApplications close when filled
What do you get when you win the Maverick NEXT Impact Award?
It isn’t.
- A mastermind.
- A networking group.
- A peer advisory board.
What do you get when you win the Maverick NEXT Impact Award?
An entrepreneurial
family.
You get a full year inside Maverick NEXT, including regular community calls, a 4-night retreat in the British Virgin Islands, and access to the Maverick 1000 network. Ask the founders already inside what they got, and they’ll tell you: it’s an entrepreneurial family.
“Maverick is my family. It gives me the energy to grow, to express myself and to become a better human being.”
“I joined thinking it was about business, but I got this incredible tribe, this family that means more to me than anything I could have ever imagined.”
Why this award?
Mavericks are needed more than ever
in every sector, industry and category.
Business as usual got us here, but it won’t get us out. The world needs the founders who see what others miss and build what others won’t, the ones who believe business can be the greatest lever for good. That’s why this award exists.
Chess with Sir Richard Branson 
Featured on Norwegian National Television 
Antarctica Rave 
Tuscany 
Charity Gala 
Talks on the beach, BVI 
NEXT founders in the BVI 
Necker Island 
Zambezi 
Bahamas 
Antarctica 
Safari 
Camp Maverick 
Supporting GreenVI 
Zero Gravity 
Baja dune buggy racing
“Being a Maverick isn’t just about growing your business. It’s about making an impact and feeling fulfilled, working together to make a difference.”
Steve YoungMaverick of Medicine
What the Award gets you
A year inside Maverick NEXT
Regular community calls, hot-seats, and access to the Maverick 1000 network.
Four nights in the BVI
19th to 23rd March 2027, including a day on Necker.
Pitch night on Necker
Pitch what you’re building to Maverick 1000 luminaries on Necker, and get their input, their networks, and insight from founders who have already made their millions (or billions).
Five fellowships a year. Free to apply, free to win.
If you’re selected, you join an entrepreneurial family, and your place is paid for by people who back the next generation of impact founders. We give thanks to our regular supporters: the foundations of Tom Shieh and Tim Bulk, Chris Koomey, and the Goldman Sachs Foundation.
Hear it from Liam Ottley, one of our 2025 winners
Liam Ottley is a well-known YouTuber, entrepreneur and founder of Morningside AI. He filmed his week at the Impact Experience. Watch the first few minutes for a quick taste of what the Award looks like.
What we’re looking for
If you’re eligible:
- Building something the world will still care about in 20 years.
- Your 30th birthday is on or after 1 January 2027.
- Running a real business, with demonstrable funding, revenue, or impact.
Then we weigh four things
- 01
What are you building, and what changes because of it?
- 02
What would you bring to the room?
- 03
Could Maverick actually move the needle?
- 04
Do you need the door opened?
The process
The next submission round ends
Applications are closed.
We review applicants every month until we’ve found our five fellows. Once we have, applications close for good.
- 01
Apply
Ten minutes, online.
- 02
Monthly review
Every application is read in the next monthly round.
- 03
Five fellows
We keep going until we've found all five. Then applications close for good.
- 04
January, then March
Membership starts January 2027. The islands, March 2027.
Past Maverick luminaries
Maverick gatherings have hosted some of the most accomplished names in business, sports, writing, and culture. A few of the icons that have contributed over the years:
Sir Richard Branson
Virgin Group founder
Necker Island, year after year.
Joe Sugarman
BluBlocker & direct-mail pioneer
Dune buggy racing in Baja.
John Paul DeJoria
Patrón co-founder
80's road rally. Patrón shots (not at the same time).
Russell Simmons
Hip-hop mogul
Private yoga and meditation.
Chris Blackwell
Island Records founder
Private farm. Untold stories about Marley and Bono.
Tim Ferriss
4-Hour Workweek author
Evasive driving training.
Joe DeSena
Spartan Race founder
A private Spartan Race on his Vermont farm.
Jesse James
Motorcycle mogul
Dune buggy racing in Baja.
Tony Hawk
Skateboarding legend
Zero-G flight.
Leslie Blodgett
Former Bare Minerals CEO
The $1.8B beauty story, told on Necker.
Sara Blakely
Spanx founder
Impact Day with her Foundation.
Charlie Engle
Ultramarathoner & adventurer
A run at Camp Maverick. He ran across the Sahara.
Frequently asked questions
Entrepreneurs under 30 running real businesses. Agencies, content businesses, e-commerce, software, startups, and traditional offline companies are all in scope. Side projects and idea stage don't qualify.
Twelve months inside Maverick NEXT (monthly community calls, private hot-seats, and active access to the Maverick 1000 Network), plus the NEXT Impact Experience: a four-night retreat in the British Virgin Islands (19 to 23 March 2027), including a day on Necker Island with the Maverick 1000 Network. Fellows pitch on Necker; direct mentorship from members follows from there.
Applications are reviewed in monthly batches. The next Assessment Cutoff is the last Monday of the current month at 11:59pm Pacific. The final cutoff for 2026 is Monday, 30 November 2026.
Click any "Apply Now!" button on this page. The application takes about 10 minutes.
Accommodation and activities during the Impact Experience are included. Flights are not currently included, but please don't let this deter your application. If flights become a real obstruction, we'll discuss potential remedies with selected fellows individually.
We weigh mission and impact, what you'd add to the NEXT cohort, what the Maverick network could genuinely accelerate for you, and whether you need the door opened. The fellowship goes to founders we think can move the needle most over the next 20 years.
Two rounds. The written application gathers your background, business, motivations, and what you'd bring to the Maverick NEXT cohort. Strong applicants are invited to a video round where we go deeper on the same questions. Five fellows are selected at the end of each year.
The four nights are in the British Virgin Islands, not on Necker. One full day during the retreat is spent on Necker with the Maverick 1000 Network. The rest is the BVI base.
Applications are reviewed in monthly batches. Each Assessment Cutoff (the last Monday of every month, through November 2026) closes a review round, and applications received before that date are reviewed together. You can apply any month between now and November 2026. Missing one cutoff just means your application rolls into the next batch.
Applications are assessed individually. If a co-founder also qualifies, they're welcome to apply separately. Both applications are considered on their own merits.
No. Applications are limited to one per person.
50 founders. The Award funds five new fellows into the cohort each year.
The world changes thanks to people bold enough to think they can make a difference.
That could be you.
It takes 10 minutes to apply.