Guaranteed floor
At least 10 registrations
Kepler Gliese will directly fund conference attendance for a minimum of 10 selected applicants.
Kepler Gliese Access Initiative · Houston
10 SEATS.MINIMUM.
Kepler Gliese LLC is committing to sponsor AFROTECH 2026 conference attendance for at least 10 selected applicants. Ten is the commitment. More is the goal.
Application required · Deadline: September 19, 2026
The commitment
Start with access. Build from there.
Conference registration is the core promise. Additional programming will be added only when it is real, funded, and confirmed.
Expanded eligibility
Career-transition access
Applications are open across defined tracks for current students, recent graduates, recent career-training graduates, and recently displaced professionals.
Built to expand
More seats, more opportunity
Partners may help fund additional registrations, meals, mentorship, or other Houston experiences as they are confirmed.
Application timeline
One application. One shared review process.
A completed application is required to be considered for a sponsored registration. Direct messages, introductions, and conversations do not replace the application. Applications are not reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Applications close
Complete applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Central Time.
Why this date: September 19 is NASA's International Observe the Moon Night. The next one will not arrive until September 10, 2027.
Review is completed
Every complete, eligible application will be reviewed together using the published criteria below.
Why this date: September 28 is the United Nations' International Day for Universal Access to Information, reflecting the purpose of this initiative: expanding access to information, resources, and opportunity.
Final notifications
Applicants will receive their final status by email, leaving four weeks to prepare before AFROTECH begins.
Why this date: October 5 is the first Monday of World Space Week, observed internationally from October 4–10.
Ten is the floor, not the ceiling. Additional seats or applicant-wide resources confirmed during the process may expand the initiative. Applicants will not need to reapply to receive newly confirmed applicant-wide resources.
Partner support
Every application creates value.
Bootup Studios is partnering with Kepler Gliese to provide free platform access to everyone who applies for the AFROTECH 2026 Access Initiative. Bootup Studios is an AI-powered operating system for entrepreneurs with tools for idea validation, execution planning, customer research, AI agent support, and access to funding and startup resources.
Bootup Studios access is available to applicants regardless of whether they are ultimately selected for one of the sponsored AFROTECH registrations. The conference sponsorship selection remains separate.
Learn about Bootup Studios →Who this is for
People ready to make the most of access.
Applicants must be at least 18, able to attend AFROTECH 2026 in Houston, and fall within one of the program tracks below.
Current college & university students
Community college & graduate students
Current technical, certificate & career-training students
Recent degree graduates: within 24 months
Recent bootcamp / certificate / technical graduates: within 24 months
Recently displaced professionals: within 12 months
Age 18+
How selection works: every complete, eligible application submitted by the deadline will be reviewed using the same status-neutral criteria:
- Access needThe degree to which sponsored registration removes a meaningful barrier.
- Initiative and preparationEvidence that the applicant is actively taking steps toward a technology, engineering, entrepreneurial, or career goal.
- Clarity of purposeA specific, credible explanation of what the applicant hopes to learn, pursue, or build through AFROTECH access.
- Potential impactHow likely the opportunity is to create useful forward motion for the applicant or the people and communities around them.
Selection is not first-come, first-served. Meeting the minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee a sponsored registration.
Kepler Gliese does not make selection decisions based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or other status protected by applicable law. Focused outreach to particular schools or communities does not restrict who may apply.
Applicants may be asked to verify current enrollment, recent program completion, or recent involuntary employment separation, as applicable, before sponsored registration is issued.
Participant safety & conduct
Access should feel professional, voluntary, and safe.
If selected, recipients agree to follow Kepler Gliese participant expectations as well as all AFROTECH, venue, and applicable legal requirements.
Respect
Professional conduct
Harassment, discrimination, threats, violence, stalking, retaliation, unwanted sexual attention, or other conduct that creates an unsafe environment is not acceptable.
Boundaries
Optional means optional
No recipient is required to attend after-hours activities, meet privately, share transportation or lodging, provide personal contact information, or consume alcohol to receive or keep sponsorship.
Accountability
Protect the opportunity
Serious or repeated conduct violations, material misrepresentation, or failure to follow conference or venue rules may result in removal from Kepler-supported activities or withdrawal of sponsorship.
Scope of sponsorship: unless Kepler Gliese confirms otherwise in writing, the award covers conference registration only. Travel, lodging, meals, transportation, and optional activities are not promised by the application itself.
Applicant privacy
Your application is not a product.
Kepler Gliese treats applicant information as program data entrusted to us for a specific purpose. We collect, use, share, and retain it only as reasonably necessary to operate the initiative, deliver applicant benefits, protect the program, and meet legal obligations.
No sale
We do not sell applicant data
Applicant personal information is not sold for money or other valuable consideration and is not used for unrelated targeted advertising.
Sponsor boundary
Sponsorship does not buy access
Sponsor funding does not purchase applicant lists, identifiable applicant data, or influence over individual selection decisions.
Purpose limited
Sharing stays tied to the program
Limited information may be shared with service providers or program partners only when reasonably necessary to operate the initiative or deliver a specific applicant benefit, subject to applicable safeguards.
Retention and control: We aim to minimize how long we keep raw application material, especially optional video submissions. Program participation does not automatically authorize indefinite retention of a full application for unrelated recruiting or talent-network purposes. Where applicable, applicants may request access, correction, deletion, or other privacy rights. Read the full Kepler Gliese Privacy Notice →
Applications
Applications are now open.
Apply by Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Central Time. The application takes about 10–15 minutes and includes an optional 60–90 second video. All complete applications will be reviewed together, with final notifications sent Monday, October 5.
Kepler Gliese is independently organizing this initiative. It is not presented as an official AFROTECH or Blavity program, partnership, or endorsement unless explicitly announced. This program is conference sponsorship, not employment, an internship, or an offer of employment. Additional experiences beyond conference registration are subject to funding, availability, and confirmation. Eligibility, verification, selection terms, participant obligations, and the Kepler Gliese Privacy Notice apply.