FAQ

Skinner Layne founded Exosphere in 2012 and the first program took place in 2013. Since then, Exosphere has conducted 9 residential programs and more than 40 high-impact workshops in cities all over the world, serving more than 2,000 people in total.

Learn more on the About page.

Yes, Exosphere offers a variety of options for beginners to top-level professionals in their fields. Because all of our programs are hands-on and project-based, you can take advantage of our world-class facilitators’ knowledge and experience no matter where you are in life. Apply now and setup a consultation with one of our staff members to begin customizing your experience.

We have created a dead simple application process. Click ”Apply Now” and answer a few basic questions. It will only take a few minutes.

You will then receive an email within 24 hours from us to interview you about your prospective attendance at our next program.

We will help you determine if Exosphere can help you at this stage of your journey, considering your goals, ambitions, and what you want to learn.

Once accepted, you will then pay your initial deposit and agree on a payment plan. After payment, we invest in you and your future immediately–starting with building your customized learning plan and helping arrange logistics.

The formal component of the program consists of 30 hours of sessions per week, including core curriculum sessions, morning discussion, and domain-specific instruction in your chosen emphasis (AI, Blockchain, Biohacking, or Brand & Tech Advocacy), and supervised project work with your Fellow. Saturday is an open day for reflection, studying, and catching up on work. On Sundays we encourage you to unplug from electronics and rest.

We are in the process of building an exciting new online platform for people who simply cannot attend our programs in residence, but currently all of our programs are in-residence. We have found that living and working together yields greater benefits and provides more opportunities to develop better projects and deeper relationships, and we hope you can join us in person. If you can’t, stay tuned as we begin rolling out new ways to participate!

The Exosphere learning experience is different from the traditional classroom. What you put in will determine what you get back. The more focused time you invest in reading, learning about your chosen focus, and working on your project, the more you will accomplish during the program. It’s all up to you.

Since the range of subjects and experience levels of our students varies significantly, there is no simple answer to this. However, some of our previous students have been able to get jobs as full-stack developers at software startups, copywriters at creative marketing agencies, and many have started their own business or joined up with a co-founder for a new venture.

While building a better future, your options are only limited to your own imagination and the value you can create.

For a couple prominent examples, check out Book in a Box, co-founded by alumni Zach Obront and his partner Tucker Max, and Fort Galt, which was founded by a group of alumni while at the program in 2014.

The first week of the program is all about getting oriented. It includes information sessions on each of the streams so that everybody can get a general understanding what everybody else will be working on. If at the end of week 1 you feel more at home in a stream different from your initial choice, you will be able to switch after conferring with your Curator. If you decide to switch after week 1 has passed, the Curators will make a case-by-case evaluation and decide.

Because of the limited time available, we recommend switching as early as possible. Also, cross-stream collaboration is not only allowed but encouraged!

Of course! If you would like to speak to any alumni about their experiences, just ask and we’ll be happy to introduce you.

If you convince us that you’ll make good use of their time, we will be happy to introduce you to even the most prominent members of the Exosphere network.

Exosphere is currently developing a pilot program for university credit with New York University that we hope to expand further in 2019. If you are an NYU student and would like to learn more about the credit program with Exosphere, please contact our admission staff for more information.

As with any form of learning you get out what you put in, and you should expect to take responsibility for your outcomes.

Many of our students have built dynamic research projects, startup MVPs, completed artistic projects, and nearly all have undergone incredible personal transformations.

Exosphere will provide you a supportive environment to reach your goals, but it is you who must decide what your goals are and put in the work to reach them.

Not at all! We have had many students in their 50s and 60s attend Exosphere and we welcome anybody who is eager to learn and grow.

The first step is to decide that you want to attend, submit your written application, and then wait to be contacted by a member of our admissions staff. The process thereafter is as follows:

• Written application is processed by our admissions staff.
• You are notified if your application will proceed to the first interview or not.
• The first interview is with one of the program Curators, who will make a recommendation based on whether they think you are a good fit for the program and Exosphere’s unique learning environment and process.
• If you are recommended by the Curator, you will then be interviewed by one of the Fellows for your chosen stream (AI, Blockchain, Biohacking, Advocacy).
• If you are recommended by the Fellow, your application will be considered officially accepted and you will have 10 business days to pay a $500 deposit to secure your place in the program.
• Applicants who are not accepted through this process may be notified that they have been placed on a waiting list in the event that students who have been accepted are not able to attend. Wait-listed applicants will be notified as soon as a vacancy has become available and the vacancy will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis from amongst the applicants on the waiting list.

Students who apply for financial assistance to attend will in most cases be placed on the waiting list, with final admissions decisions and financial assistance awards going out six weeks before the particular program commences. The reason for this is that we have a limited amount of scholarship support available and want to ensure that it goes to the most qualified applicants.

Currently we offer our students a Certificate in their chosen area of technology upon the presentation of their project at the final Demo Day of each program. Students who elect not to participate in Demo Day are not eligible to receive the Certificate.

Exosphere travels all over the world with workshops and other events, so follow our social media channels to stay up to date with our plans to come to your city.

Presently we only offer our programs and courses live and in person.

The standard things–socks, underwear, shirts, shoes, deodorant, laptop, etc. All of our locations in 2018 are near to a variety of outdoor activities (which we strongly recommend taking advantage of on the weekends), so it’s a good idea to throw in some clothes and shoes you don’t mind getting a little bit dirty.

Due to the variety of student backgrounds (e.g. age, culture, etc) and the complexity of meeting everybody’s individualized needs, we no longer provide housing for our programs.

We suggest beginning with searches on popular rental sites like AirBnB and Booking.com. If you continue to have problems securing housing, our admissions team will be able to provide some assistance after completion of payment. Due to the volume of applicants, we are unable to provide logistical assistance to anybody other than confirmed participants.

It’s entirely up to you, but we suggest arriving at least one or two full days in advance of the start date of the program. Because our programs have been designed through more than five years of trial and error with hundreds of alumni, we strongly discourage participants arriving late or departing a few days early.

We will be happy to connect you to other Exosphere participants looking to share housing once you are admitted.

If you have any doubts, feel free to reach out to us to talk about it – info@exosphe.re