Many of humanity's most pressing challenges—from AI alignment to biosecurity—require sustained effort over decades or centuries. However, current incubator programs tend to focus on near-term commercial viability, leaving a gap for initiatives prioritizing long-term impact. One way to address this could be through a specialized incubation program adapted for longtermist goals.
The program could combine elements from successful entrepreneurial incubators with specialized support for long-term thinking. Key features might include:
Unlike traditional programs, this approach would emphasize long time horizons in its evaluation criteria, accepting higher uncertainty in outcomes. The primary beneficiaries would be early-career professionals with technical skills seeking to apply them to longtermist causes, as well as established researchers looking to transition into more impactful work.
A phased approach could help validate the concept while managing risk:
This approach would differ from existing programs like Charity Entrepreneurship (focused on near-term measurable impact) or Y Combinator Nonprofit (emphasizing scalability) by developing specialized methods for evaluating long-term potential. It could combine funding with comprehensive training and mentorship, filling an important niche in the ecosystem of impact-focused programs.
Key challenges would include developing meaningful evaluation metrics despite long feedback loops and maintaining diverse perspectives to avoid groupthink. However, by focusing specifically on longtermist goals, such a program could help promising ideas reach their full potential.
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