CommandBar AI Innovators Undergraduate Scholarship

At CommandBar, we have always believed in the power of education and its role in shaping the future.

Our company traces its roots to the halls of an undergraduate computer science program, where our founders met. The seed for their first product (a computer science education tool codePost) came from a group project for a computer science course.

Today, our mission is to make the internet more efficient, user-friendly, and enjoyable, with a particular focus on harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance user experience. We know AI has the to change the way we engage with technology -- from user onboarding, to universal search, to self-service -- and everything else in the world.

In line with our commitment to education and innovation, we're thrilled to announce the AI Innovators Undergraduate Scholarship for undergraduate students pursuing studies in the field of AI. We hope to encourage students to explore, innovate, and contribute to the field of AI.

$2000

2 winners, $1000 each

Timeline

Deadline to apply: December 15, 2023
Winners announced: January 14, 2024

Eligibility

Any student pursuing undergraduate studies
related to Al, e.g. computer science

Selection Criteria

Academic achievements
Al project or research
Strength of personal statement

Apply for Scholarship

Our founders' journey

James (left), Richard (2nd from left), Vinay (right) taking home 1st place at a startup competition in college

2016

In 2015, James, Richard, and Vinay built an online grading platform (codePost) that was designed for computer science programs. Initially, it was only created as their group project for a class. But they kept on enhancing it, and ended up winning a startup competition in 2016, as pictured above.

In 2019, while building a search interface for codePost, they realized it had the potential to become a ubiquitous user experience for web apps.

In 2020, they explored the idea in earnest. They developed an MVP, applied to YCombinator, and got accepted. In May 2020, CommandBar was born!

The most recent CommandBar offsite, in Asheville

2022

From May 2020 to now, so much has happened at CommandBar.
- Incredible people have joined the team, across all functions
- Some of the most impressive software companies have partnered with CommandBar to improve their user experience
- The product has expanded from a basic searchbar to (a) a flexible, powerful "magic search" widget; (b) a help content + AI chat interface; (c) user engagement and education tools, like surveys, onboarding checklists, and nudges
- The team has raised ~$25M from the likes of Thrive Capital and Insight Venture Partners to continue growing and serving customers

Application requirements

The AI Innovators Undergraduate Scholarship is committed to promoting diversity and inclusivity in the AI field. We strongly encourage applications from students of all backgrounds and identities.

Apply for scholarship

Personal statement

500 words maximum. A personal statement discussing the applicant's interest in AI, past experiences (academic or otherwise) with AI, and post-graduation aspirations.

Project description

500 words maximum. A description of an AI-related project or research the applicant has worked on, including the problem tackled, the AI technologies used, the process, the outcome, and the impact of the project.

A current academic transcript