Fill in the application form, and be as detailed as you can. The more we understand about who you are, what you'd build, and who you'd build it for, the better we can match you to the right hardware and deliverables.
We'll evaluate your application against a consistent set of criteria (audience fit, technical credibility, project quality, reach, engagement, and so forth) and come back to you either way.
If it's a fit, we'll talk through what we'd send, what you'd produce, and on what timeline. Deliverables get agreed with you before anything ships, nothing dictated. Once we're aligned, we'll put it in a short written agreement, ship the hardware, and leave you to build.
Every applicant needs an account on community.axelera.ai. It's your primary support channel during the build, where you'll share progress and link your finished content, and your community username is part of the application.
If you don't have an account yet, set one up first, then come back here with your username so you can complete the form.
Do I need a big following to apply?
No. A small, engaged audience in the right niche beats a large, loosely relevant one every time. We've built the program specifically so that a 3,000-subscriber channel covering embedded AI can score higher than a 300,000-subscriber general tech channel. Your audience might just be a room full of students, but if those are people passionate about, and involved in, edge AI, that's just as valid. Fit matters more than reach.
Can I write or say critical things about the hardware?
Yes. That's the point. We don't review, approve, or request changes to your content. If the hardware falls short for your use case, say so. We'd rather you publish an honest experience every time, although we obviously ask to hear about problems before publication so we've had a chance to help. That's better for everyone, but we never ask for copy control.
What if I don't get accepted?
We'll tell you why. Not every application is a fit right now and there's a limited amount of hardware available for review requests, but that doesn't mean it won't be later. If we think a reimbursement track or a store discount if a better fit than a full grant, we'll offer that instead. You can also reapply in future with a different project, proposal, or once your platform has grown.
Can I choose which hardware I get?
Tell us what you'd like and why on the form. We'll match hardware to your project. If what you've asked for fits, great. If something else fits better, we'll explain and suggest an alternative. But the better you explain what you're looking to accomplish, the better we can work together to make it happen. Also, we only ship hardware that's available on our store, so we can't source third-party equipment or peripherals.
Who owns the content I produce?
You do. We ask for a licence to share and reference your work on our own channels (with attribution), but the content is yours, the opinions are yours, and the IP always stays with you.
