Bending Spoons launches €1.5m tech fellowship in Europe

Bending Spoons has launched a new scholarship scheme for computer science students across Europe, with funding of up to €1.5 million. The Bending Spoons Fellowship is open to students at universities in the UK.

The programme will award ten scholarships worth €50,000 per year, renewable for up to three years. It targets high-achieving university students studying computer science and related fields.

Recipients will also receive one-to-one mentorship and can opt into a paid summer internship at Bending Spoons.

"We think exceptional talent deserves exceptional opportunities," said Costanza Mazzei, Talent Manager at Bending Spoons. "With the Bending Spoons Fellowship, we aim to give Europe's most driven students the freedom, resources, and guidance to reach the highest levels of excellence."

Selection model

The official announcement remains relatively high-level regarding specific eligibility requirements, primarily emphasizing a commitment to identifying and supporting exceptionally high-achieving students. Rather than a rigid checklist, the program positions the fellowship as a prestigious, pan-European initiative designed to bridge the gap between academic excellence and industry application. While the core focus is centered on computer science, the fellowship's reach extends into a variety of adjacent technical disciplines, ensuring a multidisciplinary approach to innovation. Notably, the United Kingdom is featured as a key participant within this framework, sitting alongside other major European markets to foster a collaborative, cross-border research environment.

Prospective candidates should note that the formal application window is scheduled to open on February 10, 2026. Following a rigorous review process by the selection committee, scholarship recipients will be personally notified of their success in June 2026, ahead of the upcoming academic cycle.

Broader push

Bending Spoons describes the fellowship as the latest addition to its work with early-career technical talent. It already runs international tech retreats and scholarship programmes, including initiatives aimed at expanding access for underrepresented groups in technical fields.

The fellowship enters a competitive landscape for student funding, with many technology companies and industry groups offering scholarships, internships, and mentoring schemes-often positioned as routes into graduate recruitment pipelines. This programme combines direct financial awards with mentorship and an optional internship.

Company portfolio

Bending Spoons is known for acquiring and operating established digital products and services. Its portfolio includes AOL, Brightcove, Evernote, komoot, Meetup, Remini, StreamYard, Vimeo, and WeTransfer.

The company says its products have served more than a billion people, with around 400 million monthly active users and 10 million paying customers. It also says most Fortune 500 enterprises are customers.

Operating approach

After acquisitions, Bending Spoons says it typically overhauls technology and redesigns user interfaces. It also points to changes in feature release schedules, marketing and monetisation, and organisational design. The company says it has never sold an acquired business.

It also disclosed recruitment figures suggesting high demand for its roles, reporting close to 800,000 job applications in 2025 and a 0.04% job offer rate.

The fellowship adds a formal scholarship track alongside these hiring efforts, pairing funding with mentorship and an optional paid internship. Recipients will be notified in June 2026.