Hun School of Princeton seniors John Marbach and David Merfield have been awarded the Thiel Fellowship from the 20 Under 20 Program, which awards 20 young innovators a $100,000 grant to fund a revolutionary technology idea.
John and David are two of the youngest recipients of the Thiel Fellowship, launched this September by PayPal founder Peter Thiel.
Mr. Thiel seeks to accelerate technological breakthroughs, to avoid what he sees as a coming technological deficit.
More than 400 people from all over the world applied for the fellowship and many are currently enrolled in the nation’s most prestigious universities. John and David competed with students from MIT, Stanford, and Yale.
Although they applied for the fellowship jointly, they have won independently and will pursue similar but separate projects. John and David’s winning ideas promise to profoundly change high school education. They hope to offer educators various online platforms to enhance the classroom experience.
”I plan to launch a site that has huge potential and will answer a pressing need in education” said David.
John and David seek to provide video and interactive resources for high school students. Similar software platforms such as iTunes U and Open Courseware exist, but the content is focused on a collegiate audience. The students are adamant their sites will be free and easy to use, with low barriers for entry.
”I hope to mechanize the course material that teachers have to give repeatedly, so it frees up classroom time for discussion and individual attention,” said David. Known for his creativity and analytical thinking, David is lined up to work with a highly sought after programmer, Nick Cammarata, of Boston. Nick, also a Thiel Fellow, met David online through technology sites and circles the two frequent.
”Hun helped us win this fellowship because it showed us the importance of individual attention in the classroom,” said John. Recognized for his strong entrepreneurial skills, John has already begun seeking investors in the New York area and networking with Hun School alumnus Andy Monfried, president of Lotame.
David, one of five Hun School students admitted to Princeton University this year, will defer his enrollment. He plans to move to the Bay Area this July to take advantage of all of the resources the Thiel Fellowship offers. John will matriculate at Wake Forest University this fall. Though he will continue developing his ideas, he plans to begin his fellowship in December.

