SUMMARY
The Venture Intern Program matches talented undergraduate students from the University of Arkansas with startups, entrepreneurship support organizations, and investor networks for semester-long internships and provides training to help them to succeed in ambiguous, fast-paced environments.
The Venture Internship Program has three goals:
- Provide students with exposure to the workings of early-stage companies and the decision-making/negotiations inherent to startup environments,
- Develop the entrepreneurial student community at the University of Arkansas and throughout the region, and
- Allow startups and entrepreneurship support organizations to recruit talented student interns with as little administrative burden as possible.
We are committed to building and supporting a diverse and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem in Northwest Arkansas, across the state and around the world. Students and supervisors participating in the Venture Internship Program are expected to share this goal, to actively work toward it, and to engage in dialogue about diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of this program.
Applications for the 2024 Fall semester are now open.
STUDENTS
Program Expectations
- Must be able to work at least 15 hours per week for 12 weeks
- Must attend a program orientation
- Must actively engage on social media about your experience #VIPintern
- Must participate in the following during the semester:
- Trainings & workshops
- Check-in sessions with other members of the cohort
- A closing event
- Compensation will be $15 per hour for 15 hours per week (on average).
Eligibility Requirements for Students:
To be eligible for this program, students must:
- be a currently enrolled junior or senior at the University of Arkansas
- have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (Applicants who do not meet this GPA threshold but who have otherwise exceptional qualifications may be considered.)
- be willing and eligible to enroll in a minimum of one credit hour of co-op credit in their respective colleges
Applications will be considered only during an active application period for the Venture Intern Program. Applications will generally open in early to mid-September for the spring semester and in May for the fall semester. Students who have participated in a prior semester are eligible to apply again.
PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
Partner organizations eligible to hire an intern include scalable ventures (non-profit or for-profit) younger than five years old, entrepreneurship support organizations providing services to such ventures, regional accelerator programs, and investor networks.
For the purposes of this program, "scalable" is defined as a for-profit or non-profit venture that is able to maintain or improve its efficiency and/or profitability as sales and volume grows. For example, a freelance writer is not a scalable venture, but a marketing company with the ability to efficiently add staff/sub-contractors to handle larger contracts might be. A food truck is not scalable (because it can only produce so much food per day), but a brand/strategy for growing a multi-truck food business might be.
These organizations should be willing to provide meaningful experiences to students that enhance their understanding of what it is like to work in a startup or other entrepreneurial environment. In addition to traditional, project-based work, students should have exposure to board-level discussions, fundraising and finance processes, strategic decision-making, and/or access to founders.
Organizations that hosted a Venture Intern in a prior semester are eligible to apply again.
If you have questions, please email Jason Riley, Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Venture Intern Program Manager, at jmr045@uark.edu.
Our Spring 2024 Venture Interns