Startup Internships

Summer Internship Cohorts

Gain experience working for a startup through one of UChicago’s entrepreneurial internship cohorts. Consider programs focused on Startups and VC in San Francisco, Innovation in Illinois, or Business and Startups in the UK! Review program details for application dates.

Full-time l Summer l Multiple Locations (in-person and remote)

Summer Startup Accelerator Internships

Spend the summer working with an early-stage venture founded by members of the UChicago community - including current College students, Booth students, and recent alumni - who have been accepted into the Polsky Center’s Build or Launch Accelerators. Applications open in April.

Full-time l Summer l Chicago (in-person)

Academic Year Startup Internships

UChicago partners with start-ups to offer part-time, academic year internships at early-stage companies. This is an opportunity to spend a quarter working at a start-up and explore innovative businesses, meet passionate entrepreneurs, and make an immediate impact.

Applications for Fall Quarter internships open in August.

Part-time l Academic Year l Chicago (remote or hybrid)

Southside Business Development Internships (SBDI)

SBDI provides an opportunity for College students to gain meaningful experience working on projects with local community businesses. The program pairs Polsky Exchange member businesses with students for quarter-long projects in customer discovery, AI, and web development.

Applications for Winter Quarter open in October.

Applications for Spring Quarter open in February.

Part-time l Academic Year l Chicago (hybrid)

New Venture Challenge Team Opportunities

College students have the opportunity to work with teams competing in the Polsky Center’s New Venture Challenge (NVC), Global New Venture Challenge (GNVC), or the Rustandy Center's Social New Venture Challenge (SNVC). These part-time Spring Quarter experiences allow students to build skills working on projects in market research, business development, finance, marketing, operations, and technology. Applications open in February.

Part-time l Academic Year l Chicago (hybrid)