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Programs & Funds
  1. Programs & Funds
  2. Internships

Internships

Entrepreneur Internships University of Michigan Ross Zell Lurie InstituteThe internship program at the Zell Lurie Institute helps startup companies and venture capital firms hire University of Michigan students for a 12-week hands-on work experience. This program gives students the opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial skills by accelerating the advancement of the host company.

Student-initiated internships grant funding to students who have found their own internships. Self-hosted internships provide funding for student entrepreneurs to work on their own business full-time over the summer.

Host companies benefit from the knowledge and expertise of a U-M student. Interns are an excellent resource for leading essential projects for a startup company to reach the next stage in their business development. Within a venture capital firm, student interns add immediate value by performing due diligence and researching investment strategies in new markets.

Are you a startup company or venture capital firm interested in hosting a U-M intern? Learn more about the ZLI Internship Program by emailing zliinternships@umich.edu. 

Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Internship Postings 
Sophomores and Juniors and MBA1s interested in an internship with a venture capital firm or startup company, review the ZLI Internship postings by visiting the U-M Canvas site. Please check Canvas periodically as new startup and venture capital opportunities become available.

2022 Host Companies  

Summer 2022 internships are still open, and students may apply to intern with the following companies:

Shoptelligence
NovoPath
Ocuphire
– and more! 

ZLI Internship Program Founders and Sponsors

The internship program through the Zell Lurie Institute is generously supported by the following individuals and foundations: 

Marcel Gani
Supporting the belief that students can learn to be successful entrepreneurs through hands on experience with new venture companies, Marcel Gani's gift is used expressly for student internships. The Marcel Gani Internship Program finances students to spend their summer gaining outstanding hands-on experience with start-up companies and venture capital firms. Marcel Gani received an MBA (1978) from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and serves as an Advisory Board member to the Institute.

Robert & Judith Hooker
Liu Family & Bistrong Family
Applebaum Family Dare to Dream Internship Fund
Jeff & Cheryl Weedman
Brian & Jennifer Hermelin
Millard H. Pryor

Internship requirements and application process

Traditional Internships

Traditional Internships are internship opportunities arranged by the Institute with a host company to provide Ross students with an opportunity to receive hands-on entrepreneurial experience.

The recommended compensation is $1,200 per week for an MBA and $900 per week for a BBA for 12 weeks, but this will vary from host to host. Students must be a first-year MBA or equivalent for evening and dual degree students, or a Sophmore or Junior BBA and must be currently enrolled at the Ross School of Business. International students are responsible for ensuring that their visas meet eligibility requirements for work.

Student Application Process

  • Review current postings: Entrepreneurial Venture Listings + Venture Capital Listings 
  • Submit your application to any internship through Canvas. Applications will be forwarded to companies for review.
  • Companies will contact students directly to request an interview. Not all applicants will receive an interview. 

Deliverables

  • Internship Plan: During the second week of the internship, the intern will write an internship plan that describes what the job focus will be for the summer and what value will be gained from the internship. It should clearly detail the student's individual goals for the summer and the goals of the host company. 
  • Thank You Letter: Each intern is assigned to a specific Institute donor who provided funding for the internship program. In the middle of the summer, the intern will write a thank you letter to the designated supporter. 
  • Exit Survey: A week after the internship ends, ZLI will send each student intern a survey about how the internship went this summer. We're interested in both learning how students spend their summers and getting feedback on internships and experience with the program.

For further information, contact zliinternships@umich.edu. 

Student Initiated Internships

Student-initiated internships support Ross students that are recruiting their own internship host and shaping the internship efforts with startup companies or venture capital firms. Students can find opportunities by joining relevant mailing lists, reading entrepreneurial blogs, engaging local entrepreneurial groups, and reviewing investments from venture capital firms. When contacting companies that sound promising, students should emphasize their unique skills and talents and suggest how an internship would be in the company's best interest. ZLI will provide a salary match of up to 50% of the intern’s salary (maximum of $7,200 for MBAs and $5,400 for BBAs) for a 12-week internship. Visit the ZLI Internships Canvas site for necessary application documents. Graduate students must be a first-year MBA or equivalent for evening and dual degree students, undergraduate students must be a Sophomore or Junior BBA.

Requirements for an Internship

Eligible host companies must be in the early growth phase of business development, preferably with less than 50 employees and secure financial backing through outside funding or internally generated cash flow. A venture capital firm that invests in early stage companies may also serve as a host company, though students should perform work for the firm itself and not for the portfolio company.

The focus of the 12-week internship should be based on the host company's goals and identify how the student will help the company achieve those goals. The work performed by the intern should give the student a significant opportunity to contribute to the success of the host company while developing her/his entrepreneurial skill set. Internships with venture capital firms should provide the student with an investor's perspective of entrepreneurship.

Student Application Process

  • Complete the interest form
  • Write a two-page statement that identifies the scope of the work to be performed, the effect the intern will have on the company, and the expected outcomes for the host company and the student.
  • Obtain an offer letter from the host company using ZLI’s offer letter template.
  • Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis but those received by early March will have a much higher likelihood of being funded. 

Deliverables

  • Internship Plan: During the second week of the internship, the intern will write an internship plan that describes what the job focus will be for the summer and what value will be gained from the internship. It should clearly detail the student's individual goals for the summer and the goals of the host company. 
  • Thank You Letter: Each intern is assigned to a specific Institute donor who provided funding for the internship program. In the middle of the summer, the intern will write a thank you letter to the designated supporter. 
  • Exit Survey: A week after the internship ends, ZLI will send each student intern a survey about how the internship went this summer. We're interested in both learning how students spend their summers and getting feedback on internships and experience with the program.

For further information, contact zliinternships@umich.edu.  

Self Hosted Internships

A limited number of Self-Hosted Internship opportunities allow Ross students to spend the summer executing their own business plans. Student founders are encouraged to apply for this opportunity if they have a complete business plan and have not received outside equity financing. Participants in the Michigan Business Challenge and the Dare to Dream Grant Program are permitted and encouraged to apply; however, students may apply regardless of their involvement with these programs. Graduate students who apply for a Self-Hosted Internship must be a first-year MBA or equivalent for evening and dual degree students; undergraduate students a Sophomore or Junior BBA and must be in good academic standing at the Ross School of Business.

Students who apply for a Self-Hosted Internship must be enrolled at the Ross School of Business and must be in good academic standing. Compensation is limited to $7,200 for one individual, though the entire team is encouraged to help develop the business during the summer. The student may not work for another employer for the duration of the summer. Students must plan to launch in the Ann Arbor-area to be granted a Self-Hosted Internship so that proper guidance and counseling can be provided.

Student Application Process

  • Meet with a ZLI entrepreneur-in-residence or staff member to determine preparedness for a self-hosted application.
  • Complete an internship application and attach a one-page resume. (Application is available in January) 
  • Submit either a short business plan or pitch deck that presents the problem, your solution, the business model, what you've done so far, your next steps, and the team. 
  • Create a one-page summary of the goals of the internship.
  • Applications must be received by March 16, 2020. After the deadline, ZLI will connect with students on whether the application has been approved for self-hosted funding. Only complete applications submitted to ZLI will be selected for review. 

Deliverables

  • Weekly meeting: Interns will meet with an assigned staff mentor at the Zell Lurie Institute to discuss the progress and roadblocks of launching their business.
  • Thank You Letter: Each intern is assigned to a specific Institute donor who provided funding for the internship program. In the middle of the summer, the intern will write a thank you letter to the designated supporter. 
  • Exit Survey: A week after the internship ends, ZLI will send each student intern a survey about how the internship went this summer. We're interested in both learning how students spend their summers and getting feedback on internships and experience with the program.

For further information, contact zliinternships@umich.edu. 

Host An Intern

Are you a startup or venture capital firm interested in hosting a Michigan Ross BBA or MBA intern? Applications for startups and venture capital firms to host an intern through the 2021 ZLI Internship program are available below.

 

Startups

A startup company should create a 12-week internship that is based on the company's development goals and the projects that a student could work on to achieve those goals. Ideally, the student works directly with the entrepreneur or other senior decision-makers within the host company and attends key company events such as board meetings, venture capital presentations, strategy sessions, etc.

Learn more about the ZLI Internship Program by emailing zliinternships@umich.edu. 

Venture Capital Firms

A venture capital firm should create a 12-week internship that provides the student with an investor's perspective of entrepreneurship. This includes assisting portfolio companies by company valuation analysis and exits, participating in due diligence on new investments, targeting next-round funders, and market research.

Learn more about the ZLI Internship Program by emailing zliinternships@umich.edu. 

Requirements

Eligible entrepreneurial companies should be in the early growth phase of business development, preferably with less than 50 employees and secure financial backing through outside funding or internally generated cash flow. A venture capital firm that invests in early stage companies may also serve as a host company, though students should perform work for the firm itself and not for the portfolio company.

The only prohibition from the ZLI Internship Program is against sales or cold-calling. Students should receive a first-hand account of business development during the summer.

Fill out the internship form for a start-up company or a venture capital firm provided above.

The first part of these forms asks questions about the company's financial situation and entrepreneurial history to ensure that the company is a good partner with the ZLI Internship Program.

The second part of the form will be uploaded to the job database for students to review. Instead of asking for the specific job duties that students will work on, the form focuses on the near-term goals of the host company and the general work that should be performed to achieve those goals. In this manner, students will have an idea of the kinds of projects they will be responsible for but host companies are not pressured to anticipate the details of them months in advance.

Internship forms should be submitted to zliinternships@umich.edu as soon as possible in order to be among the first set of companies to garner student interest. Companies can continue submitting applications until our funding cap is met. 

After submitting the interest form, and after approval, the Zell Lurie Institute will provide full access to the spring student resume book when it becomes available. Companies may search this book and identify prospective interns.

Companies may hire any eligible business student they like without waiting for approval. Specific company-intern pairings will be funded only once, i.e. no repeat funding in subsequent years for the same students. Start and end dates are set by the company and the intern depending on the best schedule for each.

After a student is hired, the Institute provides a 50% reimbursement (maximum of $7,200 for MBAs and $5,400 for BBAs for the entire summer) to the student directly to defray the cost of hiring an intern; the salary reimbursement will not be provided for days that the student works during the academic year. The recommended total weekly salary for an MBA intern is $1,200 and for a BBA intern is $900 though students and host companies may negotiate the appropriate compensation.

Companies entering the process will receive more detailed information and guidance on interviewing, hiring, required documentation, deadlines, etc.

For further information, contact zliinternships@umich.edu.

 

 

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