New Entrepreneurship Internship Offered to SUNY Students this Summer

The 12-week program will allow students the opportunity to gain professional experience at a START-UP NY or Innovate 518 company in the Albany area.

This program is open to students enrolled at any SUNY institution who have a 2.0 GPA or higher.

ALBANY, N.Y. (Feb. 13, 2018) – The SUNY Program for Experiential and Entrepreneurship Development (SPEED) is offering a summer internship-based program in 2018 that will provide students the opportunity to gain professional experience at a START-UP NY or Innovate 518 company in the Albany, NY-area.

According to Debra Gelinas, assistant vice provost for experiential education at the University at Albany, the internship is ideal for students wishing to explore entrepreneurship or to experience what it is like to work for a startup.

“Internships are a great way for students to apply classroom knowledge in a professional environment, test out possible career paths, develop new skills and network,” said Gelinas, who also serves as the director of the Center for Experiential Education.

This program is open to students enrolled at any SUNY institution who have a 2.0 GPA or higher. The internship will require a minimum of 150 on-site internship hours over a period of 12 weeks, from late May through mid-August. Non-UAlbany students will have the ability to transfer credits to their home institution.

Both START-UP NY and Innovate 518 are programs administered by the Empire State Development, and are aimed at assisting early- to growth-stage companies with a technology or innovation focus to grow and prosper in New York State, according to Matt Grattan, director of community and economic development at UAlbany.

“UAlbany is excited to pilot this innovative applied learning concept with our industry partners in StartUP NY and Innovate 518,” he said. “By enabling students from UAlbany and throughout the SUNY system to experience the fast paced business development lifecycle of a startup company while learning additional entrepreneurship and leadership skills, we feel we have developed a unique and scalable internship model that leverages the full power of the SUNY system.”

Grattan said other University partners include the Center for Leadership and Service and the Blackstone LaunchPad, both of which will provide entrepreneurial guidance throughout the program.

Potential Host Companies:
• g.tec neurotechology USA Inc.
• XchangeWorx, Inc.
• SparkShoppe, LTD.
• Nowigence Inc.
• PiSA Biopharm Inc.
• TruWeather Solutions LLC
• Branch VFX
• Treebu
• Lexikeet Learning, LLC
• Sologistics, LLC
• Ecolong
• National Toxicology Center
• Thinkboard
• Lithoz America, LLC
• ThermoAura, Inc.
*This is a tentative list. Companies are still identifying the types and number of openings to be available. Not all companies may have openings.

Gelinas said 10 students will be selected for the program’s first summer.

“The companies will have access to a pipeline of the state’s most talented students, helping to develop our regional economy while allowing students the opportunity for hands-on experience at a growing company,” she said.

The application deadline is Feb. 28. To apply: https://www.albany.edu/experientiallearning/84071.php

Tuition scholarships will be available to qualifying UAlbany students. For more information, contact the Center for Experiential Education at [email protected].

The mission of Innovate 518 is to drive commercialization within the New York State Capital Region by leading the development of a supportive innovation infrastructure and connecting entrepreneurs to the startup ecosystem. Innovate 518 is a partnership among the University at Albany, NYSTEC/IgniteU NY, SUNY Adirondack and the Center for Economic Growth, and is designated as a New York State Innovation Hot Spot by NYSTAR.

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