Michigan’s high-growth startup and venture capital ecosystem continues to grow at a rapid pace but the talent within this community is often disproportionate to the diversity found across the state. In an effort to grow Michigan’s diverse, local talent, Michigan Founders Fund has partnered with startups, colleges, and talent leaders to launch the MFF Internship Program. Our goals are to: 

• Provide an opportunity for underrepresented students in Michigan to gain exposure to high-growth  entrepreneurship and professional experiences that can equip them to pursue careers as startup leaders and founders;
• Allow tech companies the opportunity to develop and strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and to reach new talent across the state.

This year, 130 college students from across the state who are BIPOC, women, gender nonconforming, and/or PELL-eligible have applied to the MFF Internship Program to build their network, learn, and access an internship at Michigan startups and tech companies. Interns are interviewing with our company partners and will start their internships in May. Interns also participate in skill-building workshops, cohort check ins, networking opportunities, and mentorship. Learn more about becoming a mentor here.

Learn about the 2022 program here and the 2021 program here.

MFF startups and tech companies are eager to hire local, diverse talent and are committed to making Michigan the most successful, inclusive, and community-driven startup ecosystem in the country. The following companies are hiring MFF Interns this summer:

New this year, we have included an opportunity for students who are interested in working in tech-related jobs within the nonprofit sector to obtain a similarly paid internship with one of our MFF Community Trailblazer Awardees. This is a separate track of the MFF Internship Program, working with nonprofits that are led by entrepreneurially-minded leaders who are looking for local, diverse talent to build tech solutions within their organizations. Our nonprofit partners are: