Internships
The 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 entrepreneurial skills while accelerating the advancement of the host company or their own venture.
There are three ways University of Michigan students can pursue an internship:
Company-Driven:
Host company sourced by the Zell Lurie Institute
External host companies from across the country connect with the Zell Lurie Institute to provide internship opportunities to U-M students.
Student-Driven:
Host company sourced by the student
Students take the initiative to recruit a host and shape the internship opportunity with a startup company or venture capital firm.
Self-Hosted:
Host company is the student startup
A limited number of internship opportunities are available for students to spend the summer executing their own business plans.
Venture Capital and Entrepreneurial Internship Postings
Sophomores, Juniors, and returning graduate students interested in an internship with a venture capital firm or startup company may review the internship postings on the Zell Lurie website. Please check back to find out more about the application process and informational session.
Previous Participating Host Companies
- Augment Ventures
- Big Happy Inc.
- Climate Vine
- Detroit Venture Partners
- Endeavor
- Genomenon – and more!
Postings for the 2025 internship program will be made available in January. Please check back for more details.
We will have virtual office hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays throughout the winter term to answer any questions about the internship process. Our team will be available on the following dates:
| Tuesdays | Thursdays |
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Note: We can answer limited questions regarding internship eligibility, but for student-driven internships, we ask that you complete the application for our team to determine whether the internship meets program requirements. You can also refer to the FAQ document for more information on internship eligibility requirements.
Are you a startup company or venture capital firm interested in hosting a U-M intern?
Learn more about the Zell Lurie Internship Program by emailing [email protected].
Internship Requirements and Application Process
Application forms for 2025 will go live in January. Sign up here to be added to the email list.
Company-Driven 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 $1,600 per week for an MBA and $1,000 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 Sophomore or Junior BBA and must be currently enrolled at the Ross School of Business. International students are responsible for ensuring that their visas meet the eligibility requirements for work.
Student Application Process
- Applications for company-driven internships will go live mid-Jan. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through April 14th.
- Submit your application to the internship. Applications will be forwarded to companies for review.
- Companies will contact students directly to request an interview. Not all U-M 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, Zell Lurie 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 [email protected].
Student-Driven internships support 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. The Zell Lurie Institute will provide a salary match of up to 50% of the intern’s salary for a 12-week internship ($9,600 for graduate students and $6,000 for undergrad students). Visit the ZLI Internships Canvas site for the necessary application documents. Graduate students must be first-year or equivalent for evening and dual degree students, undergraduate students must be a Sophomore or Junior.
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
- The application will be available mid-Jan and accepted until April 14
- Obtain an offer letter from the host company using Zell Lurie’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 [email protected].
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 $10,000 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
- The application will be made available mid-January including a resume and 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 9th at 11:59 PM. 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 [email protected].
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
Host an Intern
Are you a startup or venture capital firm interested in hosting a Michigan Ross BBA or MBA intern?
Host an Intern Application Process
Fill out the internship form for a startup 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 Zell Lurie 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 [email protected] 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.
Hiring and Reimbursement
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% salary match (maximum of $9,600 for grad students, $6,000 for undergrad students for the entire summer) to the student directly to defray the cost of hiring an intern; the salary match will not be provided for days that the student works during the academic year. The recommended total weekly salary for an MBA intern is $1,600 and for a BBA intern is $1000 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.
Learn More
For further information, contact [email protected].