15 Venture Capital Internships for High School Students
These experiences can also introduce you to the pace, decision-making, and analytical thinking involved in the world of venture capital. Along the way, you can build confidence, develop professional communication skills, and connect with mentors who can guide your growth. For students who want to learn more about business, finance, and startups, venture capital internships can be a valuable starting point.
If you’re interested in exploring other finance-related internships available to high-school students, check out a list here!
Why should I do a venture capital internship in high school?
Pursuing a venture capital internship in high school immerses you in the mechanics of how groundbreaking ideas are funded, transforming theoretical concepts into real-world analytical skills. Opportunities for students range from structured youth bootcamps and student scout roles to hands-on tasks like conducting market research and reviewing pitch decks alongside senior analysts. The benefits are substantial, offering you the chance to build a professional network, develop financial literacy, and gain early career clarity by interacting directly with founders and investors.
To help you find the right opportunities, we have narrowed down 15 venture capital internships for high school students!
1. 1435 Capital Management – Summer Venture Analyst Internship Program
Location: Hybrid, with required in-person travel to Princeton, NJ (firm office located in Skillman, New Jersey)
Stipend: Paid, amount not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; typically accepts 3–4 individuals yearly
Dates: 10-week internship running June through August
Application Deadline: Rolling basis till April 5
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors or seniors; over the age of 16; US-based and authorized to work in the US without sponsorship
In this program, you join a small firm dedicated to investing in growth-stage startups and late-stage secondaries, working directly inside its investment process. As a Venture Analyst, you conduct research and analysis on potential investment opportunities, including market trends, the competitive landscape, and financial projections, then source new opportunities through industry events and summits, professional networks, and pitches and demo days. You support portfolio monitoring by collecting and analyzing performance data and preparing investment reports for the Investment Committee and fund investors. Across the summer, you research startups, aid in due diligence, test products, meet entrepreneurs, and network with investors. You may also join the student-led Homeroom Fund and its operations during the school year.
2. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies depending on the program type; financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 10–25%; 70–100 students
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Application Deadline: Varies depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November)
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
The Ladder Internship Program offers you a selective, eight-week virtual experience to explore venture capital and finance by working directly with high-growth startups. You will cover essential industry topics, including risk management, investment strategies, portfolio management, and financial analysis. For your core activities, you will analyze actual market data, build actionable financial models, participate in structured training sessions, and present your final project to company leaders. A unique feature is your direct pairing with successful startup founders, such as Y-Combinator alumni, and a dedicated coach for personalized, one-on-one mentorship. Through these real-world challenges, you will successfully develop crucial skills like practical financial evaluation, time management, and professional communication.
3. Venture & Tech Summer Program
Location: Venture & Tech, Cambridge, MA
Cost: $4,750 tuition + $35 application fee; need and merit-based financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; cohort size not specified
Dates: Session I: June 8 – July 17; Session II: July 6 – August 14
Application Deadline: May 24
Eligibility: High school students aged 14 and older
The Venture & Tech Summer Program immerses you in the startup ecosystem by blending an MBA-style curriculum with venture capital exposure. During this online experience, you will explore core topics like innovation management, business strategy, and early-stage investing. You will participate in interactive seminars, attend fireside chats with world-class investors, and analyze complex business case studies. It guarantees you an internship where you build a real-world deliverable from scratch for a venture-backed startup. By collaborating directly with these founders, you develop essential leadership skills, sharp business acumen, and an entrepreneurial mindset. Ultimately, this hands-on approach teaches you how to make the critical product decisions needed to thrive in the venture capital industry.
4. University of Pennsylvania Wharton – Global High School Investment Competition
Location: Virtual and finals at Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; ~7,500+ students globally per year
Dates: September 29 – April 25
Application Deadline: September 12
Eligibility: Current high school students (typically grades 9–12, ages 14–18). Teams must have 4–6 students from the same high school, a designated student leader (at least 16 years old), and an official teacher/educator advisor
The University of Pennsylvania Wharton Global High School Investment Competition offers a team-based, research-driven experience focused on investment strategy and market analysis. You work collaboratively to evaluate financial data, build investment portfolios, and justify decisions through structured reasoning. The program emphasizes analytical thinking, teamwork, and communication as you prepare reports and presentations. You present your strategies in competitive rounds, including a final stage hosted in a formal academic setting. The competition format highlights both independent research and the ability to present ideas clearly under evaluation.
5. University of California, Berkeley Haas – Summer Entrepreneurship Residency
Location: University of California, Berkeley, CA
Cost: In-state: $7,450, and Out-of-state: $7,950 + $100 application fee; limited needs-based scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; 50 high-school students
Dates: HSEN 1 – July 5–18; HSEN 2 – July 19–August 1
Application Deadline: Rolling basis until capacity is met
Eligibility: Academically motivated students in grades 9, 10, 11, or 12
The UC Berkeley Haas Summer Entrepreneurship Residency immerses you in the start-up ecosystem, specifically teaching you how venture capital moves from initial funding sources to fuel new enterprises. Throughout the program, you will dive into foundational business topics including finance, marketing, accounting, game theory, and entrepreneurship. Working collaboratively, you will conduct independent market research, engage in computer lab assignments, build a comprehensive business plan, and formally pitch your venture to an audience. The program's unique features include living residentially on the Berkeley campus and learning directly from Haas professors, PhD candidates, and corporate guest speakers. By the end, you will have developed critical skills such as leadership, financial literacy, teamwork, and persuasive public speaking.
6. Future Founders – "Be Your Own Boss" / Apprenticeship Program
Location: Virtual, with optional in-person events in Chicago, Illinois
Stipend: Paid based on attendance and participation
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; specific cohort size not published
Dates: January 20 – February 12
Application Deadline: Varies by cycle
Eligibility: High school students (ages 14–19); enrolled in public or charter schools in Chicago or nationwide
In this program, you step into the shoes of an early-stage founder by developing a viable business model and preparing for the ultimate venture capital workflow: the pitch. You will work in a team to identify a market problem, design a scalable solution, and build a basic working app prototype to demonstrate your product's viability. To simulate early-stage startup funding dynamics, you learn how to communicate your startup's potential to experienced business leaders. Throughout the internship, you connect with professional entrepreneurs who provide direct mentorship on refining your value proposition. The experience culminates in a virtual showcase where you pitch your app to a panel of judges.
7. Stanford University – Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S.
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; 20 high school students
Dates: Fall, Summer, and Winter cohorts
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors (as well as gap-year students) currently enrolled in the United States or U.S. territories
The Stanford e-Entrepreneurship U.S. program empowers you to tackle global challenges through social entrepreneurship, introducing you to the venture capital ecosystem via real-world insights from Silicon Valley guest speakers. Throughout the course, you will actively engage in live virtual classes, collaborate on structured group projects, and exchange ideas on interactive discussion boards. A truly unique feature of this online program is its focus on human-centered active learning, connecting you free of charge with diverse high schoolers and industry experts from across the nation. By the end of the journey, you will have developed crucial skills in critical thinking, agile problem-solving, and effective cross-cultural communication.
8. Financial Youth Club – Global Finance Program
Location: Virtual
Cost/Stipend: Financial details regarding potential fees or compensation are provided directly to applicants
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size varies by seasonal cycle
Dates: Scheduled according to specific seasonal academic terms
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines corresponding to upcoming cohort cycles
Eligibility: Currently enrolled as a high school student; strong interest in finance and investment; open to international students
In this program, you engage directly with the foundational elements of venture capital and corporate finance. You evaluate early-stage startups and emerging markets by conducting comprehensive industry research and competitive analysis. Through practical workplace responsibilities, you assess potential investment opportunities by examining business models, financial projections, and market viability. You collaborate with peers and mentors to formulate investment theses and prepare professional pitch decks that outline funding recommendations. By analyzing real-world financial scenarios, you develop the critical thinking skills necessary for evaluating risk and return in private equity landscapes. This professional experience immerses you in the day-to-day analytical workflows that define the modern venture capital industry.
9. University of Colorado Boulder – High School New Venture Challenge
Location: University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; 1–5 students and 1 adult Venture Coach
Dates: August 1 – Mid-April
Application Deadline: February 14
Eligibility: High school students enrolled in or homeschooled in Colorado
The CU Boulder High School New Venture Challenge introduces you to the venture capital world by teaching you how to build a startup and pitch it for early-stage funding. Throughout the program, you explore essential business topics like problem identification, customer discovery, product validation, and foundational finance. Working with a venture team, you will actively identify a real-world problem, formulate a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), conduct customer research, and deliver an investment pitch to live judges. A unique feature of this free competition is its focus on local mentorship while you compete for a share of $25,000 in college scholarships. By the end, you will have developed problem-solving, resilience, teamwork, and persuasive communication skills.
10. Invest in Girls (IIG) – Exploring Finance
Location: Online
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not disclosed
Dates: 8-week program
Application Deadline: Varies by upcoming program cycle
Eligibility: High school student who identifies as a girl; completed the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) course or other financial literacy coursework
In this program, you gain professional experience and explore workplace responsibilities across the financial industry, with focused exposure to venture capital. Throughout this 8-week online internship, you connect directly with successful women leading in venture capital, investment banking, corporate finance, and portfolio management. Your professional experience involves participating in expert-led discussions where female executives showcase real-world workplace environments and career pathways. You practice career readiness skills and observe the inner workings of leading investment firms. By engaging in these interactions, you build a professional network and explore how venture capital and finance professionals operate.
11. Suffolk University – Summer Entrepreneurship Program for High School Students
Location: Suffolk University, downtown Boston campus, 73 Tremont Street, Boston, MA
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; ~26 students
Dates: July 7–24
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors (rising juniors considered on a space-available basis); 2.7 GPA or higher; intended for metro-Boston-area students as a non-residential, in-person program with no housing provided
In this program, you learn how entrepreneurs launch ventures and raise capital to bring ideas to market. Working in teams, you develop an original business concept and pitch it to investors at a culminating showcase. You attend lectures on pitching to investors and building crowdfunding campaigns, and hear from guest speakers, including a venture-capital partner who explains how funding decisions are made. Field trips to leading Boston entrepreneurial organizations and sessions with real-world executives deepen your sense of how startups attract backing. You also gain firsthand exposure to college academics and the financial aid process while building practical entrepreneurial skills.
12. YEP KC – Young Entrepreneurs Program
Location: Kansas City metropolitan area
Stipend: $12–14 per hour plus a $2,500 scholarship ($1,250 per session)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; 14–20 students
Dates: Session 1: June 1–26; Session 2: July 6–31
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Students completing junior or senior year of high school; based in the Kansas City metro area
In this program, you join the Midwest's premier entrepreneurial-experience internship, matched to one of roughly 15 hand-picked Kansas City companies suited to your interests, which can include Flyover Capital, the program's venture capital partner. Working 30-hour weeks across one or both summer sessions, you contribute to real operations spanning finance, analytics, product management, sales, and marketing. Every Friday, the full cohort visits a new company to learn how high-growth ventures operate and how entrepreneurs access capital and support structures. You build practical skills in business analysis, professional communication, and decision-making while connecting with local investors and founders. You gain entry to an alumni network that stays connected long after the program ends.
13. Rowan University – Think Like an Entrepreneur Summer Academy
Location: Glassboro, New Jersey
Cost: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; limited space available
Dates: July 6–9
Application Deadline: Mid-to-late May
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors; U.S.
As an intern in this academy, you gain intensive professional experience modeling the workflow of an entrepreneur seeking venture capital. You collaborate with a team to build ventures that address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Throughout the program, your workplace responsibilities include engaging in customer discovery, mapping out the Business Model Canvas, and conducting vital financial analysis. You develop core professional skills by prototyping viable solutions and crafting a compelling narrative for potential funding partners. The internship culminates in a formal pitch presentation where you defend your business model to a panel of industry-leading judges. By completing this rigorous professional experience, you earn three transferable college credits to accelerate your career.
14. Avivar Capital – Internship Program
Location: Remote
Stipend: Paid, amount not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; small intern cohort
Dates: 12-week summer program
Application Deadline: Varies by hiring cycle
Eligibility: Exceptional high school students; focuses on diverse candidates from leading schools
Avivar Capital’s Internship Program immerses you in the venture capital and impact investing ecosystem through a rigorous 12-week experience. You collaborate directly with investment professionals on active client portfolios, gaining exposure to investment structures across various asset classes. Throughout the program, you actively participate in deal sourcing, conduct thorough due diligence on potential investments, and monitor existing portfolio performance. You also develop professional skills by working across diverse departments, including client management, while attending a customized speaker series featuring experts in venture capital and philanthropy. By combining hands-on experiential learning with direct mentorship, the program equips you with practical industry knowledge to build a successful career in mission-driven investing.
15. William & Mary Pre-College Online – Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital: From Idea to Investment
Location: Online
Cost: $1,595; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Flexible online enrollment; cohort sizes vary
Dates: Multiple two-week and four-week sessions available year-round
Application Deadline: One week before the course start date
Eligibility: Ages 13 and up; motivated high school students
As a participant in this online course, you will take on the role of an entrepreneur looking to secure funding from a seed-stage venture capitalist. You will delve into the venture capital ecosystem to understand how startup founders raise external capital and negotiate investment terms. Throughout the program, you will analyze market research, evaluate company valuation techniques, and follow the due diligence process from initial pitch to post-investment support. In your practical coursework, you will identify key components of successful pitches and craft a compelling six-to-eight-minute recorded presentation for a prospective business concept. Your final pitch deck will be reviewed by mentors, giving you a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between venture capital firms and innovative entrepreneurs.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. A lot of these programs are actually entrepreneurship programs rather than direct VC internships. What's the real difference, and does it matter for my goals?
It's a meaningful distinction worth understanding before you apply. True VC-side experiences, like 1435 Capital Management and Avivar Capital, put you on the investor's side of the table, where you evaluate startups, conduct due diligence, and build investment theses, giving you a direct window into how funding decisions actually get made. Entrepreneurship-focused programs, like UC Berkeley Haas, Suffolk University, and Rowan University, put you on the founder's side instead, where you build a venture and pitch for funding, which builds equally valuable but different skills like product development and persuasive storytelling. If your goal is to eventually work in venture capital or private equity, prioritise the investor-side programs; if you're more drawn to building your own company someday, the founder-side programs will serve you just as well, since understanding how to pitch is just as core to the venture capital world as understanding how to evaluate one.
2. Several of these programs are free, while others cost thousands of dollars. Is the paid experience meaningfully better?
Not necessarily, and several of the free options are among the most prestigious on this list. The Wharton Global High School Investment Competition and the CU Boulder New Venture Challenge are both completely free and offer real prestige and scholarship money, with CU Boulder offering a share of $25,000 in college scholarships. Stanford's e-Entrepreneurship program is also free and connects you directly with Silicon Valley guest speakers. The paid programs, like UC Berkeley Haas and Venture & Tech, tend to offer a more immersive, structured residential or near-residential experience with direct access to professors and PhD candidates, which can be worth the cost if that immersive format and the brand name matter to you, but it's not the only path to a genuinely strong VC-adjacent credential.
3. YEP KC mentions working with a real venture capital partner, Flyover Capital. How common is it to actually work directly inside an active VC firm at the high school level?
It's rare, which makes opportunities like YEP KC and 1435 Capital Management particularly valuable if you can access them. Most programs on this list teach you about venture capital through simulation, competition, or curriculum rather than placing you inside an active firm's actual investment process. YEP KC stands out because it can match you directly with Flyover Capital as one of its host companies, giving you real exposure to how a working VC firm operates day-to-day. 1435 Capital Management goes even further, having you contribute directly to due diligence and portfolio monitoring for an active investment firm. If genuine firm-side experience is your priority, these two are the strongest options on this list, though both are also among the more selective and geographically specific.
Key Takeaways
This list covers 15 venture capital and entrepreneurship internships and programs for high school students, ranging from genuine firm-side analyst experience at 1435 Capital Management and Avivar Capital, to founder-focused pitch competitions like the Wharton Global High School Investment Competition and CU Boulder's New Venture Challenge, several of which are completely free and carry meaningful scholarship value. The strongest paid, investor-side experiences are 1435 Capital Management and YEP KC, the latter of which can place you directly with a working venture capital partner, Flyover Capital, while university-run entrepreneurship programs like UC Berkeley Haas and Venture & Tech offer a more immersive, curriculum-heavy introduction to how venture capital fuels new businesses. For students who want a fully remote alternative without a university application or competition format, Ladder Internships is the most flexible option on this list, pairing students directly with startup founders and a dedicated coach on real financial analysis and investment-adjacent work.