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McMaster Startups Internships

The McMaster Startup Internships (MSI) program connects students with real-world entrepreneurial experiences to help kick-start their careers. Established by the McMaster Entrepreneurship Academy with support from the Office of the President and the Marnix E. Heersink School of Biomedical Innovation and Entrepreneurship, MSI operates in collaboration with The Forge Business Incubator and The Clinic Innovation Hub.

MSI offers paid, hands-on internships to undergraduate and graduate students from all faculties and programs. Through these opportunities, students gain valuable experience working with innovative startups and venture capital teams within McMaster’s thriving innovation ecosystem.

Students can apply to two unique streams:

  • Startup Immersion Internship: A full-time, 16-week placement with McMaster-affiliated startups, where students contribute to business operations, marketing, R&D, and more.
  • Investor Analyst Fellowship: A part-time, 10-week program combining investor diligence training with practical experience evaluating startup funding applications and developing diligence reports for investors.

The program equips students with professional skills, expands their networks, and provides leading companies with access to top student talent. With a focus on fields such as clean energy, AI, digital technologies, health, and medicine, MSI empowers students to make a real-world impact.

Join us to accelerate your professional journey and be part of McMaster’s dynamic innovation ecosystem!

McMaster Startup Immersion Internships

Real-world experience, real-world impact.

Program Overview

The McMaster Startup Immersion Internships program will recruit startups to hire students to fill an innovative role within their startup company for a 16-week internship from May to August in 2025.

Program Structure: Full time, 35 hours per week.

Startup Companies

Looking for Bright, Motivated Talent to Grow Your Startup?

Eligibility Criteria: 

  • McMaster-affiliated startup Open to all industry sectors. Affiliation may include: founded by a McMaster student, alumni, staff, faculty; developing products / services from McMaster research; startup supported by McMaster’s entrepreneurship ecosystem
  • Scalable business model
  • Must be incorporated
  • Must have a dedicated full time team member who will be responsible for supervising and mentoring the student throughout the course of the internship
  • Must be willing and able to complete a Business Strategy Internship (BSI) application through MITACS
  • Job must be innovative in nature i.e. Research, Development, Data Analytics, Marketing.

Benefits:

  • McMaster University will cover the majority of the funding to employ the student, however companies must complete a MITACS application.
  • McMaster Supports with hiring such as sample job descriptions, interviewing, accessibility and inclusion, resume screening
  • McMaster Supports with onboarding and managing students

Expandable List

Check back in 2025 for more events.

Thank you for your interest. Startup Applications are now closed. Host Startup Companies will be selected and notified by December 12, 2024

Students

Are you a student who wants to get paid to work for a startup full time this summer? Want to make real-world impact and get real-world experience? Apply to the McMaster Startup Immersion Internships!

Eligibility Criteria: 

Applicants must be a current undergraduate or graduate student at McMaster University. This program is open to:

  • All faculties and programs.
  • Both domestic and international students.
  • Both full time and part time students.

Benefits: 

  • Get real world experience working with a startup
  • Meaningful roles that make an impact
  • Training such as resume building and interview skills.
  • Networking and co-working opportunities through working with the McMaster Entrepreneurship Ecosystem
  • Invitation to the Student Staff Conference in Summer 2025
  • Immersion into the entrepreneurship ecosystem

Expandable List

Check back in 2025 for more events.

  • Apply via OscarPlus to job postings between January 27- February 15, 2025
  • Top applicants will be invited for interviews during February -March 2025.
  • Successful applicants will be chosen in March 2025

Investor Analyst Fellowship

Are you a student who wants to learn about venture capital or startup investment? Want to apply your skills in the real world?
Become an Investor Analyst Fellow and get paid to learn!

Program Overview

Program Duration: January 20 – March 28, 2025.  
 
Program Structure: Part-time. Hybrid with asynchronous online learning and special in-person events. Convenient for students!

This program will recruit interested students to be trained in the fundamentals of venture capital (VC) due diligence processes. The program will run over 10 weeks, mid January to end of March 2025 and include the following:

  1. 6 weeks of content delivery (January 20 – February 28, 2025)
    Online resources such as Front Row Ventures Academy, a national program focused on developing student entrepreneurs and future investors will be accessed to learn aspects of VC deal breakdowns, VC decision process, investment philosophy, value proposition design and risk mitigation. In addition to online content, fellows will be provided with an in-person mentor to review concepts as a group and explore real life examples. There is an expectation of 5-7 hours per week over 6 weeks dedicated to this portion of the program.
  2. 4 weeks of experiential learning (March 3 – 28, 2025)
    Following the course, fellows will generate due diligence reports for companies applying to the McMaster Student Seed Fund program. Students will work in small teams under the supervision of an experienced mentor. There is an expectation of 8-10 hours per week dedicated to this portion of the program.

Students accepted into the fellowship will receive a $1,000 stipend upon program completion.

Benefits:

  • Learn key concepts about VC world and due diligence process
  • Get trained by experienced mentor
  • Apply newfound skills to vet real company funding applications – You help decide who gets $10k
  • Participate in Investor Pitch Days – Network with investors and entrepreneurs
  • Advance your future career with experiential learning
  • Receive $1,000 stipend

Eligibility:

  1. No prior education about VC or startup investment is necessary
  2. No prior experience with due diligence is necessary.
  3. You must be a current undergraduate or graduate student at McMaster University. This program is open to:
    • All faculties and programs.
    • Domestic and international students.
    • Full-time and part-time students

Expandable List

Check back in 2025 for more events.

Application Deadline is January 6, 2025.

In order to apply for this opportunity, you must complete the following two steps:

Step 1 of 2: Apply to the Investor Analyst Fellow position on OSCARplus.

  1. Log into OSCARplus with your Mac ID
  2. From the left-hand menu, select “Student Success Centre”
  3. Select “Volunteer & Experience Building”
  4. Select “Postings“
  5. Search for Job ID: 215349 – Investor Analyst Fellow
  6. At the top of the posting, select “I intend to apply for this position“

Step 2 of 2: Submit the online Application Form.

Top applicants will be invited for virtual interviews during January 13-16, 2025.
Successful applicants will be announced on January 17, 2025 and invited to join the program.

Application Deadline is January 6, 2025.

In order to apply for this opportunity, you must complete the following two steps:

Step 1 of 2: Apply to the Investor Analyst Fellow position on OSCARplus.

  1. Log into OSCARplus with your Mac ID
  2. From the left-hand menu, select “DeGroote School of Business”
  3. Select “Job Postings“
  4. Search for Job ID: 216163 – Investor Analyst Fellow
  5. Upload your resume

Step 2 of 2: Submit the online Application Form.

Top applicants will be invited for virtual interviews during January 13-16, 2025.
Successful applicants will be announced on January 17, 2025 and invited to join the program.

Contact Mariya Leslie, Manager of Student Entrepreneurship at The Forge: mariya@theforge.mcmaster.ca 

 

Book a meeting during Forge Office Hours. Click here for OscarPlus booking instructions.