Four Athens will launch the Startup Internship Program in January 2017 to meet the needs of fast-growing small and medium-sized companies in Athens for new talent to join their growing teams. This new program will connect a cohort of qualified interns interested in a unique hands-on learning experience with participating startups and small businesses.

Students from all Athens area colleges and universities are encouraged to apply. Coordinated by local economic development nonprofit Four Athens, a recruitment effort has begun to identify potential interns to be guided through a 12-week program that will include placement with local early stage companies, access to business leaders for knowledge sharing and mentoring, and structured learning and networking events among participants.

Four Athens is accepting applications until December 15th for interested students to join the first cohort to be part of SIP for the Spring 2017 semester. Athens businesses participating in January include Docebo NA, Rehabmart.com, BookScouter, Vestigo, rentpost, moveBuddha, Borrowing Magnolia, among others.

“Startups in Athens have an amazing available talent pool just steps away from their doors in many cases. Yet for both our local students and companies, lacking a direct connection makes that distance seem difficult to bridge,” explains Four Athens Executive Director Jim Flannery. “We’re looking for students in town who are interested in the startup business model and looking for direct connections to the fast-growing entrepreneurial community in Athens.”

Participating students and companies will convene weekly for a series of skill sharing workshops on topics such as customer discovery, marketing, technology, agile design, and team leadership, as well as a speaker series to highlight the broader context of fostering a strong local entrepreneurial community. This cohort design will uniquely prepare current students for career opportunities through professional development received directly from area entrepreneurs and business leaders.

By the end of the 12-week program, the aim is to have prepared participating students to pursue careers in the unique and thriving Athens startup and small business scene, and to have also increased the capacity of local startups and small businesses to successfully integrate student talent into their company culture.

Interested students should apply to participate in the first SIP cohort launching in January at https://www.fourathens.com/sip.