Work with the world’s best start-ups

A world-class internship program for ambitious high school students

Founded by Harvard entrepreneurs, Ladder Internships helps students work with top startups to build
real-world projects.

Our Impact

6200+

Applications

1200

Interns selected

50+

Host
Companies

$204,000+

In financial aid

Hear from some of our interns!

  • A young woman with shoulder-length dark hair, smiling, wearing a white collared shirt, standing against a textured gray background.

    Lan Nguyen

    Interned at Vietcetera

    “The program catalyzed both my intellectual and personal growth. If you are looking for a challenging and rewarding internship that matches your interests and skills, don’t hesitate to apply!”

    Project: Creating machine learning models to boost the company’s subscriber base.

  • A young man with curly hair smiling, standing on a marble platform near the Washington Monument with the Reflecting Pool in the background, in Washington D.C.

    Khalid Hajj

    Interned at Billion Dollar Startup Ideas

    ”This was my first real working experience, and I took away a lot of value from it. I also valued my direct interaction with Michael, the founder of my host company, who I found inspiring.”

    Project: Building a business plan for a subscription-based AI start-up idea generator.

  • Close-up of a young woman with long dark hair, smiling softly, outdoors near water and rocks.

    Sriya Bandyopadhyay

    Interned at Divercity.io

    “Ladder was essential in creating the foundation of the relationship between me and my the host company, Divercity.io. Each task was tailored to fit my interests and strengths while also pushing me to learn new things.”

    Project:     Creating a go-to-market strategy for a personal finance app.



  • A young woman with acne smiling indoors with a staircase, a chandelier, and white decorative vases with flowers in the background.

    Hannah Bang

    Interned at Certintell Telehealth

    “Through my host company’s mentoring and being allowed to work independently, I gained work experience that I normally wouldn't be able to receive until after college!”

    Project:     Coding SMS & email processing systems connected to medical devices, enabling broader testing.

  • A close-up selfie of a young man with long, wavy blond hair, blue eyes, and a short beard. He is wearing a black hoodie with bright green accents and a red shirt underneath, outdoors against a cloudy sky.

    Christopher Tilley

    Interned at Certinell Telehealth

    “This program allowed me to get to know myself, my workflow, and how to work with and around other people. Ladder is a great experience!”

    Project:     Creating strategy documents for a new patient monitoring system.

  • Young man with glasses smiling on a beach with blue ocean and sky in the background.

    Mohamed Dahman

    Interned at Delicate Destructions
    Regeneron ISEF 2025 Global Finalist


    “The internship was a great opportunity that allowed me to apply my experience in machine learning and AI within a startup environment. It developed both personal growth and a deeper understanding of technology, business, and entrepreneurship.”


    Project: Developing an AI-driven pricing model for air purifiers and optimizing supply chain pricing strategies.

  • A young woman with long, wavy brown hair and a bright smile, wearing a black off-the-shoulder top and a necklace with a green pendant, against a blue and gray blurred background.

    Evelyn Hu

    Interned at FinanceGPT Labs

    University of Chicago, Class of 2029

    “Ladder did a great job of matching me with a company that I loved working for and was a good fit for my interests.”

    Project: Creating the User Interface for a wealth management platform.

  • A young man with short dark hair, glasses, and a bright smile stands outdoors in front of a light-colored building with multiple windows, wearing a navy blue sweater, white shirt, dark coat, black pants, and a watch, with cars and a tree in the background.

    Armin Šumanský

    Interned at FinanceGPT Labs

    University of Cambridge, Class of 2028

    “In my college apps, I wrote about the experience I gained during my internship with FinanceGPT Labs (via Ladder) and how it transformed me as a person.”

    Project: Building an AI model to predict financial fluctuations in underreported economies.

  • Young woman smiling in front of a vintage carousel with painted horses at an amusement park.

    Joceyln Chean

    Interned at Personal Remedies

    University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, Class of 2029

    “The project I was assigned to is what I desired, where I get to apply my own skills while it is challenging enough for me to learn new knowledge.”

    Project: Preparing a research report on nutrient-disease interactions.

  • Young woman sitting on a curved outdoor wall, wearing a black top, denim shorts, and black sneakers with white laces, smiling at the camera with cars and trees in the background.

    Sunita Das

    Interned at cemaphoro

    New York University, Class of 2029

    “Although I had many business-related extracurriculars, I wanted to highlight Ladder [in my college apps] since it offered me real-world experience, especially in my field of interest, which is Finance.”

    Project: Analyzing the benefits and challenges of integrating Web 3.0 technology.

  • Young woman with long dark hair wearing a shiny pink dress, standing indoors next to a window with greenery outside.

    Jiayi Wang

    Interned at Oceanbags

    University of Virginia, Class of 2029

    “In my college apps, I spoke about what I learned through my Ladder Internship and how it shaped me.”

    Project: Creating a marketing strategy for eco-friendly bags.

Our Hosts & Your Managers

  • Close-up portrait of an African American woman with long black hair, smiling, wearing a maroon top, against a plain background.

    Dr. Samantha Scott

    Founder & CEO,
    JuneBrain
    Stanford, USC & NIH alum

  • A young man with blond hair and blue eyes smiling indoors, wearing a light blue collared shirt and a blue jacket.

    Luke Heine

    Founder & CEO,
    Fair Opportunity Project
    Harvard, YCombinator & Microsoft alum

  • A smiling young man with glasses and short curly hair, wearing a light gray T-shirt, standing outdoors with green plants in the background.

    Michael Bervell

    Founder & CEO,
    Billion Dollar Startup Ideas
    Harvard Business School & Microsoft alum

  • A smiling woman standing with her arms crossed in front of a decorated Christmas tree during the holiday season.

    Hanh Ha

    Co-founder & CEO, Softenmind
    University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee alum

  • A smiling man in a dark blazer and a dark shirt standing inside a modern office building.

    Kevin Junker

    Founder & CEO,
    Fintech Launch (Stealth Mode)
    Cambridge University, Google & Mckinsey alum

  • A man with short dark hair, glasses, and a serious expression, wearing a suit and tie, standing in front of a circular structure with an

    Min Lee

    Founder, CEO & President,
    IPMD
    UC Berkeley alum

Meet a few of our Host Companies

  • A stylized illustration of a brain with interconnected lines and dots, above the text 'JuneBrain'.

    JuneBrain

    Industry: Healthcare, Tech

    JuneBrain is focused on improving remote monitoring in ophthalmology & neurology with a patented wearable eye-scanning device and SaaS platform.

    Know More
  • Cloud icon with the letters 'sm' inside it.

    Softenmind

    Industry: Mental Health, Tech

    Funded by glocal VC, Antler, SoftenMind aims to bring affordable and professional mental health services to Vietnamese people through using proprietary digital and AI tools.

    Know More
  • IPMD logo with white text and abstract graphic on a dark blue background.

    IPMD

    Industry: Healthcare, Tech

    IPMD is on a mission to revolutionize patient experiences using AI solutions, and has been a part of many prestigious start-up programs including those by GCP, Nvidia, AWS and IBM.

    Know More
  • Logo with a colorful hot air balloon and the text 'fair opportunity project' underneath.

    Fair Opportunity Project

    Industry: Tech, Non-profit

    Recognized in Forbes, NYT, and the Harvard Education Review, Fair Opportunity Project sends free college application advice to 63,000 public educators and provides free 1:1 mentorship to hundreds of students.

    Know More
  • Silhouette of a unicorn's head

    Billion Dollar Startup Ideas

    Industry: Tech, Media

    Billion Dollar Startup Ideas is one of the world’s largest generators and aggregators of unicorn-level start-up ideas, with a reach of over 850,000 people.

    Know More

Our Companies & Your Managers

Funded by

Harvard Innovation Labs logo with red square and white text 'Hi', next to black text 'Harvard innovation labs'.
Logo of Bessemer Venture Partners with stylized blue lines

Studied at

Harvard University logo with a red shield featuring three open books with the word 'VERITAS' on each, and the text 'Harvard University' beside it.
Logo of Stanford University featuring a maroon and white emblem with a green pine tree
Harvard Business School logo with shield and the word 'VERITAS' at the top, next to the text 'HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL'.
Logo of Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, featuring a shield with open books, a serpent, and a chevron with three dots.

Worked at

Google logo with colorful letters: blue G, red o, yellow o, blue g, green l, red e.
McKinsey & Company logo with black text on a transparent background
Microsoft logo with four colorful squares—orange, green, blue, yellow—and the word 'Microsoft' in gray.
Text logo that reads 'Goldman Sachs' in blue font.

Available Fields

Machine Learning & AI

Blue check mark symbol.

Software Engineering

A large blue checkmark.

Finance

Blue checkmark icon

Health Tech & Mental Health

Dark blue check mark icon.

Enviromental Science

Blue check mark.

Tech & Deep Tech

A large blue check mark symbol on a white background.

Non-Profit

A large blue checkmark in a minimalistic style.

Consulting

A large, three-dimensional blue checkmark symbol.

Media & Journalism

A large dark blue checkmark symbol

Program By The Numbers

Startup Internship Program

Number of sessions with the host company

8

Hours of work per week

5-10

Duration

8 weeks

CEO Internship Program

Number of sessions with the host company

8

Hours of work per week

5-10

Internship with high-growth start-up

Duration

8 weeks

Work directly with a startup CEO

The CEO/founder from FAANG-level company and/or top 20 university

(E.g., Facebook, Google, McKinsey, etc.)

University Internship Program

Our 8-week internship program offers university students the chance to work with startup companies on projects aligned with their interests! With a weekly commitment of 5–10 hours, it’s a flexible way to gain valuable experience.

Combination Program: CEO Internship Program + Mentored Research Program

This 8+15 week program combines a CEO Internship with a mentored research component, offering both professional work experience and the opportunity to complete a college-level research paper.

Program Timeline

Week 1

Meet with the company coach and define the project

Week 2

Work on the project with the company coach

Week 3

Finalize the first draft of the project, meet with the company coach

Week 4

Present the first deliverable to the company

Week 5

Meet with the company coach, define the second deliverable

Week 6

Work with the company coach on the second deliverable

Week 7

Finalize the project

Week 8

Present the final project to the company

What you will get out of this internship

  • Top-down view of a cluttered wooden desk with multiple laptops, smartphones, notebooks, headphones, coffee cups, and various office supplies, with hands of people working on laptops and using a smartphone.

    A real-world project

  • A man giving a presentation to a group of people in a modern, industrial-style conference room with brick walls, large windows, and string lights. The presenter points at a large screen with a microphone in his hand. The audience appears attentive, some taking notes. There are water bottles, drinks, and notebooks on the tables.

    Work experience at a top start-up

  • Close-up of an official document with signatures, including a signature labeled 'Vice-Chancellor' and the printed name 'Dame Helen Wallace'.

    A letter of completion by the company

The Application Process

Internships with real-world companies are challenging. That’s why we implement a selection process that helps us select only the best interns.

Submit application form

Interview

Receive application decision

Start the program!

FAQs

  • Absolutely! Our team suggests company projects based on an applicant’s interests and notes from their interview. Details of the best fit projects are shared with students who have the final say in whether they wish to move ahead with the suggested match!

  • Internships with real-world companies are challenging. That’s why we implement a selection process that helps us select only the best interns. For example, our summer 2023 cohort had over 700 applicants for just 70 spots.

  • The program is fully online! Our team itself operates remotely across multiple countries.

  • The internship will be fully virtual and will run for a period of 8 weeks. Interns usually require 10-15 hours a week to work on assigned tasks and to meet company management.

    The program is designed to deliver tangible results without demanding day-to-day work!

  • Yes, we offer full financial aid to those in need. We have provided financial aid to over 150 students so far.

ARE YOU UP FOR THE CHALLENGE?

Upcoming Application Deadlines

Summer Cohort Regular Admission Deadline: June 23rd, 2025
Cohort timing: July 14th, 2025