Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Where will tomorrow's leaders emerge?


I know, I know – you’re busy and your budget is tight. All the more reason to help young scientists and entrepreneurs advance. Student internships are an excellent way to add additional horsepower to a tactical project while helping train our next "best and brightest." At Flagship Ventures, I engaged a number of the MIT Harvard e-Lab graduate students. They did an excellent job developing competitive landscapes, researching markets and conducting due diligence on new companies and opportunities we were considering. Many of the [executives in my network] and I have found that hiring summer lab interns can help defray the workload pinch when full timers go on vacation. And what a great way for a student to learn how sequence DNA or write a business plan!
This year the Mass Life Science Center has announced a renewal of their internship program. Last year’s program received almost 900 applications and placed 170 interns at 94 companies throughout Massachusetts. If you are a student of a Massachusetts college or university, or are a Massachusetts resident attending an out-of-state college or university, consider applying to this great program. If you are a company, consider helping to train the next generation of leaders. Who knows? That summer intern may become a valuable full time addition to your company.