Venture Platform Intern

XPRIZE Overview 

XPRIZE is an established global leader in designing and executing large-scale competitions to solve humanity’s greatest challenges. As a 501(c)3, our unique model democratizes innovation by incentivizing crowd-sourced, scientifically viable solutions to create a more equitable and abundant future for all.  Since our founding in 1994, we’ve launched $519 million in prize competitions that are driving more than $31 billion in social and economic impact — a 60x return on philanthropic investment. These competitions not only de-risk early-stage breakthrough ideas but also mobilize capital, talent, and momentum to accelerate solutions from concept to real-world scale.

We operate across 5 areas of impact, including: 

• Deep Tech + Exploration
• Energy + Climate + Nature
• Food + Water + Waste
• Health
• Learning + Society

Join XPRIZE to help create meaningful impact as we strive to empower humanity to achieve breakthroughs and architect a more equitable and abundant future for all.

Position Description 

XPRIZE offers a meaningful part-time summer internship program spanning from June 15, 2026 - August 21, 2026 to undergraduate or graduate students looking to gain work experience in an exciting non-profit organization. Interns will participate in virtual social activities with their cohort, be provided with learning and professional development opportunities, and present a final research project to their department.

We are seeking a highly motivated, self-driven Venture Platform Intern to build a matchmaking system that connects high-potential startups with the right venture capital investors.

You will build a tangible, high-impact operational system from scratch, owning the architecture of a new internal system. During this internship, you will research VC criteria, build a robust Airtable-based database, and develop a process to facilitate high-converting introductions.

Responsibilities

• VC Criteria Research: Conduct deep-dive research to define the specific quantitative and qualitative metrics top-tier VCs require when considering a potential investment.
• Startup Intake Architecture: Design and build a comprehensive, user-friendly startup intake survey using Airtable.
• Investor Database Building: Develop a robust investor database that maps out specific VC investment theses, check sizes, stage preferences, and dealbreakers.
• Matching Operations: Design a query process to accurately match a startup’s intake data against the investor database to identify the highest-probability targets and support referrals.

Qualifications 

• Venture Experience: You have prior, hands-on experience in the venture ecosystem. You may have worked at a VC fund, an accelerator, an incubator, or you have gone through the process of raising capital yourself.
• Independent & Self-Driven: You do not wait to be told what to do next. You take a high-level objective, break it down into steps, and execute.
• Detail-Oriented: You understand that a database is only as good as its data integrity. You care about clean taxonomy, standardized formatting, and bulletproof systems.
• Curious: You genuinely enjoy reading about investor theses, market trends, and what makes a startup fundable.
• Technical Skills: Familiarity with Airtable (or a strong willingness to learn its relational database features quickly) and experience using AI tools for workflow automation.
• Passion for solving global issues
• Must be a rising Junior or Senior in an undergraduate program or higher in a related field (preference for business administration)
• Availability to work 25 hours per week for the duration of the 10-week program

Competencies required for this role: 

• Action-oriented 
• Manages ambiguity 
• Collaborates internally and externally 
• Growth mindset
• Communicates effectively and professionally
• Global perspective 
• Driven and dedicated 

What you will walk away with:

• A comprehensive understanding of what VCs look for in today’s market.
• A high-impact, technical operations project to showcase on your resume.
• Exposure to the inner workings of startup-investor matchmaking.

The anticipated compensation for this position is $18/hour to $22/hour. The actual compensation offered will depend on a variety of factors including the qualifications of the individual applicant, years of relevant experience for the role, level of education attained, and certifications and/or other licenses held. XPRIZE is a remote-first environment.

The XPRIZE FOUNDATION is an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate in employment. Equal access to employment, services, and programs is available to all persons. Those applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application and/or interview process should notify a representative of the organization. 

Please note: Though submitting a resume to the XPRIZE FOUNDATION implies that you are interested in a position(s), it does not imply that you are an applicant. You are not considered an applicant until you have been contacted directly by a Talent Acquisitions representative requesting that you begin the designated application process, which may involve phone and/or in-person interview(s), job-related testing, and background checks.