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Buerk Center Fellowships and Internships

APPLY FOR 2024 SUMMER COMMERCIALIZATION FELLOWSHIP
APPLY 2024 SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP FELLOWSHIP

The Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship offers various internship and fellowship opportunities for graduate students to gain real-world experience while pursuing their degree. Click on each heading to learn more.

Global Innovation Fellows

Seattle is fast becoming one of the largest centers for global health in the world, and the University of Washington is playing a key role. The Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship, in partnership with the Strategic Analysis, Research and Training (START) Center” and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is calling for applications for its Global Innovation Fellows, a small group of MBAs and TECs who will research business problems/technologies of significance in global health alongside graduate students in Global Health and Development.

Each spring 2 – 3 students are selected as Global Innovation Fellows for the following academic year. This is a year-long commitment (Fall 2022 through Spring 2023) with the opportunity to begin in Summer 2022.

Global Innovation Fellows will receive Schedule I RA appointments (50% appointment, approximately 20 hours/week, 220 hours/quarter). Under 50% schedule I appointments, tuition and health insurance are paid by the RA-ship. RAs receive a monthly salary of between $2,510 and $2,899, dependent on academic eligibility level.

Ideal candidates will have a fundamental interest in the business problems/technology innovations associated with global health and development, an affinity for working with global health and development experts and researchers, and a desire to be part of an interdisciplinary team of creative, dedicated individuals with strong written and oral communication skills. Our shared goal is to create the next generation of business and science leaders who are focused on global health and innovation.

Fellows will work closely with faculty advisors Stephen Hawes, PhD, MS and Judd Walson, MD, MPH, Ann Duerr, MD, PhD, MPH as well as START Operations Director Lauren Adjumani, MPA.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

To apply, please upload your complete application in one PDF attachment to the Google Form by 11:59 PM PST on Sunday, April 10, 2022. Please use the naming convention “Last name, first name START GIF App Summ_Fall 2022” for your PDF application.

Your complete application includes four components in the following order:

1) Current CV/resume

2) Cover letter – please address to the START Center Hiring Committee

3) Two-page writing sample from a report, essay, or article written solely by the applicant. Please do not include references. The preference for a writing sample is a business or policy-related piece and does not need to be about global health

4) Two professional references – include name, title, phone, and e-mail for each reference

Failure to follow the instructions outlined above will result in immediate disqualification of application from further consideration.

Student Eligibility: MBAs apply in winter/spring quarter of their first year to be a Fellow during their second year of the program. MBAs already receiving tuition waivers (TA, RA, GSAs, etc.) should check with the MBA Program office to determine their eligibility. TECs and other graduate students at UW who have a solid background in master’s-level business courses will be considered on a case by case basis. Graduate students should review their tuition status with their home department to see if they are eligible for a tuition waiver.

For more information on this opportunity, contact [email protected].

ITHS & WRF Summer Commercialization Fellowships

This is an excellent opportunity for graduate-level students to work with UW researchers and inventors to develop a commercialization plan for a UW technology. Graduate students interested in business development, product management, legal, or investment career paths will work directly with experts from ITHSWRF CapitalCoMotion, and the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship to write a feasibility report for commercialization of a UW innovation. You must be a self-starter, highly analytical, and fearless about talking with potential customers, and networking your way to industry experts and other mentors. You will be supported by Foster faculty, mentors and experts from across campus. There will a week or training, required presentations and milestones every two weeks, to provide the structure for your analysis.

Register for Summer Fellowship information sessions on March 7 (in-person) and/or March 18 (virtual).

Timeline
We are hiring four Summer Fellows for 10 weeks in 2024, June 17 – August 16, for a minimum of 30 hours per week.

Deadline to Apply: March 29, 2024 at NOON (12 PM)

Candidate Interviews: April 8 – 12

Notifications: During the week of April 15

Eligibility
All Foster MBA students (who have taken the core classes), Technology Entrepreneurship Certificate (TEC) students and graduate students with entrepreneurial core coursework in marketing, strategy, and finance in their backgrounds are eligible to apply. These fellowships are competitive, and preference will be given to current students.

Compensation
Paid: $10,000

Sponsors
As part of the Buerk Center’s work across campus and in the community, these fellowships are made possible in conjunction with Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS) and Washington Research Foundation (WRF).

Available Projects/Technologies
View list of 2024 Projects/Technologies

As a professional courtesy, please do not contact the inventors or tech managers directly about your application.

How to Apply

Please upload your application to the 2024 ITHS & WRF Summer Commercialization Fellows Application page by Friday, March 29 at Noon (12:00 PM) PT. Your application should include a single PDF file with 1) a recent resume or CV and 2) a one- to two-page cover letter. The cover letter should describe what you could bring—in terms of background experience and interest—to the projects listed above in which you are most interested.

If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Roberto ([email protected]).

Social Entrepreneurship Fellowships

The Population Health Initiative, in partnership with the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship, CoMotion, the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance and the School of Public Health, offers a Social Entrepreneurship Fellows Program in which students explore how best to deploy social enterprise models for innovations that are developed by University of Washington researchers. The program supports graduate fellows from different disciplines to work on a range of different projects. Students from a range of disciplines are encouraged to apply, including business, engineering, social work, law, public policy and public health.

Register for Summer Fellowship information sessions on March 7 (in-person) and/or March 18 (virtual).

Timeline

Application period opens on February 13, 2023.

Applications will be due by 11:59 p.m. (Pacific) on March 31, 2023.

Additional details may be found on the Population Health Initiative website.

Eligibility
Fellowships are offered to four graduate students each year. Students at the master’s and doctoral levels and professional students from all UW schools and colleges are eligible to apply. This eligibility includes international students.

Applicants must be enrolled in a degree-granting program at a UW campus (Seattle, Tacoma or Bothell). Students who are expecting to graduate in Spring 2023 are not eligible to apply.

Compensation
Paid: $10,000

Available Projects/Technologies

Descriptions of this year’s projects may be found on the Population Health Initiative website.

As a professional courtesy, please do not contact the inventors or tech managers directly about your application.

How to Apply

Interested students can find more information and apply through the Population Health Initiative website.

WRF Venture Analysts Program

Each year, the Washington Research Foundation (WRF) seeks 2-4 Venture Analysts to assist with reviewing potential grants and investments. WRF is a private foundation based in the Eastlake neighborhood of Seattle that supports the development of groundbreaking technologies at nonprofit research institutions in Washington state. WRF Capital is the investment vehicle for WRF and invests in startups based in Washington, with a special focus on spinouts from the same nonprofit research institutions that are the focus of WRF grant-making.

Venture Analysts will perform background research on grant-making and investment opportunities currently under consideration by WRF. Analysts will gain a greater understanding of the process of commercialization as they work for a locally focused foundation and venture capital firm.

WRF VENTURE ANALYSTS:

  • Work up to 10 hours per week remotely
  • Receive compensation of $30-40/hour
  • Are appointed for up to one year based on performance and mutual agreement

APPLICANTS:

  • Must be eligible to work in the U.S.
  • Must confirm with their school and advisor that they are eligible to work up to 10 hours a week outside of their school program
  • Must be enrolled in an MBA program, a graduate health degree (e.g. PharmD), a graduate program in a STEM field such as chemistry, life science, information technology or engineering, or in a postdoctoral fellowship program at a Washington state research university such as UW, WSU, EWU, WWU and CWU. Please contact us with questions about the eligibility of other Washington-based institutions
  • Must have the consent of their Ph.D. supervisor, academic advisor or PI
  • Must display a history of entrepreneurship or entrepreneurial thinking.
  • Participation in entrepreneurship training (for example, TEC certificate courses in Foster School, Program in Technology Commercialization, SEBA participation, participation in HIC or Business Plan Competition) or prior business experience will strengthen your application but are not required

Qualified candidates may apply at https://www.wrfseattle.org/about-us/venture-analysts/

Application Deadline for 2023: TBD

William H. Gates Sr. Fellow in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Technology Alliance

This Fellowship is on hold for the 2022-2023 academic year. The information below describes the scope of work typically associated with this program.

The Technology Alliance, a highly respected, statewide organization of technology leaders, is accepting applications for its William H. Gates Sr. Fellow in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The Fellowship is available for up to the full academic year 2021–22, requiring ~15 hours/week of work; the initial commitment from both the Technology Alliance and the Fellow will be for the fall quarter. Based on the organization’s needs and Fellow’s performance and interest, the Fellowship may be extended for the winter and spring quarters. Depending on COVID restrictions/conditions, the work will be a combination of remote and in person.

The Technology Alliance (TA) has spent more than 20 years supporting Washington’s innovation economy through events, program incubation, and research all focused on shoring up three pillars of innovation—a world-class education system, a vibrant research community, and a strong entrepreneurial climate. The TA represents companies and organizations that span Washington’s diverse economy—aerospace, energy, IT, and life sciences—and position R&D as core to their growth and impact model.

Historically, the TA’s work has included building a continuum of support for entrepreneurs—from a speakers’ series that highlights emergent research (Discovery Series), to a training “bootcamp” for very early stage concepts poised for commercialization (Innovation Showcase), to launching the largest and most active angel investing group in the region (Alliance of Angels). As the Technology Alliance looks forward to its next five years, it is committed to building on this history of both reporting on the state’s innovation economy and demonstrating creative approaches to strengthening it.

This Fellowship provides an opportunity for an exceptional graduate student from the University of Washington to learn about the drivers of Washington’s innovation economy—from the talent pipeline (K‐12 education, degrees, entrepreneurs), to research capacity in universities, to the impact that results when R&D is commercialized for public good. At the start of the Fellowship, the Fellow and the Technology Alliance’s CEO will develop learning objectives and goals that relate to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.

The Fellowship is open to full‐time MBAs, evening MBAs who have completed their core requirements, or Technology Entrepreneurship Certificate (TEC) students who have taken at least two core classes (8 credits) of entrepreneurship. Interested students from other UW graduate schools may also apply. This Fellowship is provided through an endowment from William H. Gates Sr. to the UW Foster School of Business, and stipend amount and terms are awarded by the Director of the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship in consultation with the CEO of the Technology Alliance.

25 years ago, the Technology Alliance wrote its first economic impact report. Back in 1997, the Washington state economy was driven by airplanes and agriculture. Google wasn’t yet a company, Amazon had only just started selling books online, Mark Zuckerberg was in middle school and Boeing dwarfed Microsoft’s employment. There was a robust life sciences community, but if Washington state was truly going to become a hub of the innovation economy, we needed three things: an educated workforce, increased research capacity, and a strong entrepreneurial climate. And to achieve all of that was going to require the support of the legislature (and by extension the people of the state of Washington). That required proof that this new sector was worth supporting. Hence, the economic impact report, demonstrating that the innovation sector provided high-paying, high-quality jobs, and suggesting ways that the legislature could build and support the sector.

In celebration of the organization’s 25th anniversary, we’d like to revisit that report and understand what’s happened to the sector and the state in the intervening time; providing refreshed insights around both continuing to support the sector and how to make sure that the benefits accrue to all of Washington’s residents, regardless of occupation, geography or other demographics.

Join the Technology Alliance for a unique opportunity to take a look back at the last 25 years of innovation in Washington and shape the next 25.

You’ll be working directly with UW professors as well as experienced consultants from one of the world’s largest consulting firms, and senior executives from the region’s biggest companies. This is an amazing opportunity to use and extend your expertise in analytics, policy, and innovation.

QUALIFICATIONS

Candidate must be highly motivated, well organized, and possess excellent communication (both writing and verbal) and analytical skills. Writing skills are especially important in this role and a writing assessment will be given as part of the interview process. Great data analytic and storytelling skills (with numbers, pictures, and words) are also critical to this role. Proficiency with MS Office Suite is expected.

During the Fellowship the Fellow will maintain adequate academic progress as defined by the University of Washington.

The TA is a very small organization so candidates must be nimble and able to both participate in and provide leadership across a variety of areas, with a sense of humor and congeniality.

Interested candidates should submit a résumé and cover letter, expressing interest and explaining relevant experience and related career goals. Stipend will be ~$2,000 per month for ~15 hours/week over about nine months, with a start date aligned with fall quarter 2021.

Alliance of Angels Fellowship

Since 1997, the Alliance of Angels (AoA) has connected a community of over 140 angel investors with the most promising early-stage companies in the Pacific Northwest to invest, mentor and enable their success. The AoA has provided over $125 million of funding for 200+ Pacific Northwest startups, making the AoA one of the most active angel groups in the US. With an unsurpassed flow of excellent deals, a top-notch screening process, and the experience to help entrepreneurs understand appropriate market-based valuation and terms, our investors are well positioned to work as a team to not only find great companies, but also to help them achieve remarkable success.

The AoA provides the opportunity for one exceptional student to spend one year learning about angel investing in technology and other high-growth businesses.

Eligibility
The Fellowship is open to students who have completed a minimum of 50% of a Masters in Business Administration or other graduate program. International students are welcome to apply.

Fellowship Details
One fellowship position has been made possible by the generous sponsorship of our premier sponsor, K&L Gates. The AoA Fellowship is a one year, part-time position, reporting to the AoA Managing Director and working closely with constituents including the greater entrepreneurial community and our angel investors. Designed for the MBA candidate at least midway through an accredited graduate program, this unique opportunity combines evaluating, coaching, relationship management, and in-depth analysis & research in the fast-paced ever-changing world of technology and innovation. In addition to leadership from the Managing Director, Fellows can leverage resources across our broad and experienced investor base.

Responsibilities

  • Perform due diligence on companies being evaluated by AoA for investment, including market research, competitive analysis and financial analysis
  • Write Investment Memos that summarize due diligence findings and drive investment decisions
  • Collaborate with the Due Diligence Director to execute the due diligence workflow, which includes info collection, data room organization, and investor/entrepreneur communication
  • Conduct or co-host startup community events including entrepreneur office hours and pitch clinics, investor education, and workshops on industry trends
  • Write articles on topics of interest to entrepreneurs by interviewing angel investors
  • Represent the AoA in the community to assist with deal flow, membership recruiting and new Fellow recruiting

Requirements
Candidate must be highly motivated; well organized; and possess excellent communication and analytical skills. Knowledge of startups and early stage investing is a plus. Candidates can be second year MBA students or graduate students at least halfway through their curricular requirements. Interested candidates should be prepared to commit to a one-year part-time position and a 20 hour minimum/week commitment is expected. Start and end dates are negotiable, and typically run concurrent with the academic year. International students are welcome to apply.

How to Apply
Please contact the Foster MBA Career Management Office for more information on current openings. Like most MBA internships, applications open in the fall and interviews are conducted in the spring of each year.