NYCEDC Celebrates Close of 2026 NYC Internship Programs in Venture Capital and Startup Ecosystems

Summer 2026 Programming Placed Over 130 NYC-Based Students at 90 Startups and Venture Capital Firms Throughout City, Providing Students with the Resources, Professional Development, and Training Needed for Career Success

Internship Programs Expand Equitable Opportunities for More New Yorkers to Enter and Secure Jobs in the Innovation Economy

NEW YORK, NY-New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), Company Ventures, Supermomos, along with a coalition of eight additional partners including Blackstone LaunchPad, Tech:NYC, the City University of New York (CUNY), and Everywhere Ventures, celebrated the successful close of the 2026 NYC Startup and Venture Capital Internship Programs. These two critical initiatives build a stronger and inclusive talent pipeline for New York City students with paid opportunities in the city's tech, startup and venture capital industries, while also supporting the growth and capacity of small NYC-based firms. The impactful programs placed over 130 NYC-based students, with a focus on students from the City University of New York (CUNY), into paid work opportunities at nearly 90 startups and venture capital firms across the five boroughs. Additionally, the 2026 programs have resulted in numerous students securing continued employment beyond the summer, including with their host firms, such as with early-stage NYC startups like Emotivo Health, Cashably, and Cetos Water, and venture capital firms including Watershed Ventures, Rebalance Capital, and Cistern Capital.

These internship programs reflect NYCEDC's commitment to expanding access to opportunity and ensuring the next generation of New York City's leaders and workforce have the tools, experience, and connections needed to succeed across both legacy and emerging sectors. In 2026, 82 percent of internship placements were filled by CUNY students, and since the programs launched in 2025, over 250 students have gained hands-on and career-building experience through paid internships with participating employers and access to social capital.

"New York City's standing as a global tech and startup hub is strongest when we widen the door to opportunity not just for a select few, but for hardworking students from schools across all five boroughs," said NYCEDC Interim President & CEO Jeanny Pak. "The Startup and Venture Capital Internship Programs continues to give students the hands-on experience, mentorship, and professional networks that can otherwise feel out of reach to many New Yorkers-ensuring that the city's growing innovation workforce reflects the city it serves."

"New York City is home to one of the most dynamic tech ecosystems in the world, and its continued growth depends on ensuring that New Yorkers have clear pathways into the opportunities it creates," said Tech:NYC President & CEO Julie Samuels. "By connecting CUNY students with paid, hands-on experience at growing startups, the NYC Startup Internship Program is helping build the next generation of tech talent while giving companies access to an exceptional and diverse pool of future leaders. Tech:NYC is proud to continue partnering with NYCEDC and CUNY to strengthen the talent pipeline that will power New York's tech sector for years to come."

"New York City is full of exceptional talent that the traditional startup pipeline consistently overlooks-not because it isn't there, but because we've been scouting for the wrong signals," said Company Ventures CEO & Managing Partner Matt Harrington. "Pedigree and pre-existing networks were never a reliable proxy for potential, and companies that keep hiring the same way are leaving talent on the table. The NYC Startup Internship Program exists to close that gap: we're building the connective tissue between overlooked talent and growing companies, making this city's alternative talent market visible, navigable, and something founders actively seek out as a genuine edge."

"This year, we saw a clear shift in what venture firms are looking for in emerging talent. In addition to traditional skills such as sourcing, market research and diligence, firms are increasingly looking for interns who can leverage AI tools to enhance research, identify opportunities and build more efficient investment workflows," said Supermomos Co-Founder & CEO Edwina Yeo. "The program gives emerging talent firsthand experience with how venture capital is evolving in real time, while helping them develop the AI fluency, industry context and relationships increasingly important for conversion opportunities and future roles across New York City's venture and startup ecosystem."

Through paid work experience, mentorship, and access to professional networks, the Startup and Venture Capital Internship Programs help connect that talent to opportunity, reduce barriers to entry into high-growth careers, and ensure that more New Yorkers can participate in, benefit from, and help shape the city's innovation economy.

NYC Startup Internship Program

Through the NYC Startup Internship Program, CUNY and other New York City students gain paid, hands-on experience at innovative startups in roles spanning software engineering, data science, UX/UI, operations, and more. Participants also receive professional development training, mentorship, and opportunities to build meaningful industry connections. By connecting emerging talent with New York City's startup ecosystem, the program helps prepare the next generation of leaders while supporting the continued growth of the city's innovation economy.

In addition to the hands-on, career-building paid internships, students also received career support, mentorship and professional networking opportunities provided by NYC-nonprofit, Basta. NYC students joined an additional 250 interns, the majority of whom are first-generation students, across the country for industry workshops and peer connections as part of the Blackstone LaunchPad program.

This year, the program placed over 100 NYC-based college students into paid internships across 68 New York City tech-enabled startups. Of the cohort, 42 percent of interns worked in either software engineering or data science roles. Additionally, 57 percent of this year's interns continued working after their internship; 27 percent of interns received return offers or extensions from their internship hosts. Interns from last year's cohort have secured full-time tech roles at companies such as IBM and Healthfirst, and tech internships at companies including Accenture and the New York Times.

The NYC Startup Internship Program is a multi-year initiative, with programming supported by Company Ventures, Tech:NYC, and the Zahn Innovation Center at City College, with central funding from NYCEDC and Blackstone LaunchPad, as well as partnership from Justworks and Basta.

NYC Venture Capital Internship Program

The NYC Venture Capital Internship Program supports talented undergraduate students from across New York City with exposure to the venture capital industry, helping participants build valuable transferable skills through hands-on experiences, preparing them for future careers in New York City's venture capital and tech ecosystems. This initiative was made possible through support and partnership from NYCEDC, Supermomos, Everywhere Ventures, CUNY IAR, and Kauffman Fellows.

In 2026, the NYC Venture Capital Internship Program saw 100% CUNY student participation, placing 32 students into paid internships at 21 NYC-based venture capital firms. Additionally, over a third of this year's interns continued working after their internship; almost a quarter of interns received return offers or extensions from their internship hosts. Interns from last year's cohort have secured full-time roles at companies such as Bloomberg or Accenture and internships at TD Securities, PwC, and AIG.

"We congratulate our students on a successful summer spent gaining invaluable experience across the city's tech, startup and venture capital sectors through the NYC Startup and Venture Capital Internship Programs," said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. "We know the CUNY student-interns brought their very best and represented our University well, and many of them earned an opportunity to extend their employment. We are grateful to the New York City Economic Development Corporation and its partners for providing a pipeline for CUNY students to enter these critical industries."

"Paid internships are one of the most important levers to career mobility and economic opportunity," said Blackstone Charitable Foundation Executive Director Maura Pally. "Through Blackstone LaunchPad, we are proud to partner with NYCEDC and Company Ventures to provide more New York City students access not only to paid internships, but also to mentorship, professional development, and networks setting them up for career success."

"Everywhere Ventures is a global pre-seed venture capital firm founded in 2018 and headquartered in New York City. The firm invests in early-stage technology companies around the world and is proud to operate and invest in New York City's entrepreneurial ecosystem," said Everywhere Ventures General Partner Jenny Fielding. "We believe the next generation of investors is already here, and we're proud to support the NYC Venture Capital Internship Program, which gives students across CUNY an opportunity to gain meaningful exposure to all aspects of venture capital."

"Congratulations to the more than 130 students who completed NYCEDC's 2026 Startup and Venture Capital Internship Programs," said Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal. "As the global capital of finance, Manhattan is home to an industry that supports more than 326,000 jobs and generates $713 billion in economic impact. We have a responsibility to ensure those opportunities are accessible to talented New Yorkers from every zip code. By connecting CUNY students with nearly 90 startups and venture capital firms, NYCEDC is helping build a stronger, more inclusive pipeline into one of our city's most dynamic industries. Thank you to NYCEDC Interim President Jeanny Pak and every host firm for investing in the next generation of New Yorkers and our city's economic future."

"New York City's innovation economy is only as strong as the talent we develop here at home," said NYC Councilmember Virginia Maloney. "As our startup, technology, and venture capital sectors continue to grow, we need to make sure New York City students have a real pathway into the jobs, networks, and opportunities these industries create. These programs are doing exactly that by connecting more than 130 students with paid, hands-on experience at startups and venture capital firms across the city. As Chair of the Committee on Economic Development, I'm proud to support efforts that invest in New York talent and help build the workforce that will drive our city's next generation of economic growth."

"There's no better way to get your foot in the door into the startup and venture capital worlds than by interning, and NYCEDC and their partners provided that to so many students this season," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "Thank you to NYCEDC and their partners for providing these internship opportunities to 130 students, who I know will benefit greatly from that experience throughout their blossoming careers."

"Kauffman Fellows has spent three decades educating and supporting the people currently building and leading the venture capital industry, and we recognize the importance for other organizations to begin this education long before students join the industry," said Kauffman Fellows CEO Fernando Fabre. "We are proud to partner with the NYC Venture Capital Internship Program to give students across CUNY a real entry point into this field."

"My NYCSIP experience at Emotivo Health taught me that work is as much about people as it is about code," said Emotivo Health Intern Dereck Taverne. "While I improved my technical skills in machine learning, my biggest takeaway was learning how to collaborate and stay coachable thanks to an incredibly supportive leadership team. Having this internship turn into a continued role means a lot, and it's an amazing opportunity to keep tackling impactful challenges."

"The program gave us a well-curated group of candidates, and our intern quickly stood out. What impressed us most was how readily they embraced feedback, and how quickly they turned that into better work," said Emotivo Health CEO Karen Lin. "They also took ownership of their project, going beyond expectations, and brought exactly the kind of initiative that matters in a startup. By the end of the program, our intern had gone from learning to shipping features. Their contribution helped us strengthen safeguards that highlight consequential content for clinician review before a note is signed, letting clinicians focus where it matters most."

"The NYC VCIP provided me the opportunity to join the outstanding team at Watershed Ventures, where the responsibility and mentorship I received allowed me to make a tangible impact from day one. I am thrilled to be staying on with the firm this fall," said Watershed Ventures Intern Benjamin Khandpur. "This experience is a true testament to how the program takes the initiative to bring CUNY talent directly into New York City's innovation ecosystem."

New York City is the world's second-largest tech and startup ecosystem, valued at $713 billion, and home to more than 25,000 tech-enabled startups, over 360,000 jobs, a startup ecosystem and more than 1,200 active venture capital and other investment firms. Given the rapid and continued growth across tech and venture businesses, employment, and wages, NYC's tech sector remains one of the best opportunities for New Yorkers seeking middle- and high-wage jobs.

NYCEDC is committed to strengthening talent pipelines and training the largest, most diverse workforce by supporting several initiatives including the Life Sciences NYC Internship program, which has supported over 1,350 students since its launch, along with programs such as the AI literacy pilot, delivered in partnership with three of our city's most trusted and accessible public resources: our library systems. Building on the city's transformative SPARC Kips Bay project, NYCEDC recently released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to deliver life sciences educational programming for public school students in kindergarten through 8th grade in the Kips Bay neighborhood.

This announcement also reflects the City's commitment to deepening partnerships with academia to strengthen New York City's talent pipeline, research capacity, and innovation economy. The city's academic institutions generate $35 billion in annual economic impact and serve as a cornerstone of talent development, economic mobility, and entrepreneurship-helping attract and retain young talent while translating research into new businesses and solutions.

About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that works for a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four main strategies: strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity; build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city's future economy. To learn more about what we do, visit us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

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