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The Carolina Startup Connect initiative helps students find and grow from valuable learning experiences provided by internships at startup companies and social ventures. Through this initiative, Innovate Carolina provides students and startups two ways to connect, engage and develop their professional pathways: An annual series of startup internship meet-and-greet events and funding opportunities that allow students to apply for financial awards that supplement the cost of summer internships.

Send any questions or comments to Anise Robinson, student engagement and events manger, at Anise.Robinson@unc.edu.

Carolina Startup Connect Programs

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Meet-and-Greet Events

Events that bring students together with local companies and nonprofits that are eager to work with talented students through internship and job opportunities.
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Internship Funding

Funding awards for Carolina students who are pursuing unpaid or underfunded summer internships with established local startups and social ventures.

Startups + Student Talent = Impact

Since 2018, Carolina Startup Connect has brought innovation-oriented students together with early-stage ventures to expand career development paths, entrepreneurial skill building, and opportunities for social and economic impact. Through our events and funding opportunities, we engaged students from diverse personal and academic backgrounds and startups from a variety of industry segments.

800+
Student participants since 2018
260+
Startups enaged since 2018
37
Academic majors of student participants
9
Internships funded in summer 2021
10
Internships funded in summer 2022
100%
of surveyed startups rated events as valuable
90%+
of student participants connect with startups after events