IVCA Feature: Perspectives on Internships and the 2025 IVCA Scholar Program
July 9, 2025
The 2025 IVCA Scholar Program is in place and operating this summer, as it provides undergraduate students, – primarily from underrepresented communities – experience that could lead a possible career in the Venture Capital/Private Equity industries. The 10-week program is a deep dive, and upon completion the students will receive a $10,000 scholarship.
The Investor firms hosting a 2025 Scholar are Avathon Capital, BPOC, Exposition Ventures, Frontenac, Growth Catalyst Partners, HPA, Hyde Park Venture Partners, Linden Capital Partners, OCA Ventures, ParkerGale Capital, Prairie Capital, Pritzker Private Capital, RoundTable Healthcare Partners, Sandbox Industries, Victory Park Capital, Water Street Healthcare Partners and Wind Point Partners.
The following articles are perspectives on internships, especially as it applies in the Venture Capital and Private Equity space. The IVCA will offer further profiles on the Scholar Program throughout the rest of Summer 2025.
MergersandInquisitions.com ‘Venture Capital Internships: The Full Guide’
Mergers & Inquisitions provide a full guide to “recruiting, work tasks and future utility: “People debate the best option internships … but some argue that Venture Capital internships beat many of these options or should at least be near the top of the list.”
READ MORE: https://mergersandinquisitions.com/venture-capital-internships/
CerityPartners.com, ‘How to Design a Successful Internship Program’
When it works well, skilled and properly trained interns can reduce demands on advisors, allowing them to use their time more effectively. Interns can also cross lower priority tasks off an ever-expanding to-do list, enabling the firm to grow and develop. Perhaps even more importantly, an internship is a great way for an intern to “test drive” a potential future employee to see if they would be a good fit with the firm’s culture and goals.
READ MORE: https://ceritypartners.com/insights/how-to-design-a-successful-internship-program/
Finance.Yahoo.com, ‘Should You Hire Interns in Your Finance Firms’
From 2021: “When well-designed, an internship program can be extremely beneficial to employers. The catch? It must be structured, well-planned, and provide the interns with sufficient supervision. When adequate training is provided beforehand or when an intern orientation is held, results will increase significantly. But, in order to make an internship program worth the investment, you must dedicate adequate time and resources to it.
READ MORE: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hire-interns-finance-firms-120007468.html
SJC.edu, ‘Advice for Employers: Creating a Successful Internship’
Advice from Academia, specifically St. John’s College: “The key to a successful internship is to have the opportunity to participate in meaningful work assignments that allow the intern to learn more about a career through practice … by working closely with a mentor who takes an active interest in providing guidance and supervision. An intern has the specific goal of gaining knowledge, skills, and/or further understanding of a particular industry.”
READ MORE (2-Page PDF): https://www.sjc.edu/application/files/1714/9943/4595/Advice_for_Employers_Creating_a_Successful_Internship.pdf
Recruiting Future, PODCAST, ’Building Talent Pipelines with Internships’
Episode 604, Hosted by Matt Adler: “Many employers regularly offer internships, but the role of these internships in long-term hiring strategies can be pretty tenuous. So what happens when a company puts internships at the centre of its hiring strategy and proactively leverages this to build long-term pipelines of valuable talent?”
LISTEN HERE (18 Minutes): https://youtu.be/06Zc5mVJgBI?si=n6TI08zBGt0S5uVa
TALeadersPodcast.com, PODCAST, ’Evolving the Internship Experience Into Strategic Hiring’
Stepping outside your comfort zone can shape your career in unexpected and rewarding ways. On this episode, [Jenny Hofler of Labcorp] joins host Ryan Dull, and they discuss how Jenny’s journey from a communications graduate to a Talent Acquisition leader has informed her passion for early talent and inclusive hiring.
LISTEN HERE (22 Minutes): https://taleaderspodcast.com/episodes/jenny-hofler
The IVCA is hosting a Legislator Luncheon with Illinois Senators Sue Rezin and John Curran through the IVCA-PAC LegislatorConnection Series in Chicago on July 15th, 2025, at noon. For details, click here.