Skip to main content

Swarthmore Future Entrepreneurship Program (SFEP)

Student Application Period: 2019 application period has closed

sfep

About SFEP: 

Curated internships at local start up companies through a partnership with Ben Franklin Technology Partners. Students (seniors and alumni are ineligible) can apply to posted internships and interview with participating start-up companies. If selected, students will gain experience working for a start up while gaining insight into the entrepreneurial world while receiving a $4800 stipend for 10 weeks of full-time work. 

student overview of the process (student orientation session)

LIST OF EMPLOYERS & POSITIONS

2019 Student Application Period: March 4-15 

Application Instructions:

Please follow these directions to make sure that you're able to view all SFEP internships and apply to the ones you're interested in.  

1. Log into Handshake.

2. On the top of the home screen, click on "Jobs."

3. In the search bar, type in "SFEP" and hit enter for a list of all internships that are a part of this program. All SFEP internships will have the title labeled "SFEP: ________"  A full list of opportunities is also available as a PDF; you can also type in the employer name and search for the internship that way. 

4. Apply to as many opportunities that are of interest to you. Please note that some employers ask for more than a resume. If you haven't had your application materials reviewed, please come and see a Career Peer Advisor (M-F 1-4:30pm).

5. Please make sure you understand the organization’s location. Their address will be in the description or in the employer profile--not all employers are located within the city of Philadelphia and some are located in suburban neighborhoods. If chosen for interviews, students are required to make their own arrangements in getting to the interview locations.

 

Study Abroad Applicants: 

Those studying abroad are eligible to apply; however, it is important to let your interviewers know that you are studying abroad and might not be able to do an in-person interview. Please be flexible when scheduling interviews.

Note about funding:

$4800 is the maximum amount that a student may be awarded for summer funding. Should you accept an SFEP internship, you are not allowed to apply for additional funding for this program through the College. 

Note to International Students:

Students are required to contact the Office of International Student Services (Jennifer Marks-Gold) on their options regarding work authorization status.

 

Questions:

Career Services (pkim1@swarthmore.edu)

 

Hear from some of your Swarthmore peers about their SFEP experiences below!

 

Grace Dumdaw '21 - SocialLadder

"My role was to run the social platforms for the brand, but I ended up having to learn to do so much more than that because a startup is truly an all-hands-on-deck situation. I was entrusted with many responsibilities, and  I can thank my Swarthmore education for allowing me to handle them with ease. After ten weeks, I had an incredible time working and getting to know the SocialLadder team, but I realized that the app startup life was not for me-- I prefer to talk to human beings in real life! I am so glad that I was able to figure this out as a freshman in college thanks to SFEP!"

Grace Dumdaw '21

Colin Salama '19 - Astarte Medical Partners

"It was fascinating to experience the culture; the business could only transform if we come in and take action every day.  I am now even more interested in starting a business, but regardless, I have personally grown as a result of the experience.  I learned practical skills such as accounting, finance, and marketing as well as more abstract skills such as appealing to an audience, achieving broad goals with time constraints, and finding the minimum viable product."

Colin Salama '19

Valentin Sanchez '21 - Keriton

"My biggest lessons came from just observing Keriton’s culture and practices. As a high school student, I was very interested in startups and, in fact, I myself was running one with a friend. It is good to note that, as many startups, we shut down our initiative. Working for Keriton made me realize of practices we did not implement back then. Practices that, I believe, have allowed Keriton to grow from just a hackathon idea to a startup with a relatively mature product which is currently scaling. Small practices as Scrum meetings made a huge difference. Such is the impact they had on me that I currently follow a similar standard with projects and people I work with."

Valentin Sanchez '21

Naja Smith '20 - CampusESP

"In this internship, I was responsible for creating and publishing posts for the 18 college institutions we had as customers in their respective portals. I was also very much part of the development of the product because I attended product development meetings and presented recommendations to add features to the product in order to make it more accessible and easier to use by parents and administrators. Since I had a background in marketing, I was put on a team with another coworker to revamp the company’s social media presence. In this collaboration, we strategized on the best ways to increase follows within the higher education sphere as well as the general audience of parents."

Naja Smith '20

George Rubin '21 - Thermaquil

"It was up to me to complete projects at my own pace, and create my own workday schedule without supervision. Working in this structureless environment at first caused me to waste significant amounts of time. After a while, the fear of coming up with disappointing results motivated me to develop my own personal structure, setting deadlines for myself and developing good habits. The ability to make the most of a day, and make the best use of time without supervision is an invaluable skill in advancing my career, even at its early stages."

George Rubin '21

Daniel Lee '20 - WealthHub Solutions

"During my time there, I was introduced to many exciting concepts. I was given tasks such as updating the software infrastructure by coding in SQL (structured Query Language), generating mock trust office reports through both excel and SQL, and taking notes during business meetings where the CEO and employees made sales pitches to prospective clients or listened to requests from current clients. Having experienced all of this, I realized how important organizing data properly and efficiently is to many companies' successes."

Danie Lee '20