Are you a student entrepreneur with a business startup that you’d like to grow to the next level this summer? If so, Summer@Highland may be just what you need.
In its fourth year, Summer@Highland is an entrepreneurship program designed to provide university-affiliated startups and first-time entrepreneurs with the environment and resources for advancing their startup initiative/company to the next level. Highland receives no equity stake in exchange for participating in the core program and teams are under no obligation to Highland after the summer.
Selected teams will receive a financial stipend and complimentary work space in either our Highland Entrepreneur Center in Lexington, Massachusetts or California (planning for location in SoMa neighborhood of San Francisco). The teams will have access to Highland investment professionals, mentors from our founder & CEO community along with further resources for injecting real-world advice, insight and perspectives into the entrepreneurial and company-building process.
What Highland is looking for in 2011
We are especially interested in having you spend the summer with us if:
– You have a leadership team with vision, passion, and drive
– Your initiative is built around a breakthrough idea that is scalable
– You’re pursuing a large addressable market opportunity with a product/service that has the potential to be highly-disruptive in its area
– Your business initiative is already showing momentum and (ideally) some demonstrable market traction (i.e., you’re well beyond concept)
– You’re operating in the technology sector – SaaS, internet/digital media, infrastructure, energy efficiency, robotics, advanced materials & semiconductors
– You can direct us to some advisors or business leaders who see your potential as you do
Particulars of Summer@Highland 2011
1. The program is open to teams with co-founders that are current undergraduate or graduate students, post graduate docs, as well as recent grads (must not have graduated earlier than December 2010). At least one participating member of the team must meet this criterion.
2. Teams need to consist of at least two co-founders and preferably aren’t larger than four members.
3. Each selected team will receive a $15,000 stipend.
4. Participating teams are required to work full time for a minimum 10 weeks in the program over the summer. Ideally, teams should plan to arrive at their assigned Highland location on June 6th (there is some flexibility here) and depart no later than August 30, 2011.
5. As the 2011 program will be hosted at Highland locations in the United States, to be considered all applying team members must be citizens of the United States or have all appropriate paperwork in place (independently of Highland) to participate in the program in the United States during the summer
6. While participating in the program, teams will need to reside in either the Highland Entrepreneur Center in our Lexington, MA office, or at our designated California location (currently being planned for the SoMa neighborhood in San Francisco).
7. Each participating team will have a Highland sponsor who will be the team’s gateway to advice and counsel from Highland’s investors and industry network.
8. Participating teams in the core Summer@Highland program are under no obligation to Highland after the summer.
How to apply
1. Please complete the brief online application (available at www.hcp.com/summer)
2. Attach to your application (1) resumes/bios for each team member, and (2) up to two referrals/letters of recommendation (highly recommended). The latter may be from faculty & administration, board or advisory group members, business leaders in the industry/market you’re operating in, customers & partners, or others affiliated with close knowledge of your initiative and/or team members.
3. You may also consider optionally including an introductory company presentation and/or up to three online links (videos, screenshots, etc.) that can help to further express the essence of what you’re doing.
4. The deadline to submit all materials associated with an application is end of day Thursday, April 7, 2011.
5. Selected projects will be notified by April 29, 2011.
Please direct any questions regarding the program to summer@hcp.com.
