"We're getting really busy up here, do you know anyone who could help us out?"
I'll never forget the moment when Troy Henikoff spoke those words to me. I was a junior in college at the University of Arizona; it was April 11th, 2012; I was holding out for an internship with Excelerate Labs that I didn't think I would get; I had just interviewed with him the week before; I got the internship; I cried in my room; I called my brother; I told my friends; they all thought I was crazy; and perhaps I was a little bit crazy.
Flashforward: May 21st, 2012, I walked into 1871 for the first time: my new home for 16 weeks, and it looked like something out the movies. This was the beginning of the best summer of my life.
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Almost immediately, Troy had me working on projects for Excelerate and the incoming teams. Our program didn't officially start until the 29th, but with the big move into 1871, we had a lot of preparation to do before then- mostly carrying, setting up, and installing printers. There was also the occasional hanging of a banner while climbing a ladder (it's a wonder those things are still up). Needless to say, my arms were sore, but it was worth it.
June: Once the program was underway, free time was not an option, but nobody wanted it to be. In the 20 business days of June, we hosted 610 unique mentor meetings with 135 individual mentors- AKA the best and brightest of Chicago's startup scene.
I didn't get the nickname "Senior Calendar Engineer" for nothing. Calendar days usually looked something like this:
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As intern, you'll be responsible for scheduling the majority of these. From Harper Reed to Chuck Templeton to Lon Chow to our very own Troy Henikoff and Sam Yagan to every single person walking through those glass doors, I was in awe of the knowledge and the talent that surrounded me. I still couldn't believe I was there.
July: This is when Excelerate hosts what we unofficially call the "Entrepreneurs' MBA". Each day is a crash course seminar (from experts) on topics every entrepreneur should know, but won't get anywhere else. You'll help schedule these, but it's also when you'll have the most quality time with the companies in the program, helping out with financial modeling, market research, user acquisition, and anything else you can get them to trust you with (which is a lot if you're good about it).
Added bonus: you sit in on everything. I ended up with a 53 page Word doc full of notes just from July alone, and obviously, shared it with everyone in the program.
August: Demo Day, Demo Day, Demo Day! Remember all those mentor meetings in June? Well, in August, those will all be pitch practices preparing for Demo Day at the House of Blues. You'll be giving feedback where you can, helping prepare slide decks, and planning the actual logistics of the event. Everyone worked weekends, everyone stayed late, and everyone arrived early. We drank a lot of coffee.
On the big day, you'll be backstage running all the A/V equipment: each transition between slide decks, each sound cue, and each mic check is on you. This was my view for Brad Feld's keynote speech (foreshadowing, much?):
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Naturally, Demo Day was hugely successful, but the lessons learned leading up to it were even more invaluable. Each day brought a new adventure, a new problem to solve, and a new solution to be discovered. By Demo Day, we had all grown together as entrepreneurs, as colleagues, and, most importantly, as friends. There's no other internship that will offer you that.
Finally, some keys to success as an Excelerate intern:
- If you say you're going to do something, do it. Don't let things fall between the cracks.
- Attention to detail is critical. No detail is too small to pay attention to- even when it comes to ordering Lou Malnati's. Especially when it comes to ordering Lou Malnati's. Sam Yagan can attest to this.
- Be humble, but be confident. Keep your mouth shut for the first couple of weeks, embrace the experience of the people around you, and learn from them. But, by the end of summer, don't be afraid to voice your opinion. It can go a long way.
- Have fun. My time at Excelerate was the best time of my life. I formed friendships and professional relationships that otherwise would be unfathomable. Accelerators are a journey, and by the end of the journey, you've made a second family.
Anyways, enough blabbering: long story short, if you're passionate about startups and want to work your ass off for 4 months in the most rewarding atmosphere possible, hurry up and apply to be a Techstars Associate. You have until midnight, February 22nd, clock's ticking.
Ps. This was clearly an amazing experience for me and I love to talk about it- don't hesitate to reach out to ask me questions. You can tweet me, connect with me on BIC or LinkedIn, or just show up at my door.
