Employer FAQ
Who can participate?
Startups currently affiliated with Berkeley Skydeck, EvoNexus, House Fund, IndieBio, SAP.iO, TechStars, or Y Combinator. All participating companies must be either in the Pre-Seed, Seed, or Series A funding stage with a range of employees (from 3 - 30 max). Additionally, the Entrepreneurial Fellows Program will not fund current undergraduate student-founded startups from any college or university.
I missed the deadline to sign-up for the Virtual Startup Fair. Can my company still participate?
If you meet our affiliated startup guidelines, please email our team (met@berkeley.edu) your company information and we will circulate internship opportunities to our students. Interested students may reach out to you and apply/interview for your available positions. Your organization can make offers to students of interest with a maximum of (2) M.E.T. student interns at each affiliated startup.
How do I know an applicant is a M.E.T. student?
M.E.T. students have been instructed to submit email recruiters email with the subject line: [COMPANY NAME] April 6 Meet & Greet Follow-up - [student name]. Their resumes also indicate that they are pursuing dual-degree programs in engineering and business.
How many students can I hire?
Your organization can make offers to students of interest with a maximum of (2) M.E.T. student interns at each affiliated startup.
If we want to make an offer to a M.E.T. student who does not complete the EFP application, will the student still be eligible to participate?
No. Students must apply for a grant through the EFP program.
Can we provide M.E.T. students with additional funding?
No. The nature of the Entrepreneurial Fellows Program is to help startups with limited funding partner with qualified M.E.T. student interns who would not be otherwise able to pursue an unpaid startup internship. If you have funding for student interns, we ask you to consider hiring and paying them directly rather than participate in the Entrepreneurial Fellows Program.
Are employers required to fill out I-9 forms?
The Entrepreneurial Fellows Program is an internship whereby our students receive a grant, so it is similar in nature to a fellowship. For questions about I-9 forms, this USCIS website has a fact sheet for students with more information.
For any questions about student eligibility to work in the US, students know that the Berkeley International Office that handles those questions.
What are the start-end dates for this program?
Startups must be able to provide 10-12 weeks of meaningful internship engagement between June-August. The earliest a student can begin an internship is June 1.
Can students work past the summer, or during the fall/spring semesters?
The M.E.T. Entrepreneurial Fellows Program stipend covers 10-12 weeks of work between June-August only. If you wish to extend an offer for work past summer 2022, it will be up to your organization to secure funding for the student.
My question wasn't addressed. Who can I contact for more information?
Please email met@berkeley.edu. We're happy to help.