Second Annual CUNY IAR Co-Created Inaugural NYC VC Internship Launches

100% CUNY Students Power Venture Capital Opportunities

NEW YORK, NY – June 15, 2026 – The second annual NYC Venture Capital Internship Program (VCIP), co-created by the City University of New York (CUNY) Industrial & Applied Research Division (IAR) in partnership with tech community networking platform Supermomos and VC fund Everywhere Ventures, kicked off on June 8, expanding the first city-backed venture capital internship program. The initiative, which seeks to increase engagement of New York City college students in venture capital—particularly those from underserved communities—is providing 33 placements at 22 VC hosts over 10 weeks, solely to students attending CUNY schools.

This highly competitive program grew by 40 percent since last year, and received more than 1,000 applications, with an acceptance rate of only three percent. The program is funded in part by the NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).

Prior to beginning their internships, participants completed an intensive five-day Venture Capital Bootcamp at CUNY @ Amazon from June 8–12, 2026. The curriculum equipped students with the practical skills needed to contribute from day one, covering venture capital fundamentals, deal sourcing, due diligence, financial modeling, valuation, AI-powered investment workflows, communication, and pitch development. VCIP offers a ten-week paid summer internship at a leading NYC VC firm, a $7K stipend for the duration of program, access to top VCs and a network of smart, ambitious peers, and mentorship from experienced investors and startup ecosystem leaders.

The program also hosted an evening launch part reception on June 8, 2026 that brought together interns, the venture capital hosts, and program partners. The event featured a limited partner/general partner "Ask Me Anything" (AMA), followed by a mixer with leaders from a $1.5B+ single family office growth equity fund founded by Shake Shack’s Danny Meyer and a VC fund-of-funds focused on underrepresented managers.

“The world of venture capital is notoriously challenging to access, but this program creates an on-ramp of opportunity for CUNY undergraduates,” said John Blaho, PhD, director, CUNY IAR. “I’m so pleased that we’ve been able to significantly expand the program. I’m excited to see these CUNY student ambassadors learn and grow, and hopefully set the stage for their future careers.”

To encourage student applications in advance of the launch, CUNY’s Industrial & Applied Research Division conducted deep outreach among CUNY campuses including New York City College of Technology (City Tech), the College of Staten Island, Brooklyn College, Lehman College, and others.

One of the VC hosts who is hosting a second intern this year after the success of last year’s internship shared, “I would have never found my John Jay intern without this program. So much of VC is a hush-hush whisper network of opportunities. Undergrads, let alone fresh graduates, are not even considered to work in VC. This program changes that.”