Internship in your own startup
Are you considering starting your own business or have you already taken the plunge and started your own business? Then an internship in your own startup might be something for you.
Our internship program is an opportunity to get hands-on experience testing and building a business and using your academic skills while getting ECTS-credits. The internship is for you who has an idea for a business you would like to test and for you who already has an existing business you want to develop further.
You will become part of a cohort of students from the entire university, who all participate in the same program consisting of workshops, business development and peer-to-peer sessions.
The deadline for signing up for the program is June 30, 2023
Benefits you get from interning in your own startup
- Hands-on experience building a business
- Project skills
- A unique opportunity to work on the startup of your dreams
- Work on your own business and incorporate it into your study
- Learn from a group of versatile entrepreneurs who are all trying to develop a business
What does The Kitchen provide?
The Kitchen supports your journey all the way with a tailormade internship program.
You and your intern cohort become part of The Kitchen’s Founders’ Community and get access to all our services in Founders:
- Workshops and community sessions
- Office space, meeting rooms, photo lab, podcast lab and other facilities at The Kitchen
- Open desk services such as lawyers, accountants, sales coaches etc.
- Access to applying for soft funding
- A community of likeminded entrepreneurs
What does the internship program consist of?
The internship program roughly consists of four pillars balancing a mix of inputs and time for you to work with your idea. There will be 2 mandatory sessions of 2-3 hours a week. All sessions take place at The Kitchen.
The program consists of:
1. Program designed for the cohort of interns
1.1: A workshop series ‘Startup essentials’ where you work on validating assumptions about your business idea, your customers, and defining your position in the market. After each workshop there will be a follow-up session.
1.2: Workshop with an accountant and lawyer + a sales workshop
1.2: In the final part of the internship program you will attend Pitch Week, where the focus is on presenting your startup.
2. Business development sessions
You will be assigned a business developer from The Kitchen. How often you meet with your personal business developer for 1:1 sessions is up to you
3. Peer development sessions
Biweekly sessions where you will receive and give feedback to the others in the cohort. Also you will work on setting new goals and reflecting on the progress you have made. These sessions are a valuable part of getting input for your academic exam.
4. Work on your idea
In between workshops and sessions you will have plenty of time to work on your idea and use your new tools
All the planned activities in the internship are mandatory. If you are following additional ECTS-credited courses we expect you to prioritize the activities in The Kitchen equally. We will be taking attendance during the internship, and require a minimum of 80% attendance throughout the entire program.
What will you learn?
- Different ways of contacting customers, stakeholders, partners etc.
- Collecting and converting insights into actions
- An understanding of who you are, what you know, which resources you have and how to use this as a foundation for the business you want to create
- Basic understanding of business models and how you can use them to create a viable business
- To act constructively in feedback sessions
- To present your case
- How to use formal and informal network relations
What to consider and what does The Kitchen expect from me?
In this internship you are expected to take the lead and be responsible for your own progress. Through the internship program you will be presented to a variety of tools and get a lot of guidance from our business developers. Your job is to put this into action in order to move forward. There will always be someone to ask for advice and guidance, and we have planned lots of sparring sessions. But you are in charge!
There are many resources in The Kitchen besides advisors and other startups.. The Kitchen haslegal advice, accountants, funding partners, patent workshops etc. that you are free to use. We will of course give you an introduction, but you are responsible for getting the full benefits of these services.
This internship program requires you to be ready to work independently and structure your own time. In return your entrepreneurial skills will grow, as well as your project management competencies.
All the planned activities in the internship are mandatory and take place physically in The Kitchen. You will be a valuable part of the internship cohort and become part of the greater cohort in The Kitchen. If you are following additional ECTS-credited courses we expect you to prioritize the activities in The Kitchen equally. We will be taking attendance during the internship, and require a minimum of 80% attendance throughout the entire program
Who is eligible for this type of internship?
Internship in own startup requires internships (also know as project placement or projektorienteret forløb) to be part of your academic regulations.
Some field of studies have specific courses called ‘Projektorienteret forløb I egen virksomhed’ (Eg. at Department of Management at BSS and at Digital Design and Information Science on Arts), while other field of studies allow internship in own startup via the ordinary internship course.
Please check with your board of study or internship supervisor whether you are eligible or not.
How to sign up for the internship program?
- Find out if you are eligible to do an internship in your own startup.
- Find an academic supervisor and start to describe the specific goals you want to achieve during the internship.
- Contact the internship coordinator at The Kitchen and set up a meeting. Prior to this meeting you will be asked to fill out a short description of your idea/startup.
- At the meeting in The Kitchen you will be asked to describe your idea and we will present the internship program, our expectations to you and what you can expect from us during your internship.
- To be finally accepted into the internship program you will have to sign an internship contract with The Kitchen.
- The final program will be sent to you via email before the summer holiday. In august you will be assigned a business developer and receive the dates of the group sessions.
Important deadlines
May 1-5: Course registration
To do an internship in own startup, you must register your project placement in the Student Self-Service system (STADS). This applies even if you have not obtained a signed project placement agreement from The Kitchen.
When the course registration is open, choose ‘Projektorienteret forløb’/’Project placement’.
If you are a student in the MSc in Economics and Business Adminstration (cand.merc.) programme at Aarhus BSS, you can choose the course ‘Project-based Internship in Your Own Startup.
If you are a student at the department of Digital Design and Information Science you can choose the course ‘Project placement – innovation and entrepreneurship,
June 30: Registration for the internship program with The Kitchen
The deadline for signing up for the internship in The Kitchen
August 15: Upload of project placement
If you are a student at BSS your project placement agreement must be handed in no later than August 15. Students from Arts must upload their agreement before the internship starts.
FAQ
Do I need a CVR number to intern in my own startup?
No, The Kitchen doesn't require CVR to be accepted to the internship program. Some fields of studies may require this, so enquire with your academic advisor if you are in doubt.
How much time am I required spending on my internship?
That depends on the amount of ECTS you get for your project placement. The more ECTS you get the more hours you are required to spend. Your academic advisor can guide you on the specifics in your field of study.
When do I start my internship?
The internship program starts in the beginning of the semester and runs from approximately September 1 to December 1.
What are the requirements for my exam if I intern in my own startup?
You can find information about your exam in connection with project placements in your academic regulations.
Can I continue at The Kitchen after my internship?
Yes, you can! We actually hope that you do. You do not have to do anything to continue at The Kitchen after you finish your internship. As long as you are a part of Founders’ Community, you can access all the services at The Kitchen.
Can I pay salary to myself while interning in my own startup?
No, as in any other ECTS-credited internship you cannot receive salary.
Do I need to have an idea to intern in my own startup?
Yes, you do have to have an idea to do an internship in your own startup. The idea does not need to be fully developed, but we require that you have made some initial considerations about what your idea is, how it brings value to your potential customers, and whom your potential customers could be. These are also some of the questions you will have to answer when applying for the internship program.
