Frequently Asked Questions

10KE was created by venture firm Alumni Ventures to foster entrepreneurial exploration. We believe that the world needs more builders, makers, and creators, and we want to help cultivate the next generation of entrepreneurs. One way we do this is by providing financial support to undergrads who pursue a summer internship at a startup or other innovation-oriented opportunity. We know that the cost of living in some of the largest startup hubs (CA, NY, MA, etc.) can be expensive. We don’t want these costs to deter students from pursuing an incredible learning opportunity.

• 10KE grants are for undergrads from any college or university in the U.S. or Canada.
• Students must take a summer internship with a startup or innovation-oriented entity or plan to work on their own startup.
• Students must be residents of the U.S. or Canada.

Each grant is $2,000 and is intended to help cover living expenses incurred during the internship or process of incubating your own startup.

We intend to award 25 scholarships in 2022, but the final number will be dependent on the number, qualifications, and quality of applicants. There is no specific number of grants reserved for internships vs. your own startup.

• Students identify or secure an internship at a startup or formalize plans to pursue their own startup.
• They complete and submit the application. Applications for Summer 2022 scholarships are due no later than March 15.
• The 10KE Scholarship Committee members will review submissions and may contact applicants for Zoom interviews and references.
• There is no set number of scholarships designated for just startups or for internships.
• We will announce scholarship winners in April 2022.
• Recipients will receive their grant money no later than June 2022. We’ll check in post-experience to see how the summer went and will ask you to tell us about your experience and give us your feedback.

We’re looking for students who are willing to take a risk to explore the “road less traveled.” We’d like to see intellectual curiosity, entrepreneurial interest and drive, diverse backgrounds and experiences, and well-articulated goals for your internship/startup experience.

Once the application period closes, the Scholarship Committee will review all complete applications.

Ideally, you will have secured your internship before submitting an application, as you are expected to provide details about it in your application.

You are welcome to apply if you are still in the process of arranging an internship. However, any grant may be contingent upon your securing an internship at a startup or growth company or dedicating yourself to your own startup.

You may still apply, but please be as descriptive about the job or entity as possible to indicate the entrepreneurial nature of the opportunity. We may need to contact you for more information.

We definitely support that. However, we’ll ask that you have a well-articulated concept of what that business is and how you will spend your summer to develop your concept/business.

At our discretion, we may conduct Zoom interviews with finalists.

Winners will be notified in April 2022.

We expect you to work hard, contribute in a meaningful way to the startup/venture, and takeaway some conclusions about entrepreneurial endeavors. We reserve the right to use a winner’s likeness and testimonial in future print, social, web, or other advertisements, as well as newsletters. In addition, grant winners will be encouraged to share their experience with us at the end of the internship.