Ladder Internships

Making high-quality startup internship opportunities to high school students around the world!

Founded by Harvard entrepreneurs, Ladder Internships helps the most talented high school interns work with the world’s best start-ups. We select interns with high potential, train them, and pair them with CEOs to complete a project. Our CEOs and founders come from Harvard Business School, have received funding from Y-Combinator, and have worked at McKinsey, Google, and Microsoft.

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Overview

Information on this page is provided by the innovator and has not been evaluated by HundrED.

Updated May 2025

Web presence

2023

Established

100 2024

38

Countries

Students upper

Target group

At Ladder Internships, our hope is to change education by giving high school students a chance to learn through real work. We want to see a world where students get the resources, coaching, and guidance to grow into confident professionals. Our program is about doing meaningful work with top startups, which helps students turn what they've learned in school into skills they can use on the job.

About the innovation

Why did you create this innovation?

Ladder was founded with the mission to create a bridge for talented, ambitious high-school students to work with world-class start-ups. Our goal is to give our interns all the resources they need to succeed as young professionals—training from our founder's time at McKinsey, coaching from top mentors, and managers who care about their success.

What does your innovation look like in practice?

Ladder Internships offers high school students a unique entry into the startup world. Our rigorous selection process—including a written application and an interview—identifies standout candidates who exhibit both academic excellence and a drive for innovation. Chosen interns engage with founders and teams at their host company to contribute to substantial projects. They also benefit from professional development sessions with SparkWise, preparing them for a future in the professional world.

How has it been spreading?

Over the past year, Ladder Internships has received 600+ applications worldwide. We've welcomed over 450 interns from 38 different countries, collaborating with over 100 startups that are ready to mentor and nurture new talent. Committed to accessibility, we've also distributed over $50,000 in financial aid to empower ambitious students on their professional journeys.

If I want to try it, what should I do?

To learn more about our offerings, visit our website, https://www.ladderinternships.com/. To sign up for the program, fill out the application form on the website by selecting 'Apply Now'. If you have any questions or wish to get in touch, email us at contact@ladderinternships.com.

Implementation steps

Visit our website

Start by visiting the our website - https://www.ladderinternships.com/ to understand our offerings, eligibility criteria, and the kind of startups we partner with.

Complete the Application

Fill out the application form available on our website - https://airtable.com/appx1OFdMpDfxtEkR/shrNdEykWdhc4yeSv. Be prepared to provide information about your educational background, interests, and any relevant experience. Take your time to write thoughtful responses to our application questions!

Interview Process

If you are selected and invited for the next round with the Ladder team (i.e. the interview round), prepare for an interview. Use this opportunity to help the team understand your goals, motivations and aspirations and what you hope to gain from this experience.

Acceptance and Matching

Once accepted into the program, you will be requested to pay an initial deposit fee of $200 before you are matched with a startup that aligns with your interests and skills. The team will then share the company's profile with you. Once you review your company match, you pay the remaining tuition amount.

Start Your Internship:

Begin the internship with your chosen company. To get the most out of this experience, be proactive, seek feedback, and build your network within the startup community.