Luis Martinez with students at S+S orientation
Trinity to Pilot “Students + Startups”
80/20 Foundation Grant to Jump Start Student Internships with Local Startups

SAN ANTONIO – Students who come to Trinity University to become serious and successful entrepreneurs are one step closer to reaching that goal, thanks to a grant from San Antonio’s 80/20 Foundation. In partnership with San Antonio coworking space Geekdom, a new, competitive internship program called Students + Startups will pair 30 Trinity students with local tech startup companies and entrepreneurs beginning this summer. The internship program is being funded initially by a grant from the 80/20 Foundation, whose founder is San Antonio technology giant Graham Weston, also co-founder and chairman of Rackspace Hosting.

The students will be eligible to receive a stipend of $4,000 for a 10-week, full-time internship. The internship will also cover the cost of on-campus housing and tuition for one academic credit hour. The total cost per internship will be split between the 80/20 Foundation grant and the local startup companies selected for the program.

“San Antonio’s startup scene is growing rapidly – presenting a need for quality summer interns and an amazing learning opportunity for students. Students + Startups connects high-caliber university students with the downtown-based startups looking to hire,” said Lorenzo Gomez, executive director of the 80/20 Foundation.

A key goal of Students + Startups is to connect Trinity students with the local startup community, to learn from these entrepreneurs how they built their companies, and to see the multiple roles and responsibilities early hires have in these organizations. “Trinity University has always been one of the first places people look for talent,” said Luis Martinez, director of Trinity’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “A liberal arts education is ideally suited for the startup world as entrepreneurs often wear multiple hats and need to think critically across multiple disciplines. This new program will really connect these great students with San Antonio’s growing tech ecosystem so that they really see themselves as an active part of the community.” The summer internships also offer students experiential learning opportunities throughout San Antonio to bridge the gap between academic inquiry and real-world decision making.

The Students + Startups internship program helps Trinity execute one of the strategic goals of Trinity Tomorrow. The University’s ten-year strategic plan calls for substantially increasing experiential learning opportunities for all of its students. “Trinity University is fortunate to have a partnership with the 80/20 Foundation which will help us expand the site of learning from Trinity’s campus into San Antonio’s growing entrepreneurship eco-system,” said Trinity president Danny Anderson.

Trinity students from all majors and departments are welcome to apply. For more information contact Martinez at lmartin6@trinity.edu or 210-999-8248, or visit http://geekdom.com/studentsstartups.

Susie P. Gonzalez helped tell Trinity's story as part of the University communications team.

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