How a GO Virginia grant is helping Lighthouse Labs launch a paid student internship program

A nearly half-a-million-dollar grant is allowing Lighthouse Labs to recruit interns for its alumni founders.

The opportunity for paid internships is the result of a recently awarded $429,000 grant from GO Virginia. 

Sarah Pavilack, founder success coordinator for Lighthouse Labs, said it’s the first time the Richmond-based organization has received the grant. A portion of the funding is designated for university-level interns to help support startup growth over the next two years. Pavilack said Lighthouse is recruiting intern candidates who are Virginia-based. 

“We want students who are eager to dive in,” she said. “One of the benefits of working with a startup is you get to really see all sides of the business and get exposed to things that you might not get in traditional internships with a large company.” 

Pavilack said the internships are a valuable opportunity because these companies are early stage.  

“We want to find people who really want to get involved directly with the growth in a company,” she said. “The goal is for (the startups) to grow long-term, so that means over these next couple months or years, they will be hiring, too.” 

Without these types of opportunities, the cost of hiring interns is often a financial barrier for startups, Pavilack said. 

“Some of the startups have wanted to have internships, but they weren’t able to afford it,” she said. “I feel like the unpaid internship format is a thing of the past now. People want to compensate their interns fairly, but they were at a standstill because they didn’t have the funding to do that.” 

Deadline to apply for the spring internships is Jan. 4, and open on a rolling basis. The following Lighthouse alumni startups are offering internship roles that are set to begin on Jan. 10:

Student interns will be paid a stipend of $10 per hour. The internships will run for 16 weeks and range from 10 to 15 hours per week. Pavilack said Lighthouse will assist with the initial interviews during the recruiting process. 

“I am going to be doing the initial screening calls and applications to make sure the applicants understand what kind of industry they’re getting into, understand the expectations of the program (and) what the stipend will be,” she said. “I’m freeing up some time for the founders so they can focus on their business.”

Pavilack noted that this opportunity is “a win-win” for everyone.

“It’s great to see we’re providing internships for Virginia students and we’re providing a valuable workforce for Virginia companies, too,” she said. “Long-term, we would love to see the interns have positions working with the companies or be connected to the Lighthouse alumni network … Or even decide to be founders themselves in the future.”