is a summer (May – August) based internship program in which University of Alaska students are paired with an Alaska startup company.

Collaborative opportunities: Connecting entrepreneurial startups with innovative students. Want to know more?

Are you a student looking for a summer opportunity to work with an Alaskan Startup company? Do you want to gain valuable experience in the world of startups and innovation? Are you an Alaskan startup company that is looking for innovative students to work with you and your team? If so, then the Students to Startups program is for you.

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Students learn about design thinking, startup funding, intellectual property, customer discovery, path to market strategies, and pitching. Students transition this knowledge into their startup’s work project while growing their own capacity and capabilities for their future opportunities. Through guest lectures, students get to meet other Alaskan entrepreneurs and program leads that assist them growing their network.

For students or startups interested in joining the program, reach out to us at centerice@alaska.edu. This program is supported by a grant from the Office of Naval Research.

Please let us know if you are interested below and reach out to Prof. Peter Webley, pwwebley@alaska.edu, and Michael Martins, mwmartins@alaska.edu, with questions.

Available Internship Opportunities

Company Name	Company Description	Internship Description Summary	Location
Adivo	Adivo is Alaska’s first on-demand platform designed to connect homeowners with skilled local taskers for home repairs, maintenance, and odd jobs. With just a few taps, users can browse vetted professionals, schedule assistance, and receive real-time updates on task progression — giving them peace of mind that help is always within reach. The app’s mission? “Where tasks meet timeliness.”	An intern in this role would split their time evenly between Marketing/Sales (creating outreach materials, supporting community campaigns, social media content) and Technical Support (testing new app features, reporting bugs, refining user experience, and making website updates).	Up to the intern's preference.
Alaska Food Co.	A stronger, more resilient Alaska powered by local food systems. We are building a state where our farmers, processors, and communities are connected- where food is grown, preserved and eaten right here. We're not just building a business. We're building food security, one freeze dry batch at a time.	Two Specific Roles (See Links): 1. Agriculture & Market Development AND/OR 2. Branding & Marketing Specialist. Students can review the detailed job descriptions via the provided links.	Sometimes on-site, sometimes remote.
Alaska Ocean Farms, LLC	We are a family owned and operated Kelp and Oyster farming operation in Kodiak, AK. We operate 104 combined lease acres and sell products locally, nationally, and in the US. We also operate a kelp nursery system.	Remote Monitoring System Design: Create a robust, weatherproof, off-grid camera monitoring system for the remote oyster and kelp farming operations, which has no cellular or electrical power. Includes two planned visits to Kodiak to survey and install the system.	Sometimes on-site, sometimes remote.
Alaska Shellfish Farms, LLC	Aquatic farm located in Halibut Cove, Alaska focused on cultivation of oysters, mussels and kelps.	Farm Work: Hands-on experience including sorting and cleaning of oysters and working with oysters in all stages of life.	On-site.
Alpine Design & Consulting, LLC	A boutique UX strategy and web design studio specializing in user-centered digital experiences for mission-driven organizations and outdoor-oriented brands. Revenue from larger companies allows us to support local non-profits.	UX/Web Design/Marketing: Hands-on support for client projects. Tasks include assisting with UX audits, conducting competitor research, performing small website edits, supporting content creation (SEO-friendly copy, social media posts), and helping local low-budget non-profits.	Fully remote.
Alyeschem	Formed to construct and operate a small processing plant in Prudhoe Bay to convert natural gas and water to methanol and remove sulfur from locally produced diesel to make Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD). A small, rapidly growing company working with large institutional equity investors.	Business Development: Work directly with the CEO and COO to research and document additional business development opportunities. Deliverables include a written business development plan and an Excel-based financial model for each opportunity. Fluency in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint is required.	Up to the intern's preference (On-site in Anchorage preferred).
AnchorBot Marine, LLC	An engineering and services company structured around its flagship solution, the AnchorBot ROV, a utility-class vehicle that can install & remove helical earth anchors for offshore operations including mariculture and floating solar.	Project Planning & Field Engineering: Help with the planning and execution of Anchor Bot Projects. Tasks include reviewing soil analysis and seafloor data for site suitability and performing on-site field engineering work assisting in the operation and installation of helical anchors.	Sometimes on-site, sometimes remote.
Barnacle Foods	Based in Juneau, Alaska, we make shelf-stable food products that are sold around the country. These foods prominently feature Alaska coastal ingredients like kelp, spruce tips, and rhubarb.	Two Roles Available: 1. Social Media Intern: Content development, graphic design, photography, and storytelling for social media platforms. 2. Production Intern: Hands-on experience in kelp logistics, processing, food safety, and general operations in our kitchen.	Sometimes on-site, sometimes remote.
beadedcloud	A web platform that helps discover insights for engineers, scientists, and operators whose infrastructure is experiencing environmental challenges or opportunities (e.g., Temperature Forecasting Tool, Snow Depth Monitor, Wind Induced Vibrations monitoring).	Software Development: Go through a tutorial on specific technologies (Typescript, Angular, Node.js, and PostgreSQL) and then contribute directly to the production codebase in a full-stack environment. The goal is to be pushing work to production within the first week.	Up to the intern's preference.
Blue Ocean Gear	Provides Smart Buoy technology for commercial fishing fleets to track gear on the ocean, reduce gear loss, and provide mission-critical ocean data.	Customer Success / Technical Support: Combination of learning hardware and software technical details while gaining understanding of various fisheries. Tasks include monitoring active fishing, troubleshooting for fishers, and working to improve the customer support process.	Fully remote.
CalWave	Develops technologies that generate electricity from the movement of ocean waves. CalWave is scaling the "xWave" system to utility-scale, with a pipeline of projects across Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.	Project Development & Policy Analysis: Identify new project opportunities (especially in Alaska), map stakeholders, analyze power production potential, research energy/climate policy, and contribute to project financial models.	Up to the intern's preference.
Chugach Chocolates	Craft producer of premium Alaska chocolate products, using a variety of local ingredients and flavors (sea salt, birch syrup, kelp, etc.). We champion doing things well—we won't sell a product unless it tastes amazing.	Sales and Marketing Initiative: Design and lead an initiative focused on 1) identifying and establishing sales with new wholesale partners (e.g., gift stores, hotels, tour operators) and 2) increasing sales with existing customers. May include product R&D and scaling production research.	Up to the intern's preference.
Circle Seafoods QALICB, INC.	By freezing fish at ultra-low temperatures, right at sea, we are increasing the quality and value of wild seafood. The result is higher prices, economically viable harvesting, thriving communities, and stronger fisheries.	Two Roles: 1. Quality and Data Internship (On-site Metlakatla AK) 2. Sales and Marketing Internship (Hybrid Remote, Anchorage/Seattle), working directly with the Co-Founder. Quality Internship is the higher priority.	Some in-person work required
Cordova Chamber of Commerce	People often picture chambers as simple business associations, but the Cordova Chamber is a nationally recognized force for community resilience and regenerative innovation. Through its programs, we empower entrepreneurs, cultural leaders, and small businesses to co-create a vibrant, place-rooted local economy.	Regenerative Travel & Entrepreneurship: Work on designing regenerative travel offerings and group visitor experiences. Tasks include research on travel models, community/entrepreneur engagement, co-creating prototype travel products, and developing metrics for impact measurement.	Fully remote.
Designori, LLC	Designori, LLC harnesses over 12 years of expertise in Extended Reality (XR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, offering cutting-edge solutions that transform training and education. We develop immersive data-driven tools and integrate AR/VR/MR experiences.	Work with a multi-disciplined team on the cutting edge of AR/VR, Lidar scanning, Gaussian Splatting, and educational technology for clients seeking transformative digital solutions. For detailed internship information, see: xrei.designori.net	Fully remote.
Evergreen Compliance LLC	We are an information service provider to the pipeline industry. We organize pipeline safety compliance information and guidance in a Software as a Service (SaaS) search tool named Evergreen:AIR™.	Information Management: Help with Metadata development for pipeline enforcement cases, organizing historical rulemaking information, writing/editing informational white papers, and preparing information for import into the Evergreen:AIR™ tool.	Up to the intern's preference.
Green Taxi Aerospace	We install electric motors (eTaxi) on the landing gear of a jet airliner to allow it to taxi (move) on the ground without using its main engines. This saves over 100,000 gallons of fuel and 1,200 metric tons of CO2 per year per aircraft. Delta Airlines is a partner.	Engineering/Business Hybrid: Market study, website revamp, technical manual writing, 3D artistic renderings for system design, benefits analysis to airlines, assisting with global sales efforts (CRM), and working with the CEO on strategic projects.	Up to the intern's preference.
Greensparc, Inc.	Data infrastructure for unserved markets. Focus areas include Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and AI infrastructure.	Internship will focus on gaining Experience in the AI sector, likely involving data management, infrastructure design, or application development in support of unserved markets. Specific projects will be tailored to the intern's background (EE/CS).	TBD
Integrative Mushroom Solutions (IMS) LLC	Launching an innovative line of premium mushroom food products from Alaska that nourish human health while catalyzing fungi education and forest stewardship to protect Alaska's rich mycobiome.	Product Launch & Marketing: Integral role in product launch, covering packaging/label development, implementing marketing strategy with coaches/contractors, managing social media/website, creating educational content (mycobiome/stewardship), and supporting tradeshows. A rare opportunity for end-to-end product launch experience and cross-functional marketing skills.	TBD
Kartorium	Provides an AI-powered documentation and visual twin platform that transforms fragmented operational information into instant, reliable answers for industrial maintenance teams.	Computer Science/Full-Stack Development: Go through a tutorial on specific technologies (Typescript, Angular, Node.js, and PostgreSQL), then contribute to the production workflow to gain real-world coding experience and build a reference for their resume.	Sometimes on-site, sometimes remote.
Keepers	Building the first fully automated property management company for short-term rentals (STRs), eliminating manual operations by automating cleaning, inventory, laundry, and maintenance.	Operations & Administration: Work closely with the CEO learning many aspects of the company, helping with daily operations, and administrative tasks within a rapidly scaling automation company.	Fully remote.
Kodiak Ocean Bounty	Oyster Farming, Lab and Nursery, and sales. We are growing oysters from Lab to Sales. While the oyster farming, managing a floating culture farm (-0'), is well established, we are working to add additional species in a multitrophic farm, including mussels (-3'), kelp (-7') and sea cucumbers (-20'). We are working on the system design to implement the first 3D farm in Alaksa.	We are deploying a FLUPSY (floating upwelling system) this year, and will be working to develop systems around sorting, grading and restocking. We have been experimenting with lab processes, and this year we will be moving into production quantities of algae. Key areas: 1) Multitrophic farming system design, 2) FLUPSY operations and 3) Lab production of algae to feed filter feeders, primarily oysters.	TBD
Pacific Kelp Co.	Ketchikan based kelp farming and processing company. PKC produces biostimulant and fertilizer products from Alaskan grown kelp, selling to farmers and growers across the country.	Business Scaling (Multi-focus): Interns can assist in Sales (market research, pitch materials), Marketing (social media content, analytics), Manufacturing (assembly, QC, inventory), or Product R&D (experiments, testing formulations).	Up to the intern's preference.
Pt Capital	An Alaska-based private equity firm focused on building and scaling businesses across the Arctic (tourism, aviation, hospitality, industrial services). We work hands-on with founders to develop strategy and accelerate operational performance.	Investment & Strategy: Work directly with the investment team on both portfolio operations and new investment opportunities. Tasks include financial analysis, market research, building valuation models, and drafting due-diligence questions for founders.	Up to the intern's preference.
Relevant Publishers LLC	We are an award-winning small press operating as a traditional book publisher.	Focus on Marketing/Social Media and Editing/Publishing. Tasks include: Learning book publishing basics (IP, editing, layout, design, metadata), developing and running new marketing campaigns, and creating social media content (videos/text/image) based on branding guidelines, potentially using human animation or AI software.	TBD
Remote Hands	We're building a tech-enabled professional services marketplace for rural-remote communities, connecting organizations with local service providers - "Uber for tasks in remote communities."	Startup Strategy & Development: Could include app development/database architecture, new feature/AI integration, marketing/content creation, or building service checklists (e.g., human research interviewing, environmental sampling). Interns will learn lean startup strategy (prototyping, testing, pivoting) and workforce management business models.	TBD
Sea Quester Farms	Kelp farm based in Juneau, Alaska - farming bull kelp, sugar kelp and various native species. Conducting research and creating food products along with bulk kelp for Barnacle Foods.	Hands-on Farm Work: Harvesting, sorting, processing kelp in a commercial kitchen, drying, packaging, cleaning equipment, research sampling, social media work, photography, and product design. Opportunity to gain skills, kelp community connections, and experience in research/data collection.	TBD
Simpson Bay Oyster Company	SBOC operates an oyster farm outside of Cordova, AK providing oysters to the local region. Our primary project is growing and selling pacific oysters. Our farm is also a research site collecting water quality data and supporting a variety of scientific projects.	Mariculture Operations: Entry-level experience with the mariculture operation from farm to sales. Work is done in a remote setting from small boats and a floating dock. Learn how to operate small engines (outboards, water pumps, generators) and gain an appreciation for environmental stewardship.	TBD
Sitkana	Sitkana is a marine energy company developing hydrokinetic systems that convert predictable tidal and ocean current flows into clean, distributed power for remote coastal communities. Our technology uses low-cost, drag-based units.	Engineering, Business Development, & Problem-Solving: Contribute to the design of the full-scale surface platform and hydrokinetic systems, prototype/simulate components, and help shape long-term business strategy. Technical students (Electrical/Mechanical) are highly desired.	Up to the intern's preference.
Tundra Electronics INC	Tundra designs and builds custom cases, holsters, pouches, bags and much more with our custom patented heating system inside to allow electronic devices to operate at extreme cold climates. We target Military usage and Antarctica/Arctic exploration and tourism.	Engineering & Testing: Research cold-weather equipment, design/build/test heated cases, research batteries, design/build/test PCB control boards, conduct real-life cold/freezer tests. Also involves using 3D printers, CAD, and marketing assistance.	Fully remote.

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Students2Startups - Examples from previous years

Previous cohorts

Students 2025

• Jacob Schirmer working with Kartorium
• Lara Imperial working with beadedstream
• Merajur Rahman Mollah working with AirVitalize
• Stefano Fochesatto working with Designori
• Jessica Killeen working with Sea Quester Farms
• Shelby Thompson working with Pacific Kelp Company
• Audrey Lonheim working with Sea Quester Farms

Students 2024

• Jasmine Singh working with Fluitec International
• Daniel Schliesing working with Vecflow AI
• Jacob Schirmer working with Kartorium
• Ashton Wagner working with Artixan Systems
• Youji Seto working with Designori
• Adam Bishop working with Vecflow AI
• Virginia Crapo working with Blue Ocean Gear
• Joshua Hoggan working with Radiant Industries
• Clint Scholtisek with Designori
• Lara Imperial working with Kartorium
• Felicia Tapp working with Gabriel AI and Keepers US Inc
• Kadin Dayton working with AirVitalize Innovations
• Anastasia Chen working with AirVitalize Innovations
• Tatum Hartlieb working with Sea Quester Farms
• Elise Wood working with Switched Source
• Mohammad Shakhawat Hossain working with Fluitec International
• Adrian Kelly Antonio working with Ramper Innovations

Students 2023

• Lindy Guernsey - Working with Mighty Pipeline
• Anthony van Weel – Working with Kartorium
• Andrew Hong - Working with Mighty Pipeline
• Kevin Huo - Working with Remora

Students 2022

• Alora Greer - Worked with Kartorium
• Anthony van Weel – Worked with Kartorium
• Nicole Mah- Worked with Telesomm
• Paul James Natcher - Worked with Airhounds
• Rachel Heimke - Worked with Noble Ocean Farms
• Thomas Huntington - Worked with The Roaming Root Cellar and Elevated Oats

Students 2021

• Oscar Hernandez - Worked with The Launch Company
• Jessica Huezo – Worked with Karta Solutions
• Keng Lor - Worked with Karta Solutions
• Joshua MacEachern - Worked with Aquagga
• Zachary Barnes - Worked with The Launch Company
• Phillip Drennan - Worked with Karta Solutions
• Corey Giddings - Worked with Remora and Elevated Oats
• Trisha Jimmie - Worked with Pallet9
• Sarah Olson - Worked with Remora and Elevated Oats

Students 2020

• Solomon Himelbloom - Worked with 907 Financial
• Sarah Walker - Worked with 907 Financial
• Heather Jensen - Worked with AK Seeds of Change
• Gabrielle Camp - Worked with AK Seeds of Change
• Theng Yang - Worked with Barati Medical
• Daniel Luna-Sanchez - Worked with Barati Medical
• Malvika Shriwas - Worked with Culture Story
• Alanna Greenwell - Worked with Culture Story
• DeAnna Lowden - Worked with BeCool Pharma
• Brianna Gilmore - Worked with Coupi
• Meg Waite - Worked with Integrated Mushroom Solutions
• Angie Mendbayer - Worked with Integrated Mushroom Solutions
• Nolan Earnest - Worked with Oranji App
• Kernell Snow - Worked with Learn Grant Writing

Students 2019

• Dain Harmon - Worked with BhaisaPi Tech
• Gerald Montuya - Worked with Barati Medical
• Erin Tolman - Worked with Coupi
• Tristan Craddick - Worked with Coupi
• Angie Mendbayer - Worked with Box Power
• Lars O'Hara - Worked with BeCool Pharma
• Brianna Gilmore - Worked with Coupi