Northwest Arkansas Program Funds 140 Internships
Northwest Arkansas program will support 70 startups and place 140 college students in paid internships over two years.
By Academic Writing Club Newsroom
The Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center will place 140 University of Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas Community College students in paid startup internships over two years while supporting 70 early-stage startups. The nonprofit’s new Northwest Arkansas initiative combines its Milestone Circles founder coaching program with Startup Intern Match. The University of Arkansas Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Northwest Arkansas Community College are partners in the program. The Walton Family Foundation supports the initiative, with additional support from the Wells Fargo Foundation.
Paid Startup Placements
Students will be paid $15 an hour for 10 hours a week during 12-week placements at early-stage startups. Four cohorts will run during the grant period, with 140 students placed in total.
Brent Williams, dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, said:
“Through the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, we are committed to immersive learning that connects students with real-world challenges, founders, and emerging companies. We are pleased to partner with the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center and Northwest Arkansas Community College on Startup Intern Match, an initiative that expands access to startup experiences while strengthening the talent pipeline across our region.”
Founder Coaching Cohorts
Startups will join Milestone Circles and Startup Intern Match at the same time. The arrangement gives founders onboarding frameworks and coaching before interns arrive. Four founder cohorts will include up to 16 in-person sessions each, covering onboarding, accountability sessions, and graduation. Applications for the program are open on a rolling basis.
The Center projects an average revenue increase of at least 10% among revenue-generating participants, at least $500,000 in new capital raised, and at least 30 new jobs across the grant period. The program will close with a joint graduation and Nasdaq Tower recognition in Times Square.
Matt Waller, professor at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas and facilitator of Milestone Circles NWA, said:
“Northwest Arkansas has no shortage of ambitious founders. What they often lack is a room of peers who will ask the hard questions and hold them accountable. That is what Milestone Circles provides.”
Connecting Students And Startups
For students, the program creates a paid route into startup work while founders receive structured support before taking on interns. The Center said its Milestone Circles initiative has graduated 8,381 founders from 17,839 applications to date. It also reported that more than 4,150 startups have requested interns, exceeding current capacity by 32 times.
Nicola Corzine, CEO and Founding Executive Director of the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, said:
“Northwest Arkansas is a hub of innovation and entrepreneurial energy, and we are proud to partner with the Walton Family Foundation to fuel that momentum. Milestone Circles and Startup Intern Match will create real, lasting connections between students and startups, between founders and mentors, and between the Center and the Northwest Arkansas community.”
