Location: Remote
Dates: May 18, 2026 – June 26, 2026
Time Commitment: Full-time (~40 hours per week)
Organization: Gavel and Quill LLC
Type: Unpaid Internship
About Gavel and Quill
Gavel and Quill is a startup incubator, coworking space, and professional services firm based in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. We help entrepreneurs build ventures that matter.
Our organization launches and supports high-impact projects designed to address real-world challenges, particularly in areas such as climate technology, sustainable finance, and responsible technology development. We believe the future will be shaped by mission-driven founders and problem-solvers.
Through startup incubation and professional services, we help turn early ideas into real ventures by focusing on customer discovery, rapid prototyping, and building products that solve meaningful problems.
About the Internship
The Gavel and Quill Summer Startup Internship is an intensive, project-based program designed to give students hands-on experience in a startup environment.
Unlike many internships that focus on routine tasks, this program places interns directly into teams working on real problems and real projects. Interns collaborate across disciplines to explore challenges, develop solutions, and build early-stage products.
Participants will gain exposure to the startup process from idea exploration to building and presenting a working concept or prototype.
Interns begin with a short practice project before joining teams working on larger initiatives connected to real-world challenges.
Focus Areas for 2026
Intern projects will explore problems in areas such as:
- Education and global access to foundational skills
- Preparing the workforce for an AI-driven economy
- Truth, fact-checking, and journalism in an AI world
- Financial systems that help individuals and communities
- Preparing for economic and geopolitical deglobalization
- Climate and agricultural resilience
Teams investigate problems in these areas and work toward developing solutions that could become future ventures.
What Interns Do
During the program, interns will:
- Work in small, cross-functional teams
- Investigate real-world problems through research and customer discovery
- Develop and test ideas for new products or services
- Contribute to building early-stage prototypes or MVPs
- Collaborate with teammates across different disciplines
- Present their work and project outcomes at the end of the program
Interns experience the collaborative, fast-moving environment typical of early-stage startups.
Skills and Experience Gained
Participants gain exposure to skills commonly used in startups and innovation-focused organizations, including:
- Customer discovery and problem validation
- Startup methodology and product development
- Team collaboration in distributed environments
- Communication and feedback practices
- Problem solving and initiative in ambiguous situations
- Real-world project development
Depending on the project, interns may also gain experience with technical tools, data, software development, or research methods.
Mentorship and Learning
Interns work alongside mentors and experienced professionals who guide project development and provide career insights.
The program also includes opportunities to hear from guest speakers representing different career paths in technology, business, and entrepreneurship.
At the conclusion of the internship, teams present their projects and outcomes.
Program Outcomes
By the end of the internship, participants will have:
- Worked on real startup-style projects
- Developed experience collaborating on cross-disciplinary teams
- Explored potential career paths
- Built professional connections
- Presented a project or prototype
- Earned a Certificate of Completion from Gavel and Quill
Interns are also recognized on the Gavel and Quill website upon completing the program.
Who Should Apply
We welcome applications from students interested in solving meaningful problems and learning how new ventures are created.
Typical applicants include students studying:
- Business
- Computer Science
- Engineering
- Economics
- Public policy
- Or any field related to problem-solving and innovation
Students at all stages of their academic careers are encouraged to apply.
Prior technical experience is not required.
International students are welcome to apply.
Internship Structure
- Remote program
- Full-time commitment (~40 hours per week)
- Teams collaborate across time zones from EST through PST
- Regular team meetings and mentorship sessions
Because the internship is remote, interns should be comfortable working collaboratively online and communicating with teammates regularly.
Compensation and Academic Credit
This internship is unpaid.
Many students have used participation in the program to fulfill internship or experiential learning requirements for their academic programs. Applicants should check with their institution to determine whether the internship may qualify for course credit.
Our Culture
At Gavel and Quill, we emphasize:
- Problem solving
- Initiative
- Curiosity
- Collaboration
- Building things that matter
This internship is designed for students who want to learn by doing and who are excited to tackle meaningful challenges.
Program Size
The 2026 internship program expects approximately 30 interns, organized into small teams working on different projects.