SkyDeck Intern
Scholarship

Program Overview

SkyDeck Intern Scholarship is SkyDeck’s initiative to support UC Berkeley undergraduate students with financial difficulties by providing them paid internships at SkyDeck startups. As a donor to the UC Berkeley Foundation, Simon Ru and Sharon Wu generously created the Ru and Wu Innovation Fund to support stipends for students participating in Berkeley SkyDeck’s Intern Program. The stipends are awarded to students who have financial need. Through this initiative, four undergraduate students will be awarded up to $4,000 each spring and fall for interning at a SkyDeck startup.

Eligibility

To be eligible, the student must be an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley. In addition, the student must:

  • Be an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley
  • Be a current recipient of Pell Grant, Cal Grant, Chafee Grant, Parent Grant or the Fiat Lux Scholarship
  • Have secured an UNPAID internship with a SkyDeck startup for Spring or Fall 2024 through the SkyDeck Intern Fair
  • Not have any visa restrictions to do paid internships in the US if he/she is an international student
  • Enroll in the SkyDeck ACE Intern Program throughout the semester

Requirements

In order to qualify for the award, the student must intern for at least 15 hours per week during the fall or spring semester. Students staying for the full semester will receive $4,000. 

Additional benefits of the program

The recipients of the award also:

  • Get a tour of SkyDeck
  • Meet and engage with sponsor and serial entrepreneur Simon Ru and Sharon Wu, plus other startup or VC leaders

IMPORTANT: The award is going to be an additive for students who are on financial aid. In other words, the award is not going to replace the financial aid the students receive from the university or any other institution. 

Timeline

  • December 11, 2023: Applications open
  • January 8, 2024: Deadline to submit applications
  • January 15, 2024: Recipients are notified

"Last summer, I was thrilled to land an internship
with a SkyDeck startup, but then receiving the
SkyDeck Intern Scholarship was the icing on top.
The mentorship I got through the scholarship was
invaluable and truly helped sharpen my interview skills.
I couldn’t recommend the program more highly."

-Rushi Patel

Program Sponsors

Simon Ru

Simon Ru

Founder

UpNest, acq. by NewsCorp

Sharon Wu

Sharon Wu

Angel Investor & Startup Advisor

Program Team

Sibyl Chen

Sibyl Chen

General Manager

Ekin Günaysu

Ekin Günaysu

Senior Manager, Program

Questions?

Contact Ekin Gunaysu at ekingunaysu@berkeley.edu with any questions