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SkyDeck Intern
Scholarship

Program Overview

SkyDeck Intern Scholarship is SkyDeck’s newly launched 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 have generously created the Ru and Wu Innovation Fund to support summer stipends for students participating in Berkeley SkyDeck’s Intern Program. The stipends are awarded to students who self-report that they have financial need. Through this initiative, four or five undergraduate students will be awarded up to $5,000 each summer for interning at a SkyDeck startup.

 

Eligibility

The students that fulfill the eligibility requirements below can apply for the program by May 26th at 5pm PT. To be eligible, 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
  • Must have secured an UNPAID internship with a SkyDeck startup for Summer of 2023.
  • Not have any visa restrictions to do paid internships in the US if he/she is an international student

 

Requirements

In order to qualify for the award, the student must intern for at least 20 hours per week for 12 weeks during the 2023 summer semester. The standard intern period runs from Mon, June 5th through Fri, August 18th. The internship can be done in-person, remotely, or in hybrid mode based on the agreement between the students and their supervisors. Students staying for the full 12 week period will receive $5,000. 

 

Additional benefits of the program

The recipients of the award also:

 

  • Get access to the SkyDeck ACE Intern Program
  • 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

 

  • May 3rd at 10am PDT: Applications open
  • May 26th at 5pm PDT: Deadline to submit applications
  • May 24th: Recipients are notified

 

Students interested in the program and fulfill the eligibility criteria above can submit their applications HERE between May 3rd – May 26th. 

Program Sponsors

Simon Ru
Simon Ru linkedin

Simon Ru

Founder & CEO at Upnest

Sharon Wu
Sharon Wu linkedin

Sharon Wu

Angel Investor & Startup Advisor

Program Team

Sibyl Chen
Sibyl Chen linkedin

Sibyl Chen

General Manager

Ekin Günaysu
Ekin Günaysu linkedin

Ekin Günaysu

Innovation Program Manager

Frequently
Asked
Questions

The students that fulfill the eligibility requirements below can apply for the program by May 26th at 5pm PT. To be eligible, 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 Flux Scholarship 
• Must have secured an UNPAID internship with a SkyDeck startup in Summer 2023
• Not have any visa restrictions to do paid internships in the US if he/she is international
In order to qualify for the award, the student must intern for at least 20 hours per week for 12 weeks during the 2023 summer semester. The standard intern period runs from Mon, June 5th through Fri, August 18th. The internship can be done in-person, remotely, or in hybrid mode based on the agreement between the students and their supervisors. Students staying for the full 12 week period will receive $5,000.

Have more questions? Contact Ekin Gunaysu at ekingunaysu@berkeley.edu.