Textbook Ventures’ Post

💡 Earlier in my career, I heard this a lot: As a founder, you’re constantly fixing what’s broken or barely holding together. The things that work? You rarely get to touch them. Frustrating, right? This truth hit harder when I started recruiting. Interns were eager, smart, and full of enthusiasm—but getting things done with minimal input? That was another story. It wasn’t their fault. The problem lies in how institutions prepare them and the distorted expectations shaped by the media. Startups are romanticized as fast-paced environments where you immediately make an impact. But the reality? It's chaotic, high-stakes, and nothing like working at a Fortune 500 company. Interns often learn this the hard way—by the time they "get it," the internship's nearly over 😅 The issue isn't talent; it's readiness. Colleges don’t train students for scrappy environments, and the typical hiring process prioritizes fitting into molds over thriving in ambiguity. The opportunity cost is way too high for both sides, and at Colab, we’ve made it our mission to channel that untapped energy in the right direction. ⭐️ Colab fellows are incredibly scrappy and resourceful. They don’t just binge on the latest stack or skills—they're put through challenging situations that mirror real startup environments. This prepares them to navigate the entire pipeline of work. With a 30,000-foot overview of how everything connects, they adapt seamlessly to any situation tossed their way. ⚡️ If you’re a founder or leader tired of spending resources on “potential” instead of results, it’s time for an upgrade. It’s time to switch gears and work with interns who are truly eccentric, who can move the needle and not just fit in, who can participate and not just observe—people who help you chase the vision you’re building. 🤝 It’s time we Colab. My DMs are always open. Let’s chat! #colab #startup #softwareengineering #InternshipHunt #UniversityInternships #InternshipOpportunities #FutureIntern #InternshipSearch #CareerGoals #CollegeCareer #InternshipSeason #InternLife #ProfessionalGrowth #folio #internship #university #college #fallinternship #SkillsForSuccess #InternshipTips #StudentsWhoWork #InternshipExperience

Calling All Students: Projects and Micro-Internships Just for You! 🚀 Finding real, skill-building experience shouldn’t be so hard. That’s why we’ve partnered with top startups to offer hands-on projects and micro-internships—where you’ll work alongside industry leaders, build real skills, and add standout experiences to your resume. Here’s what Opportunest, our platform, offers: • Startup Impact: Real-world projects with innovative startups • Resume-Boosting Skills: Experiences that make your resume shine To get early access and get matched with projects and micro-internships: ➡ Drop your .edu email (US & Canada only) in the comments below! #StudentOpportunities #Summer2025 #Winter2024 #CareerGrowth #SkillBuilding #FutureReady #TopStartups #Internship

I've been consistently applying for summer internships for about a month without any luck. 👎 Here are a few essential points and tips to make your life easier 📈 - 1. The market is terrible right now 📉 . Layoffs are real. Everyone is focusing on being cashflow positive. And thus, any unreasonable stipends should be out of your mind. Keep your expectations low; it won't hurt later. 2. Don't feel bad about rejection; be happy that you got some feedback or that someone at least noticed your profile. Being ghosted or seen zoned is clearly much worse, as you gain NIL out of that effort. 3. Avoid commenting "Interested" on different people's posts, as 99% are using that to gain engagement, followers and whatnot (cheap tactics ngl)❌ 4. Use tools like hunter.io, apollo.io, and other email-finding tools to find your potential employer's emails. Go and do the extra mile effort for yourself, as LinkedIn notes or DM has given me sustainably lower replies than on mail. ✉ 5. If given a shot at an assignment, DON'T MISS THAT OUT. You lose when you don't make an effort. This is very different from on-campus placement; you are given real-life problem statements and have to provide a real-life solution, the best way to test your skills and abilities. 6. Applied to 5-6 companies? Didn't get a response? IT DOESN'T WORK LIKE THAT. Apply to a minimum of 60, then see 6 replying, 5 rejecting, and 1 accepting. And this might not even happen. But this is the bare minimum you need to do in this market. 🙏 7. Hope is not the answer; hard work is. Keep grinding on your skills. Keep building and doing activities to keep yourself motivated. BONUS TIP- Start your startup 🚀 . This is the best time to do that. I'm not able to dedicate enough time, but you will learn 10x more than any other form of learning. Hope it helps! Keep working hard; you don't need 100s of yes, just ONE. I'm also waiting for that one YES :) #internships #jobmarket #entrepreneurship #tips #content #business #startups #build #create

💡 "Why did you start Colab?" I frequently encounter this question during interviews. Each time I answer, I'm struck by how stagnant the field of early talent recruitment remains, despite technological advancements. It all dates back to when I was a college student! In high school, I created an educational social platform to share notes with my peers. While it was a great experience, I could have developed it much faster with professional guidance. Fast-forward to my undergraduate years, I was not only eager to build a product, but also to carve a career by collaborating with industry experts on unexplored paths. The lack of direction left me figuring out a lot of things on my own. It was an enlightening journey, but quite time-consuming. Despite years of progress, I see many students facing similar struggles and often end up disappointed. The opportunity cost is significant here; what could have taken 3 months, for instance, ends up taking 6 months. Time is especially valuable when we're young. This led to our mission at Colab: bridging the gap between talent and opportunity. We aim to use our connections and expertise to train students, transforming them into valuable resources. They can then micro-intern with various startups to develop a robust portfolio and professional presence. This way you hit many birds with a stone: ✅ Find a role suitable to you 🧑💻 Get hired faster 🤝 Establish a network 🎉 And be backed by a fantastic community! Over the past year, we have build a strong community at Colab and are looking to expand that as well announce further cohorts. If this resonates with you, direct message me or comment with your email. I'll send you an invitation to the interview for our next cohort launch. #startups #summer2024 #interns #internships #summerinternships #university #undergrads #hiring #jobs #Colab #college #coop

HUGE announcement!! I've always been an advocate of startup internships, but have seen first-hand how complicated it can be to pursue one. I've looked into solving the problem with software, job boards, etc. but those can only solve a small portion of the issue. At the end of the day students still get ghosted, pay can still be complicated, and it can be hard for students to tell which startups are actually going to succeed. But on the flip side, I’ve seen a handful of students quickly create life-changing opportunities for themselves by simply understanding how to make sense of the chaos. The thing is that startup internship recruiting doesn’t work like traditional job recruiting. If you have the right skill set, you can create an opportunity with any company that interests you whether they're hiring or not. So me and Nohely Diaz Ontiveros, the most successful startup intern I know, put together a Skool community to help students gain the skills necessary to make this work. Most of all, we wanted to create a place where students could help each other save time and secure great opportunities. And to support in that process, I uploaded my essay "A Student's Guide to Startup Internships" along with videos on finding great companies, reaching out effectively, negotiating pay, selling yourself, impressing the team, and more. All lessons we share come from facilitating over 150 internships through Catalyst XL over the last year or so, and from directly interviewing countless startup founders on what they look for in interns. We want to turn what's often a months-long, painstaking process into only a couple weeks. And though we're taking on some costs to host this thing, we got the price down to as low as we possibly could at just $5/mo! The link to join is in the comments! Feel free to comment or DM me with any questions! #internship #opportunity #startup #entrepreneurship #tech #business #engineering #swe #experience #community #

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. Have you noticed how job openings get flooded with applications almost instantly? So many of us are out there searching, applying, and reaching out hoping to land that first big opportunity. But on the flip side, offering opportunities feels so much simpler. Companies rarely struggle to find people; they get applicants in droves. It makes me wonder: 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝? Are there enough opportunities to match the growing number of job seekers? One thing I really admire is how startups contribute to this ecosystem. They don’t just innovate—they create opportunities. Startups hire interns, offer jobs, and give so many people their first break. It’s something we don’t always talk about, but they play a key role in balancing the system. Looking back, I remember how tough it was to land my first internship. The struggles, the rejections, and the lessons it wasn’t easy, but it taught me so much. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮? 👉 What was your experience like when you were looking for your first internship or job? What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them? I’d love to hear your story. Let’s continue the conversation in the comments!

🚀 Reflecting on My Journey: How LinkedIn Changed My Life in Just 2 Months Over the past two months, my journey with LinkedIn has been nothing short of transformative. 🌟 At 19, I once doubted my place in the tech world, but today, I’m thrilled to share that I’ve secured 3+ internships with amazing startups. These achievements might seem small to some, but they are monumental for a girl who once thought she didn’t belong in tech. This experience has taught me invaluable lessons: 💡 Perseverance Pays Off: Out of the 100+ companies and startups I applied to, only a handful (4-5) responded. But those responses were all I needed to get started. This journey reinforced the importance of reaching out, following up, and putting in the effort to stand out. 👥 Building Connections: Beyond internships, I’ve received offers for individual projects, hackathon partnerships, and more. It’s incredible how much can happen when you actively engage with your network and showcase your skills. 🌱 Continuous Learning: Each interaction and opportunity has been a step towards growth, both personally and professionally. To anyone feeling discouraged, remember: every effort counts. Keep pushing, keep applying, and keep believing in yourself. The right opportunity is just around the corner. Here’s to more learning, growth, and success! 🚀✨ #TechJourney #LinkedInSuccess #Internships #Startups #WomenInTech #NeverGiveUp

At Startupbootcamp I introduced the new method for startups to attract young talents. At Student Step-Up, we’re on a mission to change how startups hire. It’s simple: match 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 with 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 through 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀, and transform internships into lasting careers. Too often, internships are seen as short-term, transactional. We believe they can be the first step in building long-term, meaningful relationships between startups and future employees. As a "by students, for students" 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿, we handle the entire matchmaking process. Our focus? Cultural fit. We’re not just placing candidates; we’re creating a seamless flow of motivated, startup-ready talent that can make an impact. This all started as a project during my Minor at the Universiteit van Amsterdam. Students struggled to find internships that aligned with their aspirations. At the same time, startups were struggling to attract the right young talent, often losing out to the larger companies that grabbed the best candidates early. That’s when we saw an opportunity. That’s why we created Student Step-Up. We’re helping startups build a 𝗽𝗶𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 of 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵, 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 by focusing on internships as that critical first step. Is your startup ready to find the next generation of driven talent? Let’s turn internships into lasting careers and students into fresh talents⚡️

Want an internship but don't have the experience yet? 🙆♀️ Don't worry, we've got you covered! 🤝 This reel cracks the code on getting an internship without a ton of skills: 💡 ✅Option 1: Target Smaller Companies & Startups! ✅Option 2: Become a Problem Solver! No matter the option, let your enthusiasm shine through! ➡️ Share Your Profile with Spires Recruit! (www.spiresrecruit.com) We connect you with internship opportunities that fit your passion, not just your resume! Follow for more such career tips! #InternshipTips #NoExperienceNeeded #StartupLife #ProblemSolver #ShowYourPassion #bethesolution #careersuccess #jobseekers #careerboost #skilldevelopment #spiresrecruit #internshiplife #careertips #jobhacks #exploremore

3 #vc resume fails that I see all too often 👇🏻 Fail 1️⃣ - Not displaying part time VC and startup experience in your resume You should include internships, independent study projects, and consulting projects in the 'Experience' section of your resume. 𝗗𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 tuck away those gold nuggets away at the bottom, like I often see. Fail 2️⃣ - Not quantifying your experience There are more ways than ever to engage in VC beyond working full-time at a firm. But because so many folks have these experiences on their resume these days: How can you make them stand out? One way is to make sure you quantify, where possible: ⚫ How many deals you saw per week ⚫ How many you personally sourced per week ⚫ How many made it to the investment committee ⚫ How many (if any) closed Fail 3️⃣ - Not mentioning your experience working directly with founders As a VC you’ll work with founders constantly. So, it’s good for VCs to know if you’ve had some experience with it. For instance: ⚫ If you worked at a startup and have some exposure to the founders, be sure to call that out. ⚫ Did you run/work at events where you had to recruit or interact with founders? Yup, note it. ⚫ Did you sell to startup founders? Better mention it. Hmm. Maybe we should make a GPT for this ....