15 Entrepreneurship Internships in Philadelphia for High School Students
If you see yourself building a startup someday or studying business in college, getting early exposure matters. Internships in high school are one of the smartest choices to consider for that exposure.
What do entrepreneurship internships involve?
Entrepreneurship internships give you an early look at how ideas actually turn into businesses. They help you explore how things move from planning to execution. As an intern, you might support a small team, sit in on discussions, or help with tasks related to marketing, operations, or product development. You begin to see how decisions are made, how problems are handled, and how different parts of a business connect.
Why should you do an entrepreneurship internship in high school?
You start seeing how ideas are tested, changed, and sometimes dropped. You might sit in on a discussion, help with a small task, or just observe how a team moves when something isn’t working. Philadelphia offers a strong environment for this, with a mix of startups, local businesses, and innovation hubs. You can find opportunities across areas like tech, media, retail, and social impact. If you are based nearby, choosing a local internship also makes things easier on your pocket by avoiding travel and housing costs, while still giving you solid experience that strengthens your resume and college applications.
For more opportunities, consider business internships in Philadelphia.
Without further ado, here are 15 entrepreneurship internships for high school students in Philadelphia!
15 Entrepreneurship Internships in Philadelphia for High School Students
1. The Emma Bowen Foundation (EBF) Summer Internship
Location: Various locations across the U.S., including Philadelphia-area partners
Stipend: Paid
Dates: Minimum 8 continuous weeks; start dates in May or June, end dates determined by partner company
Application Deadline: Recruitment: Sept–April
Eligibility: High school seniors planning to attend a 4-year accredited U.S. college or university; Must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0+
This internship introduces you to the inner workings of major media, entertainment, and technology organizations through hands-on work in a professional setting. Based on your assigned track, you may support projects in marketing, data analysis, content development, or other business-related areas. As you work with teams across the organization, you begin to see how departments coordinate to manage deadlines, strategy, and long-term goals. Mentorship is built into the experience, with professionals helping you navigate both the work itself and the expectations of the workplace. The program also includes workshops, conferences, and coaching sessions that focus on career development and professional communication.
2. Young Founders Lab
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort. You can access the application link here!
Eligibility: The program is currently open to all high school students
The Young Founder’s Lab is a start-up boot camp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you will work towards building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a complex problem. You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X. Apart from building the start-up itself, you will also participate in interactive classes on business fundamentals and business ideations, workshops and skill-building sessions, case studies, panel discussions, and more. The program is an excellent opportunity to delve into the world of business in high school and have a space to explore multiple theoretical as well as practical frameworks that lead to a successful business. You can check out the brochure for the program here.
3. JKCP High School Internships
Location: University of Pennsylvania, with professional internship placements across the city
Cost: $5,990
Dates: Session One: June 21 – July 11 | Session Two: July 12 – August 1 (tentative, based on previous year’s cohort)
Application Deadline: May 22 (Session 1) and June 12 (Session 2)
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors; International students accepted
Rather than focusing only on classroom learning, the JKCP High School Internship Program gives you direct exposure to professional environments through a short-term placement in a business-related field. During the program, you intern at an organization connected to your interests and work under a mentor who introduces you to workplace expectations and daily responsibilities. Depending on the site, you might assist with research, support administrative tasks, or observe how teams handle client-facing work. Outside of internship hours, the residential structure adds campus activities and group experiences that help you connect with other students. Organized trips and evening programming round out the experience and introduce you to a broader range of career possibilities.
4. Ladder Internship Program
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world.
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November).
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students! In the program, you work with a high-growth start-up on an internship. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, from tech/deep tech and AI/ML to health tech, marketing, journalism, consulting, and more. Ladder’s start-ups are high-growth companies on average, raising over a million dollars. Interns work closely with their manager at the startup on real-world projects and present their work to the company. The virtual internship is usually 8 weeks long. Apply now!
5. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania High School Internship Program
Location: Commonwealth agencies and offices across Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia
Cost: None; A stipend of $15–$17.38/hr is paid
Dates: Flexible; May begin any time during the school calendar year (July 1 – June 30); Juniors may continue into the following year
Application Deadline: Rolling, through the Commonwealth Employment Page
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors; at least 16 years old; Requires a letter of recommendation from school
A placement through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania High School Internship Program gives you firsthand exposure to how public offices and state agencies operate. You may assist with tasks related to administration, budgeting, finance, or internal processes while learning how the public sector works. This entrepreneurship internship in Philadelphia for high school students takes place in a professional office environment, so you also gain experience with workplace structure, communication, and accountability. Supervisors help guide your work and provide feedback as you take on responsibilities throughout the placement. The experience also offers a closer look at how government offices support broader public initiatives through everyday operations.
6. CLA High School Internship Program
Location: Various locations across the U.S., including Philadelphia
Stipend: $18 – $20 per hour
Dates: June 15 – July 16
Application deadline: Typically early January
Eligibility: Current high school juniors or seniors who are between the ages of 16-18
For students interested in accounting, finance, or advisory work, the CLA High School Internship Program offers early exposure to a professional services environment. During the internship, you support teams working on client-related assignments and may help with financial analysis, audit preparation, research, or tax-related tasks. This gives you a clearer sense of how firms use data and reporting to support decision-making across industries. In addition to project work, the program includes simulations and case-based activities that help you apply ideas in a more interactive format. Mentors explain the logic behind workflows and offer feedback on your contributions as you learn. Along the way, you also build communication and teamwork skills that are essential in client-facing settings.
7. Tech & Innovation Internship
Location: Philadelphia-based with in-person and virtual components
Stipend: $500/week
Dates: June 22 – August 14
Application Deadline: March 30 (or until full)
Eligibility: Rising 11th–12th grade high school students in the Philadelphia area
Building a startup with a team is the core of the Tech & Innovation Internship, which combines entrepreneurship with technical and product-focused work. Throughout this entrepreneurship internship in Philadelphia for high school students, you help move an idea from concept to execution by contributing to areas such as product design, user experience, or development. Mentors support your team as you work through ideation, testing, and refinement, helping you make decisions based on feedback and real constraints. Workshops introduce startup concepts like validation, problem-solving, and product thinking in a way that connects directly to your project. As the internship continues, your team works toward a functional prototype that demonstrates the viability of your idea. The summer ends with a final pitch, where you present your work and explain the process behind your solution.
8. Heights Philadelphia – High School Career & Workforce Programs
Location: Partner high schools across the city + university dual enrollment sites
Cost: Varies (some free with stipends, others $4,230/course with waivers)
Dates: Year-round advising; summer programs June–August
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Philadelphia public high school students (8th–12th grade); special financial aid and enrichment opportunities for girls via Ellis Trust
Heights Philadelphia takes a broader approach to career exploration by combining advising, academic enrichment, and access to work-based opportunities. Through the program, you can explore entrepreneurship and business pathways while building skills in communication, writing, and critical thinking. One part of the experience involves connections to internships and workforce programs, which help you gain practical exposure beyond school. Another key feature is dual enrollment, which allows you to take college-level courses and experience a more advanced academic setting. Advisors work with you individually to help identify goals and connect you with opportunities that fit your interests.
9. Bloomberg Arts Internship
Location: Various arts/cultural organizations, Greater Philadelphia
Stipend: $20+ an hour
Dates: June 19 to August 14
Application Deadline: February 28
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors residing in Philadelphia
Even though the setting is arts-focused, the Bloomberg Arts Internship gives you solid exposure to the business and operational side of creative organizations. You might work in areas like marketing, communications, and event coordination while learning how cultural institutions manage audiences, programming, and internal operations. Through these responsibilities, you begin to understand how nonprofit and arts organizations balance public engagement with organizational needs. Mentorship and cohort activities create opportunities to learn from both staff and peers throughout the summer. The internship also includes workshops on workplace readiness, self-advocacy, and public speaking.
10. Wharton Global Youth Program: Essentials of Entrepreneurship
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Cost: $8,299 +$100 application fee
Dates: June 7 – 19 (session 1), June 21 – July 3 (session 2), July 12 – 25 (session 3), or July 26 – August 8 (session 4)
Application deadline: Priority deadline: January 28 | Final deadline: March 18
Eligibility: High school students currently enrolled in grades 9 – 11
In Essentials of Entrepreneurship, you study how new ventures are developed while actively working through that process with a team. The program covers topics such as idea generation, customer discovery, and business models through lectures, discussions, and collaborative assignments. As a participant, you’ll apply them as you build and refine a startup concept with your group. Teamwork is an important part of the experience, since you divide responsibilities and shape your final pitch together. Additional sessions broaden the experience by introducing you to other business topics through speaker events and academic discussions. The program closes with a formal presentation in which you pitch your venture and demonstrate what you have learned.
11. PYNtern Program
Location: Various worksites across Philadelphia
Stipend: Up to $1,500
Dates: Summer Cohort: June – August | Fall/Winter Cohort: October – December | Winter/Spring Cohort: January – March
Application Deadline: Early March (Summer); Early August (Fall/Winter); November (Winter/Spring)
Eligibility: Philadelphia high school students (rising 9th – 12th grade); ages 14–18
The PYNtern Program, run by the Philadelphia Youth Network, places you directly inside real Philadelphia organizations where you do meaningful work rather than observational tasks. As a Senior PYNtern (rising 11th or 12th grader), you split your time between a paid worksite placement and weekly professional development sessions that cover workplace communication, project management, digital tools, and financial literacy. Depending on your assigned worksite, you may support teams in business operations, marketing, finance, or community-facing work, giving you firsthand exposure to how organizations function at a practical level. Intentional networking is built into the program structure, with opportunities to connect with supervisors, cross-departmental staff, and professionals who can speak to long-term career pathways.
12. NFTE Summer Entrepreneurship Experience
Cost: Varies by location
Location: Various locations nationwide, including Philadelphia-area programs
Dates: Summer (typically June – August); varies by site
Application Deadline: Rolling; varies by location
Eligibility: High school students (grades 9–12); priority given to students from under-resourced communities
NFTE (Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship) has been building entrepreneurial skills in young people for decades, and its summer programs bring that experience into a focused, project-based format. Throughout the program, you work through the full process of developing a business concept, from identifying a problem worth solving to building a business plan and pitching your idea in front of a panel. Along the way, you study the fundamentals that make ventures viable, including market research, pricing, customer segmentation, and financial planning. Mentorship from local entrepreneurs and business professionals adds real-world context to the concepts you encounter in structured sessions. The program culminates in a business plan competition, where you present your venture and compete for recognition and prizes that can support your next steps.
13. Snider Enterprise and Leadership Fellows (SELF) Experience
Location: Virtual
Cost: $1,365
Dates: July 12–31
Application deadline: June 1
Eligibility: Rising students in grade 10 to graduating from grade 12
SELF is framed as a way to think about leadership and personal development. Over the course of the program, you study topics like marketing, strategy, and economics while working with a team to respond to real-world challenges. Faculty and industry mentors provide input as your group develops a venture idea and improves it through revision and discussion. The curriculum encourages you to think carefully about how businesses create value and how leadership shapes outcomes. Interactive sessions and collaborative work make the experience more applied than purely lecture-based. By the final presentation, you are expected to communicate both your idea and the reasoning behind it clearly.
14. Wharton Global Youth Program: Future of the Business World
Location: Virtual
Cost: $4,099; Scholarships available
Dates: June 15 – June 26 | July 6 – July 17
Application Deadline: January 28 (priority); Rolling
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9-12; International students can apply
Future of the Business World is designed around big-picture business questions, asking you to think critically about how industries and global markets may evolve. Through live instruction and independent work, you examine themes such as design thinking, scenario planning, and collaboration in uncertain environments. Interactive simulations help translate these ideas into practice, giving you a more applied understanding of decision-making and strategy. You also complete a final project that draws on current trends and asks you to form your own perspective on what may come next. The program balances exploration of major business ideas with opportunities to test those ideas in structured activities.
15. Babson Summer Study
Location: Virtual
Cost: $6,295
Dates: July 8 – 28
Application Deadline: Early Bird: February 13 | Standard: March 13
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
Babson Summer Study blends college-level coursework with collaborative venture-focused work, giving you a structured introduction to entrepreneurial problem-solving. Much of the program centers on team projects, where you develop solutions tied to real-world issues and broader social or economic challenges. Along the way, you study topics such as marketing, finance, leadership, and communication, all within an entrepreneurial framework. Faculty guidance and mentorship help you connect academic material to the project work you complete with your group. You will be constantly refining ideas, testing assumptions, and learning how teams build solutions together.