The story of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 isn't about the fire. It's about what happened next. It was a remarkable moment when the most brilliant engineers, architects, and inventors came together to build a new city. Their innovations – born of passion and practical ingenuity – shaped Chicago and the modern world. What started 140 years ago continues to this day.
1871 inspires, equips, and supports founders, growth scalers, and innovators in building great businesses. We deliver unfair advantages at scale. The team supports members made up of Chicago's brightest digital designers, engineers, and leaders shaping new technologies, disrupting old business models, and resetting the boundaries of what's possible.
Come to a place where you can share ideas, make mistakes, partner with others, work hard, grow professionally, and change the world with a bit of luck. If that sounds like you, join us!
Time Commitment
This internship is from June 5 to August 7, 2025, and is virtual with occasional on-site collaboration. Hours and time commitment may be flexible if agreed upon by the supervisor and the internship candidate prior to the start of the internship.
Duties and Responsibilities
This internship will focus on enhancing member engagement with talent-related resources. Responsibilities include:
- Research and recommend ways to drive greater adoption of 1871’s talent benefits.
- Evaluate existing talent offerings and provide insights on optimization.
- Identify opportunities to expand resources available to members.
- Assist with outreach to members to increase awareness and participation in talent programs.
- Track and analyze engagement metrics to assess the impact of initiatives.
- Provide administrative and strategic support to the Director of Talent Programs.
- Currently enrolled at an accredited university (recent grads will also be considered) with a focus in business, human resources, or a related field preferred.
- Strong research and analytical skills.
- Ability to work independently and within a team.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Proficiency in Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Slides) and Microsoft Office.
- Strong organizational skills with attention to detail.
- Interest in talent engagement, HR, and startup ecosystems.
- Letters of recommendation from our leadership team.
- College credit (upon school approval).
- Work with some of the best and brightest entrepreneurs and startups in the country.
- Develop in-demand skills and enhance your resume with hands-on experience.
Top Skills
What We Do
The story of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 isn’t really about the fire. It’s about what happened next: A remarkable moment when the most brilliant engineers, architects and inventors came together to build a new city. Their innovations – born of passion and practical ingenuity – shaped not just Chicago, but the modern world. What started 140 years ago continues to this day. Chicago’s brightest digital designers, engineers and entrepreneurs are shaping new technologies, disrupting old business models, and resetting the boundaries of what’s possible.
1871 is Chicago’s innovation hub and the #1 ranked private business incubator in the world. It exists to inspire, equip, and support early stage, growth stage and corporate innovators in building extraordinary businesses. 1871 is home to ~400 technology startups, ~200 growth stage companies, and ~1,500 members, and is supported by an entire ecosystem focused on accelerating their growth and creating jobs in the Chicagoland area. The member experience includes virtual and in person access to workshops, events, mentorship, and more. The nonprofit organization has 350 mentors available to its members, alongside access to more than 200 partner corporations, universities, education programs, accelerators, venture funds and others. Since its inception in 2012, more than 850 alumni companies are currently still active, have created over 14,500 jobs, and have raised more than $3.5 billion in follow-on capital.
Come to a place where you can share ideas, take initiative, work hard, grow professionally and, with a little luck, change the world. If that sounds like you, come join us.
Welcome to 1871.
**Please note, the jobs on our job page are positions with our startups.
