Internships are the single most important factor to landing a job after college, however, there are many barriers to participation. Over twelve million students do not have access to participate in an internship program even though they seek the opportunity; in addition, 40% of internships are unpaid, disproportionately affecting African-, Hispanic-, and multiracial Americans. After interviewing 250+ talent leaders, Symba’s co-founders discovered that employers lack the necessary tools and resources to scale accessible experiential learning opportunities and needed a solution.
Symba’s internship management platform facilitates equitable access to jobs and wealth creation by enabling employers to streamline inefficiencies and scale critical early-in-career job opportunities to more diverse job seekers globally. We also partner with nonprofits like YUPRO and INROADS to power their programs supporting Opportunity Talent and underserved communities. Symba was named a leader in the remote work revolution, and an innovator in the HR tech space by Forbes.
In 2020, nearly half of summer internships were canceled. In response, Symba teamed up with the nonprofit Pay Our Interns (POI) to launch the #SaveInternships campaign. The associated Intern Relief Fund raised $35,000 and helped 70 students who were facing dire financial constraints. These included undocumented students, immunocompromised students, and students serving as caretakers. The fund extended for a Fall and Spring cycle, ultimately financially supporting 239 students, the average awards ranging from $431 to $643.
Na’amal is an international nonprofit that partners with leading organizations to support refugees and other vulnerable populations through skills training, mentorship, and remote work placement opportunities. The program is implemented with the MIT Refugee Action Hub (ReACT), which provides educational opportunities to registered refugees, forcibly displaced people, and host country citizens. By going virtual on Symba’s platform, Na’amal expanded their reach to provide 1:1 mentorship for 50 refugees across 22 countries.
INROADS is a leading nonprofit dedicated to creating pathways to careers for ethnically diverse high school and college students across the country. Symba connects INROADS participants with our free resources, supports INROADS’ partners with guidance and tools to build and scale successful remote internship programs, and powers the INROADS CollegeLinks program of 450+ scholars on our platform.
Created in 2013, the Power2Inspire Foundation (a 501c3) has been committed to helping young aspiring music creators and industry leaders rise to their highest self. Over the summer of 2020, Power2Inspire brought their program on to Symba. They virtually gathered twenty-five Black and Brown creatively talented mentees [ages 18-24] from both the U.S. and the U.K to learn from professional music producers, singers/songwriters, and music label executives. The following summer, they expanded to support 60 mentees.
San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation – EDC for short – is an independently-funded economic development organization that mobilizes business, government, and civic leaders around an inclusive economic development strategy. Their mission? To connect data to decision making, maximize regional prosperity, enhance global competitiveness, and position San Diego effectively for investment and talent. Working as an intermediary, the San Diego EDC purchased instances of Symba to manage their own interns and supply the platform to 10 small businesses in San Diego.
