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Copenhagen School of Design and Technology
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Entrepreneurial Internship

Purpose and work content
Requirements to entrepreneurship internship
The application process
The internship contract
Mentor
KEA Ignite

If you want to do internship in your own company, you can read more here about how to apply for internship.

In entrepreneurial internship, you work on developing your own company.
Entrepreneurial internship is the most demanding type of internship, because you are in charge of all the planning. At the same time, you’ll have to perform all tasks without having any colleagues to spar with on a day-to-day basis.

It is a requirement that you find at least one relevant external contact person who can act as your mentor.

In addition to finding a mentor, it is important that you have a plan for qualification of your project in dialogue with relevant players such as:

  • Potential customers
  • Possible manufacturers
  • Possible client businesses
  • Possible collaborators
  • Relevant professional networks

Your programme has special guidelines to entrepreneurial internship. See the guidelines in the internship folder in your class' room on Fronter.

When you are in entrepreneurial internship in your own company, you cannot take students from KEA as interns in workplace internship.

3% of KEA’s students do entrepreneurial internship.

Remember to apply for entrepreneurial internship

If you want to do entrepreneurial internship in your own company, you must apply for it.

There is a limited number of places for entrepreneurial internship, and you can’t be sure to get a place.  

The places in entrepreneurial internship are offered to the most suitable applicants based on an individual, academic assessment.

Read more about the application process

If your application is rejected, you cannot take an entrepreneurial internship in your own company and must instead do workplace internship.

Since you can't be sure of getting a place, you should explore the opportunities of workplace internship, so you have a relevant alternative. Doing internship in an established startup can be a good alternative, where you can gain insight into what it takes to start your own company, and you can draw on other people's good and bad experiences with start-ups.

Read more about workplace internship

Har du spørgsmål til din praktik, så kan du her se, hvem der kan hjælpe dig.
Guidance
Guidance
If you have questions about your internship, see here who can help you.
Her finder du links, som kan hjælpe dig undervejs i din proces om at komme i praktik
Links
Links
Here you will find links that can help you in your process of getting an internship

Purpose and work content

The purpose of the internship is described in the programme curriculum. It applies to both workplace internship and entrepreneurial internship in your own company. However, workplace and entrepreneurial internships have different focuses.

Entrepreneurial internship in your own company aims at a working life as an independent. You must learn to develop or further develop the company as part of establishing yourself and your company on the market.

Through the internship, you’ll reach the learning objectives of the programme curriculum by working to build up or further develop your company or business idea.

Entrepreneurial internship equips you to work as an independent

Work content

In entrepreneurship internship, you work extensively with your programme’s subject areas, keeping a focus on developing the company.

There is a clear expectation that you will involve external stakeholders in the development process of your entrepreneurial internship. This means that you must keep a dialogue with potential customers, partners, suppliers, production sites and your external mentor.

The work content of your internship is to be specifically agreed with your internship supervisor.

Workplace internship

Workplace internship aim at a working life as an employee, and you must learn to take part in the daily tasks in a company and/or work with agreed projects.

Read more about worksplace internship

Workplace internship equips you to work as an employee

Requirements to entrepreneurship internship

You must apply to be approved for entrepreneurial internship in your own company, and there are some special requirements that you must meet.

In entrepreneurship internship in your own company, you are responsible for planning and performing all tasks yourself. That means that you independently:

  • Plan and work on solving study-relevant tasks with a focus on developing the company
  • Use a wide range of the knowledge, skills and competences gained during your education (see your programme curriculum)
  • Plan and manage your work in a systematic manner to an extent corresponding to full-time internship throughout the entire internship period
  • Identify your needs for professional sparring and schedule meetings with an external mentor. Read more about finding a mentor 
  • Work with the company's business development
  • Collaborate with external players as well as the other KEA startups on solving tasks
  • Work with the inter-linkage between company and business

Use your knowledge

In your entrepreneurial internship, you will put to use a wide range of the knowledge, skills and competences that you have acquired during your education. 

Get a mentor

As a new entrepreneur, it is a really good idea to get a mentor you can lean on and spar with. As part of your entrepreneurial internship, you need to find a mentor and hold regular meetings with that person. You can read more about the mentor requirement under Mentor.

The application process

Your application for entrepreneurship internship must include a project plan, a motivational letter, and a business model canvas.

Send your application as a single PDF to praktikaftale@kea.dk. Your application must contain the following elements (points 1 to 5 cannot exceed two A4 pages):

  1. Motivation - why do you want to do entrepreneurial internship?
  2. A description of your company or business idea. What company do you have or are you planning to start? What needs do you see in the market? Who's your target group? How will you put your programme’s subject areas into play in connection with the development of your company/business idea?
  3. A description of the preliminary investigation you have done (e.g. needs analysis, target group analysis, competitor analysis, finances, etc.).
  4. What is the overall goal of your internship? Describe the change you want to create in the company during your internship (and how will you involve relevant people in the process: stakeholders, clients, business partners, etc.).
  5. Name and job title of the external mentor you have found or the profile you are searching for. Your mentor cannot be employed at KEA and cannot be a student. Justify why you have chosen this/these mentor(s).
  6. Business model canvas for the internship - filled in in as much detail as possible. For more information on Business model canvas, see below.
  7. A project plan that shows your work tasks week by week (there are no format requirements, you can use e.g. a Gantt chart). Remember to set goals in your project plan. Your project plan is the foundation for your work in Ignite and the sparring with your Ignite coach.

Submit your application by the application deadline.

Submit your application

Before the application deadline, you must submit your application as a single PDF to praktikaftale@kea.dk 

Application deadline

Spring: 15 April
Autumn: 15 October 

The application deadline for specialisation lines, Fashion Management and Marketing & Communication Design at Design Technology, is 1 May.

Send your application as a single pdf to praktikaftale@kea.dk. 

Application response

Spring: 1 May
Autumn: 1 November

On the specialisation lines, Fashion Management and Marketing & Communication Design at Design Technology, you will get a reply to your application on 15 May.

You will receive the reply to your application in your KEA email from KEA's internship coordinator.

Assessment

Your application will be assessed by KEA's internship coordinator in collaboration with your internship supervisor.

The basis for the assessment is the application you’ve submitted. 

Remember to check that your application contains all the required elements. 

Internship contract

If your application is approved, complete and submit KEA's internship contract by the contract deadline.

If you get approval for entrepreneurial internship, you must complete an internship contract. You must complete the internship contract in an online form. 

You can read more about the internship contract and how to complete it under Internship contract and formal requirements. (Danish link)

Before you can submit the contract, you must agree the framework for the mentoring with your mentor. It is to be approved as part of the internship contract. Under “Any other agreements” write:

  • Your mentor's full name, email address, job title and company
  • The topics you and your mentor will be discussing at the mentor meetings

Please note that taking entrepreneurial internship requires both an approved application and an approved internship contract.

Completion of the internship contract as an entrepreneur

You must complete the same internship contract (Danish link) as students going in workplace internship. However, there are some fields you need to fill in a little differently. You can read more about this below.

  • Filling in the contract

    Even if you are going in internship in your own company, you still need to fill out the same web form as the other students; you just need to fill it out a little differently.

    Under "Work tasks agreed", enter information about tasks, mentors and other things your supervisor needs to know in order to approve the internship.

    Since you don't have a contact person, fill in the required fields as follows:

    The same applies if you don’t have a company name, address, etc. yet:

Both application and contract

It is important that you have both an approved application and an approved internship contract. Otherwise, you cannot start in entrepreneurial internship.

Completing the internship contract

You can find more information about the internship contract under Internship contract and formal requirements (Danish link)

Mentor

It is a requirement that you find at least one external mentor who can give you professional sparring during the internship.

A mentor is a professional person who voluntarily agrees to be your mentor during your internship.

Please note that some programmes require two mentors. Ask your internship coordinator if there is a requirement for more than one mentor on your particular programme. Finding contact information for your internship coordinator.

Finding a mentor

When searching for a mentor, start by orientating yourself about the companies and people who would have knowledge about the field you want to start a business in. Then contact the person(s) you think might be relevant. In connection with your classes, you might have had presentations from an interesting person or done projects for a relevant company.

Read more below about the kind of person who can be a mentor and the relation between you and your mentor, etc.

  • Who can be a mentor?

    To get the best possible professional sparring, it is important that you find a mentor who is active in the business community and has several years of experience in the field you are looking for sparring in.

    The mentor profile depends on what you need sparring for.

    A qualified mentor:

    • Can give you sparring in relation to one or more of the areas you are working on developing in the company.
    • Can set aside time for 2-4 mentor meetings of 1-1 1/2 hours’ duration during your internship.
    • Can ask you questions that challenge you and give you new learning
    • Will share their experience

    An external mentor cannot be employed at KEA and cannot be a student.

  • Mentor's role

    It’s your mentor’s role to be your professional sparring partner during your internship.

    You can expect to have a dialogue with your mentor about the professional issues you have agreed to talk about.

    You can't expect your mentor to solve your challenges or to provide you with solutions.

    It’s not your mentor’s role to approve the contract, to read or approve your internship report or to evaluate your exam.

  • Your role as mentee

    It is your role as a mentee to take the initiative to meet with your mentor and to be open to professional sparring.

    This means that you must be willing to listen to and let yourself inspire by your mentor's experience.

  • Mentor meetings

    You must, in advance, agree on the framework for the mentoring which is to be described in the contract.

    There is a clear expectation that you meet with your mentor 2-4 times of 1-1 1/2 hours spread over the duration of your internship.

    It is your responsibility to invite to the mentor meetings. This means that you must prepare an agenda for each meeting and send it to your mentor well in advance of the meeting.

    Before the meeting, you can prepare:

    • What do I want to say at the meeting
    • What do I want to ask at the meeting
    • What do I want to achieve with the meeting

    It is your responsibility to write a short record of the meeting and send it to your mentor within a few days after the meeting. You may want to cc your internship supervisor.

  • The professional relation

    The relationship between you and your mentor is professional. You should take the initiative to write an agreement between you to ensure that your expectations balance.

    You can also choose to use this template for the agreement. 

    Download template for mentoring agreement (PDF)

  • Ending of the mentoring process

    The mentor relationship ends at the end of the internship.

    Both mentor and mentee can break off the mentor relationship at any time if necessary. If one party decides to break off the mentor relationship, the other party must be informed and the student must inform the internship supervisor.

Professional relation

The relation between you and your mentor is professional, and you must ensure a common alignment of expectations with your mentor.

Your responsibility

You are the one who must take the initiative to meet with your mentor during your entrepreneurial internship.

When you meet, it is important that you are open for professional sparring so that you get the most out of your meetings.

KEA Ignite

For KEA students in entrepreneurial internship in their own company it is mandatory to join KEA Ignite. 

The purpose of Ignite is to support you in the process of developing your own business based on your project plan. Ignite constitutes shared office facilities for you as well as some activities that can support you in the process.

What you get at Ignite

During the internship, you will get a place in KEA Startup Hub, the shared office for startups at KEA, and you will be connected with an Ignite coach. There are some mandatory activities you need to take part in and there are some voluntary offers you can make use of.

You:

  • must attend the kickoff and wrap up meetings
  • must take an active part in pitch jam sessions with the Ignite coach and other startups every two weeks
  • can book individual coaching
  • can participate in workshops
  • can set up your company in Virk with a c/o address at KEA if you have no other options, but only as long as you are a student at KEA.

Activities in Ignite cannot replace any formal requirements to be met at your programme concerning internship. If your programme requires you to do so, you must therefore keep a logbook during your internship, report regularly to your internship supervisor or meet for mid-term evaluation, etc. You can for example use your project plan as a logbook template.

  • The role of the Ignite coach

    The Ignite coach is a teacher with special knowledge about entrepreneurship.

    The coach's role is solely to support you in your internship process based on your project plan.

    The coach cannot replace your internship supervisor nor your external mentor(s)

    The coach cannot offer guidance on the exam and cannot be a censor at the exam.

  • Kick off meeting

    It is mandatory to attend the kick off meeting.

    At the meeting you will be introduced to KEA Ignite, you will meet the other startups and you will have the first conversation with your Ignite coach.

    The starting point for this conversation is your project plan, so remember to bring it.

  • Pitch Jam Sessions

    It is mandatory that you attend the Pitch Jam Sessions every two weeks.

    The purpose is to support you in your work on developing your company or your business idea.

    Based on your project plan, you pitch what you have been working on during the past week and what tasks you want to work with in the coming week. You should also bring an issue you would especially like sparring on. The coach and the other startups will give you feedback and sparring, and you will give feedback and sparring to the other startups. Each person has 15 minutes for pitch and feedback.

    It is a requirement that you actively participate in Pitch Jam Sessions and spar with the other startups.

  • Individual coaching with your Ignite coach

    You have the opportunity to book your Ignite coach for individual coaching 2x45 minutes for 10 weeks of internship and 4x45 minutes for 20 weeks of internship. That is a special offer which does not replace the meetings with your external mentor.

    If you want to book individual coaching, contact your Ignite coach and arrange a time for coaching. You must inform the coach in advance what you would like to talk about so that you get the most out of the meeting. If you have not informed the coach in advance what you are going to talk about, the coach may cancel the meeting.

  • Workshops

    You have the opportunity to sign up for workshops offered through NEH2 – Nordic Entrepreneurship hub 2. For more information see neh.kea.dk

    If you are interested in a workshop that is not on offer, contact your ignite coach or Ignite facilitator Gitte Jul (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), who will explore the possibility for you to attend the workshop.

  • Possibility to register your company C/O KEA

    As an Ignite participant, you can register your company in Virk with a c/o address at KEA.

    This is only an option for students at KEA who participate in KEA Ignite or in NEH2 and who are unable to register their company with an address elsewhere.

    As soon as you graduate or for other reasons are no longer a student at KEA, you must change the address so that the company is no longer registered at KEA.

    If you have registered your company with a c/o address at KEA, KEA can receive mail for your company, but disclaims any responsibility for mail you might not receive.

    You must periodically check whether mail has arrived for your company by contacting KEA's reception at PCG.

Shared office facilities

At KEA Ignite, you will be part of a shared office with other students who are passionate about starting their own company. You will be assigned a coach and will spar regularly with the others in KEA Ignite.

Guidance

If you have questions about your entrepreneurial internship, see here who can help you. 

Contact your teachers

You can talk to the teacher who is your internship supervisor, about:

  • Internship exam
  • Work content
  • Problems during internship 

Contact KEA's internship coordinators

You can talk to the internship coordinator at your programme about:

  • Guidelines for the internship
  • Problems during internship
Gitte Jul
Gitte Jul
Internship Coordinator - Digital and Tech
T: +45 29 22 37 69
E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Asger Halberg Hansen
Asger Halberg Hansen
Internship Coordinator - Build and Design
T: +45 24 98 36 88
E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

During your internship

If your entrepreneurial internship has started and you have questions, you can also look at During your internship (Danish link) and see if you can find answers to some of your questions there.

Information about formal requirements

If you are in doubt about the formal requirements, take a look at Internship contract and formal requirements (Danish link) to see if you can find answers to some of your questions there.

Links

Here you’ll find a number of relevant links that can help you in your process of finding an internship company. 

Here you can find more information about starting your own company:

virksomhedsguiden.dk

virk.dk

skat.dk

aktuelle forløb - iværksætterdanmark (ivdk.dk)

programforløb: iværksætterdanmark | erhvervshus hovedstaden (ehhs.dk)

erhvervshus hovedstaden

iværksætter-danmark

startvaekst.virk.dk

Business model canvas

To learn more about Business Model Canvas, go to strategyzer.com and watch the two videos below:

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