Every year, InSITE looks to recruit "New York's best and brightest" graduate students into the InSITE program. The "best and brightest" are those who have demonstrated excellence in the fields of entrepreneurship, technology, finance, marketing, entrepreneurial finance, consulting, and/or law. InSITE currently recruits from four New York City schools: Columbia Business School, Columbia Law School, NYU Stern School of Business, and NYU Law School. InSITE does not have quotas to fill at the schools, but recognizes that there is benefit in diversifying across different schools and disciplines, and further recognizes that a balance of graduating and first-year/earlier year students is necessary for continuity.

Deadlines:
Fall 2008 applications due Thursday, September 13th at 7pm. Interviews will take place on Sunday, September 16th, from 1-6pm. Please read this page in full for application details.

Submit Student Application

Application Process Overview
The application consists of:

1. One page resume
2. One page statement of interest (most important - demonstrate your interest in venture capital or entrepreneurship, and commitment to the program)
3. One page VentureWire write-up (see details below; can be well-thought out bullet points)
4. Callback interviews

Selection Process
Applying to become an InSITE fellow is a two-part process, in which applicants are judged on the basis of their past experience, as well as their ability to contribute and learn from the program. The first stage is a screening application consisting of a resume, a brief (maximum one page) personal statement, and a brief (maximum one page) company write-up. After all the initial applications are reviewed, some candidates are invited back for interviews and, subsequently, final fellow selections are made. The interview consists of a 10 minute general Q&A session and a 15 minute simulated meeting, in which the applicant discusses funding strategy for a mock start-up with a current InSITE fellow or alum playing the role of entrepreneur. Since the program is limited to 24 students per year (12 held for returning fellows), selection is highly competitive.

Selection Criteria
For both the written application and the interview, the Selection Committee will consider many factors when weighing the candidate, including:

1. Industry experience: in private equity, venture capital, starting a company, technology, engineering, operations, law (especially intellectual property law), and other areas involved in the business of building and financing innovative companies.
2. Interpersonal skills: integrity, determination, leadership, charisma, composure, ability to communicate effectively, analytical ability, and other interpersonal factors.
3. Passion and dedication: a successful applicant must have the time, energy, and willingness to commit to an intense and demanding group such as InSITE, on top of all their other commitments at school.
4. Ultimately, an applicant must agree to the terms and conditions of being an InSITE Fellow, which include the signing of a non-disclosure agreement to protect entrepreneurial IP, and may contain other items. An applicant is not technically a Fellow until he or she signs this document.

Application Deadline
The deadline for completing the Fall 2008 fellowship application will be 7pm, Thursday night, September 13, 2007. Fellows should follow the instructions below in completing the application.

Application Process
To be considered, all applicants must submit the following:

1. One-page resume.
2. Statement of Interest: answer the following in a Word doc of one single-spaced page: "What will you bring to InSITE? What do you hope to get out of InSITE? What kind of commitment can you make to InSITE?"
3. VentureWire write-up: create a Word doc, no more than one single-spaced page, detailing any one of the investments covered in the below VentureWire articles. The write-up can be in bullet-point form, as long as rigorous thought is reflected. Answer the following in a Word doc of one page: "Analyze any investment that got done. Would you have done the deal? Why or why not? What are the interesting issues involved with this deal?"
4. For the company write-up, pick a story from one of the following:

• VentureWire #1
• VentureWire #2
• VentureWire #3
• VentureWire #4
• VentureWire #5
• VentureWire #6

Application to InSITE is a two-step process: First, this written application consisting of a resume, a brief (maximum one page) personal statement and a brief (maximum one page) company write-up is emailed to the Selection Committee before 7 PM, Thursday, September 13. Applications will be reviewed by two members of the Committee to ensure fairness. The best of the applications will be invited for an interview. All applicants will be notified of their status on Saturday, September 15.

Interviews will be on Sunday, September 16, 2007 between 1pm and 6pm, so be sure to leave time open on that day. Each Applicant will be interviewed by members of the Selection Committee for approximately 30 minutes.
The first part of the in-person interview is a general Q&A. The second part is a mock company meeting designed to give applicants a chance to experience a typical InSITE task. A current fellow or alum will act as the CEO of a tech startup and briefly present a business that needs financing. The applicant will then have an opportunity to question the “entrepreneur” and discuss the startup’s prospects for achieving venture financing. No technical knowledge (such as higher math skills or industry-specific technology) will be required. It may be helpful, though, for applicants to understand the basic goals of entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.

Dress is business casual (you really don't have to wear a suit - we won't be). All candidates will be notified by e-mail of their status before Monday, September 17 at midnight.

The InSITE Commitment
All prospective InSITE Fellows must be prepared to commit either their Tuesday or Wednesday evenings for the remainder of the academic year to InSITE. If there is a class you simply must have on both Tuesday and Wednesday, in either the Fall or Spring term, please do not apply. InSITE will normally meet in midtown between 7pm and 10pm, and we'll often go out for dinner/drinks afterwards, so please leave your entire evening free. We do break for holidays as indicated on the schedule.

All InSITE Fellows must sign a standard non-disclosure agreement to protect the companies we work with during the year. Recognizing that we sometimes have involvements with other companies during the school year, there is a mechanism to recuse oneself from any given company. If you are unwilling to sign a general NDA on principle, please do not apply.

Disclaimer
InSITE is, technically, a social club that is focused on the entrepreneurial finance process. We have attempted to make our decision process as transparent and fair as possible, but all decisions are final regarding the application process. InSITE reserves the right to accept of refuse any applicant as a fellow of InSITE. InSITE makes no commitment to any applicants of assured entrance into the organization.

Submit Student Application