A world where anyone can access professional experience as a form of education
At Extern, our mission is to empower everyone to discover and launch their career through meaningful, professional experiences available anytime, anywhere. We pioneered the remote Externship—a flexible, remote project with a company that combines real experience with structured training to help students build confidence and career-ready skills.
At Extern, we know today’s job market is tough. Internships are more competitive than ever, and hands-on, real experience is critical to stand out. Externships were designed to bring value to college students and companies alike. For student members, Extern combines accessible, real-world experiences with expert guidance and a growing community. Companies are able to engage with far greater numbers of students than traditional internships allow, and reach diverse candidates who otherwise would fall outside of their talent funnels.
Why Externships
At Extern, we’re forging a new path for career readiness, one that bridges technical training with hands-on professional experience. Externships offer an inclusive alternative to traditional internships, ensuring that students from all backgrounds can gain work experience that builds their resumes and expands their career potential.
Externships are an innovative way to gain work experience offering a unique alternative to traditional internships.
Here's why they stand out:
Flexible duration
Unlike internships that often last an entire summer or season, Externships are shorter. This allows participants to explore multiple opportunities and career paths within the same timeframe.
Equitable access
Externships aim to provide real experience to everyone, not just the few who land competitive internships. They're designed to be more inclusive, breaking down barriers to professional development.
Key benefits
For Students
Externships allow students to gain meaningful experience, explore diverse career paths, and build competitive skills, all while maintaining flexibility. This hands-on experience empowers students to build resumes that stand out in today’s job market.
For Companies
By managing the recruitment, training, and oversight of externs, we enable companies to access expertly curated, high-quality project output without devoting internal resources to managing operations.
For Higher Ed
Externships offer students at higher ed institutions a robust career-preparation component, equipping graduates with professional experience that enhances their employability and enriches academic programs.
An Externship defined
An Externship is a structured, professional experience guided by mentorship. We created the remote Externship to allow students to collaborate on meaningful projects with companies and build in-demand skills like Generative AI so they can develop confidence and advance their careers.
Real-world projects
Externships go beyond classroom learning, providing students the chance to work on projects that solve real business problems, support growth, and impact company strategy.
Managed expertise
Extern handles every aspect of the Externship experience for companies, from project goals and student recruitment to training and feedback, ensuring seamless project execution.
Time-saving curation
Companies receive carefully selected, high-quality project outcomes that integrate with their team’s goals, making Externships a valuable and efficient resource.
Proven track record
With thousands of student externs contributing to projects for top brands, the Extern platform has demonstrated exceptional results for both student members (70+ NPS) and companies (80+ NPS).
MIT grad (Comp Sci & Eng + Mgmt). Ex-Morgan Stanley, TCV. Co-founded e-comm marketplace AHAlife (raised $23M then merged). 20 yrs in edtech, e-comm, finance.
Founder & CEO
Matt Wilkerson
Ex-VP of Product at ClassPass, SVP Product at CLEAR. 20+ yrs in startup ops, product management, technology, mentoring & leadership. UPenn alum.
Chief Product & Technology Officer
Justin Chang
Entrepreneur and 13+ yrs in strategy, consulting, startups & operations. Formerly at Aquila Institute, Brazil. MBA from Questrom School of Business, Boston University.
Vice President of Operations
Rodolfo Penna
Ex-COO at Vendition, Co-founder at TopBots. 10+ yrs in GTM. Amazon best-selling author; recognized by INC, Entrepreneur as a top speaker in applied AI. Northwestern Uni alum.
Head of Growth and Partnerships
Marlene Jia
Former Portfolio Manager, Millenium. Previous roles at Credit Suisse and Lehman Brothers. 17+ years in hedge funds, banking & financial services industry.
Senior Director of Partnerships
Mike Eng
15+ yrs of student dev, program management & DEI access initiatives. Former TRiO Director at Hampton Uni. ABD, Ed.D from UIUC
Director of Student Operations
LaRae Snoddy
10 yrs in product, ops, strategy, growth marketing, comms & advertising. Ex-Google, Teach for India. M.Sc from University of St. Andrews, United Kingdom.
Director of Learning and Development
Madhura Padwal
10 yrs in ops, management, customer experience. Ex-VP Customer Relations at BlaBlaCar, France. Customer Experience keynote speaker. EMLYON Business School alum.
Director of Operations
Elina Roetynck
10+ yrs in marketing, education & edtech. Expert in Channels Cooperation, Strategic Dev across Mainland China, US, UK & Australia. Beijing Foreign Studies University alum.
Asia Partner
Bifei Wang
Former Director, KPMG. Digital transformation expert with a strategic consulting background. 11+ yrs serving US & global financial services clients.
