The cross-university initiative drew 241 students and postdocs, generated 16 hires, and is helping shape how Johns Hopkins connects learners with startup and innovation careers.
Students interested in startups often face a different recruiting landscape than those pursuing more traditional employers. Roles can be less well-defined, hiring timelines vary, and evaluating an opportunity requires understanding factors such as the company’s stage, funding, equity, and leadership.
We designed the 2026 Johns Hopkins Careers in Startups Week to help students and postdocs better understand the landscape while creating direct connections with companies seeking Hopkins talent.
The week brought together 241 students and postdocs across undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and postdoctoral populations. Overall satisfaction was 93 percent, including 95 percent among master’s students and 97 percent among doctoral students and postdocs.
The results extended beyond attendance and satisfaction. Fourteen employers participated in the Startup Pop-Up, and 10 of them ultimately hired a Hopkins student or trainee. In total, the event resulted in 16 hires, including 12 internships and four full-time positions.
Those hires represented a range of academic backgrounds, including data science, bioinformatics, engineering management, mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, applied mathematics and statistics, computer engineering, computer science, political science, and Romance languages.
Employers also responded positively to the experience. Participating employers reported 100 percent satisfaction, an average rating of 9.13 out of 10, and a Net Promoter Score of 62.5.
Johns Hopkins Careers in Startups Week was also designed to help participants better understand how careers in startups and innovation work. Programming focused on understanding the innovation economy, evaluating startup opportunities, connecting with employers, and learning from Hopkins alumni who have built careers in startups, venture, and innovation.
Pre- and post-event surveys showed progress across those goals. Among undergraduate respondents, clarity about startup roles increased by 29 percentage points. Master’s students reported gains across all four measures, including a 22-point increase in connection to the Johns Hopkins startup ecosystem.
The largest change was among doctoral students and postdocs. Their reported connection to the Hopkins startup ecosystem increased by 45 percentage points, alongside gains in their confidence evaluating opportunities and understanding startup roles.
The week was developed through a collaboration among seven teams across Johns Hopkins: the Life Design Lab, Hire Hopkins, the Pava Marie LaPere Center for Entrepreneurship, Hopkins Connect, the Doctoral Life Design Studio, the Master’s Life Design Hub, and the Carey Business School. Each partner contributed a different part of the experience, including programming, employer relationships, alumni connections, and access to the university’s broader entrepreneurship network.
The results are now informing plans for the next iteration of the program. The focus will be on increasing direct connections with companies that are actively hiring, bringing more alumni and founders into the experience, helping students evaluate startup opportunities, and continuing to strengthen coordination across career, entrepreneurship, and employer-facing teams at Hopkins.
The team will also continue using participation, learning, employer, and hiring data to understand what is working and where the program can be improved.
The goal is to build a clearer and more visible pathway for Johns Hopkins students and postdocs interested in startups, growth companies, venture-backed organizations, and other innovation-focused careers, while making it easier for emerging employers to connect with Hopkins talent.
Special thanks to Jess Dress and Kathrin Kranz for their data analysis and for capturing the outcomes of the initiative.
